John 6:17-18

John 6:17-18

[17] And  entered  into  a ship,  and went  over  the sea  toward  Capernaum.  And  it was  now  dark,  and  Jesus  come  to  them.  [18] And  the sea  arose  by reason of a great  wind  that blew. 

What does John 6:17-18 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The disciples" ultimate destination was Capernaum, which Mark called Bethsaida ( Mark 6:45). Evidently this western Bethsaida ("Fishtown") was very close to, or even part of, Capernaum. [1] When Jesus did not appear by nightfall, they decided to travel on to Capernaum without Him.
In John"s Gospel darkness often has symbolic significance implying a bad situation (cf. John 3:2; John 13:30). Jesus" absence cast another foreboding cloud over the disciples. To make the occasion even worse a strong wind came up and created a storm on the lake. The wind normally came from the west, the direction in which the disciples headed. Mark described the disciples as straining at the oars ( Mark 6:48).