John 6:1-21

V.1 "After this" Because this is mentioned obviously we should know what happened before. From the end of John 5 to 6 up to 6 months had passed. This story is part of the synoptic gospels so it's in all four of the gospels. Upon looking at the others we find that this is after Jesus sent the disciples out to preach and heal. They have been gone about six months so Jesus is taking them to a desolate place to allow them some downtime. They are most likely tired, despite their excitement from all that happened, and Jesus is wanting them to rest and tell about their experiences.
V.2 But a large crowd, easily 20,000 people, had started following Jesus; but only because of the signs He had done.
V.4 This verse may seem out of place but it's important in knowing the time of year, also this is the second of three passovers during Jesus' ministry.
V.5 Jesus saw the crowd and asked Philip (this was his hometown) where they could buy food for all these people. *Numbers 11:13
V.6 Of course, Jesus knew it wasn't impossible, but He wanted to test His disciples and see how much faith they had.
V.7 Philip states that 200 day's wages wouldn't feed all these people even just for each to get a little.
V.8-9 Andrew, Simon's brother, state that a boy had a little food but went on to say "what are they for so many?" *Numbers 11:22
V.10 Jesus had them sit down in groups
V.11 Jesus blessed the bread with this prayer: "Blessed are you God, King of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth." Think about this. Jesus used a prayer and stated that God is the one who brings forth bread and what was Jesus doing? He multiplied bread. He created it. Certainly what they had wasn't enough. So Jesus, in saying God creates and brings bread while doing it is Him stating He IS God. *They got as much bread and fish as they wanted.
V.12-13 He told his disciples to gather up the leftovers. 12 full baskets. The parallel of this story and Moses (notice the references to Numbers) is wonderful. 12 baskets? 12 tribes of Israel? 12 doubting disciples? You draw what you feel. There are hundreds of lessons from that.
V.14 When they saw this the people said, "this is surely the prophet who has come into the world!" Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Goes back to Moses again. God told Moses about Jesus that long ago. :)
He promised He would come from Moses' seed also, and Jesus did. *Matthew 1:1-17
V.15 Jesus knew the people were about to take Him and try and force Him to be king of Rome. Jesus' kingship on earth was spiritual, not physical. So, despite the temptation of having power, Jesus withdrew from the people. *After this the disciples for the first time acknowledged Jesus as the Christ. *Luke 9:18-20 and Mark 8:27-30

V.16-17 The disciples started back across the sea again without Jesus because He was spending time alone praying to His Father.
V18. The sea had become stormy as it frequently did because of it's geographical location.
V.19 Then they see Jesus walking on water (Mark 6:48 He meant to "pass by" them. Greek: parerchomai just as God "passed" by Moses giving Him a glimpse of His glory! *Job 8:9) yet when they saw Him they did not recognize Him in the darkness and storm. They thought He was a ghost. Matthew 14:26 tells they actually cried out in fear.
V.20 Jesus said, "it is I; do not be afraid." The Greek phrase used: ego eimi actually is translated I AM.
Verses 19 and 20 are so important. In the Old Testament it is made clear ONLY God has authority and power over creation. Psalm 29:10-11, and *Psalm 107:28-30 and Jesus was WALKING on water in the middle of a storm! Three to four miles! Also, when Jesus uses I AM to identify Himself He is saying the same thing God the Father used in Exodus 3:14 when telling Moses who He was.
V.21 They immediately took Him onto the boat and the very moment they did they arrived safely at their destination. **Psalm 107:28-30 again. :)

*Jesus sent His disciples away to pray. Even Jesus' number one priority was spending time with God. Is it ours?

*Even after that much time they did not recognize Jesus during the storm. Ever have a hard time seeing God during a storm in life?

*Peter, walked on water. He didn't sink until he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the mess around him. Where is your focus?

*Even when Peter lost faith he still knew who to call on. Not only that, Jesus still took his hand and lifted him up. :)