John 6:18) and may have been added by the collector of the miracle stories under the influence of 4:35–41. The introduction of the contrary wind changes the thrust of the story from a pure epiphany story to a rescue story (6:51). The note that Jesus “saw” (ἰδών) them may connote his miraculous “telescopic” vision to be able to see so far away in the dark hours of the fourth watch (cf. Philostratus, Vita Apol. 5.30; 8.26, so Gnilka, 1:268). Others have noted the vantage point of the mountain (e.g.,
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