John 6:22-24 22On the next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there except one and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had left alone. 23Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
John recounts some details about what happened next with the crowd who had eaten their fill of fish and bread. These verses transition into what is known as the Bread of Life Discourse. John is brief in describing what happened, so our imaginations kick in about these verses. The people were likely exhausted and had full stomachs, and so, in their satisfaction with the situation, they missed Jesus leaving . It was the next day before they went looking for Jesus and must have concluded he had left in a boat to go across the lake. There may have been some witnesses who saw the disciples leave the previous evening without Jesus with them. No one on shore knew that Jesus had indeed left late and walked across the lake to join his disciples in the boat. The one boat may have been reserved for Jesus, but the boat was still on the shore, which may have confused a few of the more logical onlookers.
A small armada of boats from Tiberias had arrived. No reason is given for why they came there, but they provided a way for a lot of the people to get across the lake quickly. Tiberias was located on the western shore south of Capernaum. These boats would make for quick transportation from the easter bank to catch up with Jesus and the disciples on the other side. The group must have concluded that Jesus had returned to his home base of Capernaum, and so set off for there.
At this point in the story, the generically-described crowd seems very excited to follow Jesus. Their efforts were significant to chase down Jesus, first going across to the eastern shore and then following after him in boats back to the other side. They were curious and enthusiastic about him. They saw power and authority in him. However, as the story unfolds, we find that they faith was weak and distorted. They did not recognize Jesus’ true identity. They wanted to define Jesus their own way and put him into a safe box of their own making. Jesus is bigger than anyone’s interpretation or experience.
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