And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.
And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side - from the Gadarene side of the lake, where He had parted with the healed demoniac, to the west side, at Capernaum --
Much people gathered unto him - who "gladly received Him; for they were all waiting for Him" (Luke 8:40). The abundant teaching of that day (Mark 4:1, etc., and Matthew 13:1-58) had only whetted the people's appetite; and disappointed, as would seem, that He had left them in the evening to cross the lake, they remain hanging about the beach, having gotten a hint, probably through some of His disciples, that He would be back the same evening. Perhaps they witnessed at a distance the sudden calming of the tempest. The tide of our Lord's popularity was now fast rising.
And he was nigh unto the sea.