Return and Withdraw

The apostles returned to Jesus from their travels. And they gathered around Jesus and brought news of all they had done and taught. About this time, Jesus heard about the execution of John the Baptist. 

Many people were coming and going, and Jesus' apostles did not even have time to eat. So, Jesus said to them, "Come with Me privately to a solitary place, and let us rest for a while." 

So, they went away, crossing the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias), to a town called Bethsaida. But the crowds found out about it and followed Jesus on foot from the towns.

See Matthew 14:13; Mark 6:30-32; Luke 9:10; John 6:1

Notes:
1. "they gathered": The passages do not say where they gathered, but since Jesus had relocated to Capernaum when He began His Galilean ministry, it would seem logical to assume that the apostles returned to Capernaum after their travels.

2. John the Baptist: It is not certain how Jesus heard the news of the death of John the Baptist. But it is possible that some of the apostles heard the news during their travels and relayed it to Jesus when they returned.

3. According to John 1:44, Bethsaida was the hometown of apostles Peter, Andrew, and Philip.

4. Bethsaida: It is not clear which community was the Bethsaida referenced in the above passages. There was more than one town called Bethsaida. For example, Pliny the Elder recorded that Bethsaida was on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, about 1.5 miles WSW of Capernaum. While Flavius Josephus recorded that Bethsaida (also called Julia or Bethsaida Julia) was located about 2.5 miles ENE of Capernaum, on the eastern side of the Jordan River just before it flowed into the Sea of Galilee.

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