The account before us this morning is well known to most Christians. The story of Jesus walking on the water is part of just about every Sunday School curriculum there is. Just about every preaching pericope includes the record of Jesus walking on the water. It is at the same time simple and profound. Every child can understand that Jesus walked on top of the water out to his disciples. That is simple. But there is also something very profound about this event.

About 60 miles off the coast of Greece in the Mediterranean Sea is a beautiful island called Crete. Today tourists flock to Crete for its stunning beaches. Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul made a stop on Crete. He wasn’t there for the beaches. He was there with a young co-worker named Titus. They were there to spread the good news about Jesus. They were engaged in Gospel ministry.

You have all likely heard of “euphemisms.” Euphemisms are nice, polite ways to say things that might sound harsh or unpleasant. For example, companies speak of “downsizing” rather than firing people. A person is said to be “vertically challenged” instead of “short.” Something strange is said to be “interesting.” And one I heard recently: “death” was called “successfully completing retirement.”

The state of Wisconsin right now is like a huge object lesson on the Kingdom of God.  I say that because all over our state farmers are planting their crops.   Everywhere they are putting the seeds in the ground.  Wheat and corn and soybeans and alfalfa.  Drive anywhere and you will likely pass a field where you will see the corn now sprouted and well on its way to being “knee high by the 4th of July.”

In order to appreciate our text this morning, we need to have a little knowledge about the Jewish concept of “sabbath.”  The word “sabbath” means “rest.”  It is a concept the Lord wanted to deeply impress on his Old Testament people.  The Lord gave Israel her calendar with these instructions:  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. (Exodus 20:8-11)  Thus the “Sabbath day” was born for Israel.