Familiar story. Mark Twain refers to it in one of his books. He recalls a visit to the Holy Land and a stay in Capernaum. It was a moonlit night, so he decided to take his wife on a romantic boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Twain asked a man in a rowboat how much he would charge to take them out on the water. The man saw Twain's white suit, white shoes and white hat and supposed he was a rich Texan. So he said the cost would be twenty-five dollars. Twain walked away as he said, "Now I know why Jesus walked."

Yes, a familiar story. But a strange one too. It has Jesus doing something that smacks more of a magic trick than a miracle. Perhaps that is why there are old jokes about pious folks trying to walk on water but sinking like a stone until being told where the rocks and roots are just u…