A Matter Of Death And Life

A freelance writer in New York City was talking about his childhood. Before his tenth birthday the family had moved five times, each time to a new community. His most vivid memory of each move was seeing his mother cry, always in the new house. He remembered his mother’s “broken-hearted weeping” (as he put it) as she unpacked the boxes. He remembered his father saying to him, “Your mother will be all right, son. She is saying good-bye to the friends she has left so she can make new friends here. We must let her grieve.”

There is a profound and valuable Biblical principal at work in this simple incident. One of the clearest statements of this principal is found in John’s Gospel — the “Resurrection” Gospel. John’s Gospel divides into two parts. In the first part, John builds the story of Jesus’ public ministry around resurrection signs. The very first of these signs occurs when Jesus changes water into wine at the marriage…