I took a spectacular fall last week—I cratered, as snowboarders say—in consequence of which I began a three-day stay in the hospital for observation. It’s impossible to sleep in hospitals, as you know, and I had a lot of time at night to think about things. It occurred to me that I’m mortal after all. God has been gracious and given me several bonus years beyond our alloted three score and ten (I'm 87), but, as Yogi Berra said, “Most folks my age are dead these days.” That being true, one item on my agenda one night was to write an epitaph for my grave. I came up with what follows…
POSTSCRIPT
“Though John performed no mighty works,
all that he said about this man (Jesus) was true.”
—John 10:41
John the Baptist had been dead for two years and the memory of his ministry was fading away. That’s the way it is, you know, when you’re eclipsed by a more illustrious successor.
But as the crowds gathered around Jesus near the spot where John was teaching, they remembered the Baptist’s words and remarked: “All that John said about this man was true.”
Most of us, like John, are not miracle workers. We live fairly unremarkable lives. But we can tell folks about Jesus—what we’ve seen and heard of him. If we do, we will have served one of life’s purposes and after we’re dead and gone our words may come to someone’s mind and become the means by which that person moves closer to the Savior. Like seed buried in the ground, words can lie dormant for years and then spring up to eternal life.
And so, as I thought about John’s legacy that night I thought of my own. What an epitaph for one’s life! “He did no mighty works, but everything he said about Jesus was true.” It’s the sentiment I want on my stone.
David Roper
11.1.20
