In John’s Gospel, Jesus started his public ministry at a wedding party. He turned ordinary water into the most delicious wine. This was “the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory.”
In the same Gospel, Jesus finished his public ministry at a more grotesque public display. Right before he took his final breath he was given a low-class drink of wine vinegar to drink. “It is finished.” This was the last of the signs through which he revealed his glory.
(At least for the next three days, of course.)
Glory doesn’t always look like winning; sometimes it looks like losing. Glory isn’t always accompanied by celebration; sometimes it comes with mourning. Glory doesn’t always involve laughter and dancing and fine wine; sometimes it’s suffering and tears and bitter Three-Buck Chuck.
Which sounds like really bad news. I suppose it is in a way. No one wants to suffer. I certainly don’t recommend looking for it.
But we have to face the bad news before we can grasp the good news, which is that in Jesus, there can still be glory at the end of the suffering. Perhaps there is no pain that is inherently pointless. And, somehow, he who endured the very worst that evil could dish out to him can walk with us through whatever our worst may be.
