Word Replay
As I write this, I can hear the happy chattering of my two sons outside attempting to build an igloo in the thick snow that fell overnight. A glance out of the window gives me a view of some legs sticking out of a surprisingly sturdy tunnel, and the proud face of my other son as he gazes at their creation. Winter joys.
The morning after the night before is the best, before the snow takes on a muddy tinge and we are not yet weary of the freezing temperatures. There’s a chance, though, that the wintry realities will still be here by the end of March. A cold marathon ahead.
But, the conversation in our house is peppered with sunny references. The snow outside is countered by talk of an imminent holiday. The layers of wet coats lying by the door become less obtrusive as texts from my husband are scattered with talk of what he’s looking forward to about our trip, and my to-do list includes finding the swimming gear.
With every mention of sunshine, I begin to think more about that than I do about the icy winds outside. The notion is beginning to stick, and I’m excited for our time away.
John, in his gospel account, is eager to make notions stick in his readers’ hearts and minds. He’s not concerned about mundane weather things, he’s focused on eternal life. Jesus is dialoguing in 6:25-42, and his talk circles around the fact that God gives eternal life through belief in Jesus. Life and belief crop up at least four times in these verses, and with every repetition, the notion begins to stick. We, as the readers, are more convinced with every mention that life really does come through belief in Jesus Christ.
It’s not just in these verses. This repeated idea, and the language around it, reverberates around the whole account. We hear it with absolute clarity in John’s purpose, as he says that these things ‘are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name’ (20:31).
As I listen to the chat in my house, my thoughts turn to beaches rather than igloos. And as I’m in John’s gospel, my heart begins to thrill with the thought of the ‘life’ that Jesus speaks of again and again. With every mention, the simple reality of belief in Him becomes more firmly rooted in me. I relish the repetition, more and more convinced that this is what Jesus wants me to understand.
