In putting an epitaph on a gravestone the attempt is usually made to sum up the character of the life of the departed in a brief sentence. It is quite interesting to walk through a cemetery and read these engravings. Some are modest, while others are very boastful. A few even convey sober warnings to all who stop to read them. A few epitaphs are humorous, but many more are sad. Having read a considerable number of tombstone inscriptions, I have been made to wonder what I would like to be written above my grave. What brief sentence would best describe my life or convey the essence of its meaning to others?
I would envy for my epitaph the words of the text above: HE HAS DONE ALL THINGS WELL. But to envy is as far as I will ever go toward that wonderful statement! There are countless people, who are my contemporaries, with talents that cause mine to fade into obscurity and accomplishments that dwarf my meager few. Nevertheless, not a one of them will merit those six brief words, "He (or she) has done all things well." No president, prime minister, king, or queen shall ever deserve them. No scholar, author, artist,or entertainer shall claim them. No inventor, financier, or philanthropist will achieve them.
There has been but ONE MAN to live on earth who would claim these words honestly, because He alone merited them through His superior achievements. That was the same Man of whom they were first spoken, Jesus Christ. His unique life was in such bold contrast to what everyone achieves who journeys through this world. A few unusual people can claim the statement, "He has done many things well." Perhaps a mere handful of the billions of mankind could have it said of them, "He has done most things well." But only of Jesus can it be said without reservation, "He has done ALL THINGS well!"
When Jesus spoke, every word was measured with perfection and filled with meaning that time shall never erase. He declared that "heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away," (Mrk. 13:31). When He spoke, even the devils trembled and begged for mercy. Satan the archdemon could not stand up before His powerful words. At His command storms were stilled and graves were opened to release their captives to renewed life. People who heard Him teach were utterly amazed, because they could not help but feel strongly the irresistible authority from which His message came. Even those sent to arrest Him for teaching forgot their mission when they paused to listen to His spellbinding words.
When Jesus acted, everything He did was executed perfectly to fit the needs of all involved. Every deed was performed to achieve two great ends: one was the fulfillment of His Father's will, and the other was the ultimate good of every human being. Many of His acts were misinterpreted by His enemies as threats to their status and way of life, but looking back from our vantage point we can easily see He was only trying to show them the truth that would give them real status and establish them in the way of life that transcends the grave. Their error is sadly duplicated by many people today who commit the ultimate tragedy of failing to recognize the eternal value of Jesus' deeds to every individual.
It was the people of Decapolis in Transjordan who paid Jesus the justly and uniquely earned tribute, "He has done all things well." God approved thereof without qualification, but He Himself bestowed upon Jesus the greatest honor, when He announced from heaven, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," (Mat. 3:17).
