There's something about Him

“Please, Grandmother? Just one story about Jesus?”

“All right, children, but only a short one. You must go to sleep soon.” The children loved to hear their grandmother tell the story about the mysterious man, Jesus of Nazareth.

“It was many years ago,” Grandmother began. “Mary and I were little girls, about your age. Our parents were neighbors, and very good friends. When we were old enough to sleep on the roof by ourselves, we used to put our pallets together and watch the stars, talking until one of us fell asleep. She was my best friend, and the most loyal and honest girl in Nazareth.

“When we were older, Mary was promised to Joseph, the carpenter. Joseph was a good man, and followed the laws of God. About that time, Caesar Augustus wanted to know the size of the Roman world, and told every man to go to the town where he was born. Joseph and Mary went up to Bethlehem.

“While they were there, Mary gave birth to a baby, and they named him Jesus. I waited for her and Joseph to bring the baby back to Nazareth, but it was a few years before they came home. By then I had been pledged to your grandfather, who was from Cana, and we had children of our own.

“Whenever I went to the well with my daughters, I would ask if anyone knew of Mary, my childhood friend from Nazareth. There would be news from time to time, especially stories about her son Jesus.

“ ‘There’s something about him...’ the women would say, their voices trailing off. They didn’t speak of him as they did about the lazy sons of their sisters. They spoke as if they were trying to decide whether or not they dared to believe the stories they had heard.

“One year we had an especially bountiful harvest of grapes, and during the festival I saw my old friend Mary. We spent the day together as the children played, and she was the same devoted, honorable friend. I met her son Jesus, the one that everyone chattered about at the well. He was respectful, and very bright, and there was something about him…

“When your father and mother were to be married, we planned a big wedding feast. We invited all of Galilee, and Mary came with her son. When everyone had gone home, a servant came to me to report that we had run out of wine many hours earlier. When Mary heard about it she asked Jesus to help. He told the servant to fill the jars with water, and then taste it. They said it was the best wine of all. ‘There’s something about him…’ he said.

“As the years went on, the stories about Jesus came every day. He healed, and he challenged the priests. He was concerned with everyone: rich and poor, Jews and Gentiles, men, women, children, the unclean, and even tax collectors! With him there were no barriers. And Mary was not afraid. She knew that there was something about him…”

“I went to see Mary after I heard that she was with Jesus when he died. She kept the formal period of mourning, but she was not sad. Her face betrayed the faith she had that he was alive again, so much so that I also believed it.

“Now go to sleep. When you are older, remember to tell your own grandchildren that I met Jesus. And tell them there was something about him…”