{"id":1333,"date":"2025-03-18T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=1333&2025"},"modified":"2025-03-13T18:00:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T00:00:24","slug":"focusing-away-from-death-john-8-31-59","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/focusing-away-from-death-john-8-31-59\/","title":{"rendered":"Focusing Away from Death: John 8:31-59"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: John 8:31-59 (NIV)<\/div>
\r\n

31\u00a0<\/sup>To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, \u201cIf you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32\u00a0<\/sup>Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.\u201d<\/p>

33\u00a0<\/sup>They answered him, \u201cWe are Abraham\u2019s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?\u201d<\/p>

34\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus replied, \u201cVery truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35\u00a0<\/sup>Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36\u00a0<\/sup>So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37\u00a0<\/sup>I know that you are Abraham\u2019s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38\u00a0<\/sup>I am telling you what I have seen in the Father\u2019s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.\u201d<\/p>

39\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cAbraham is our father,\u201d they answered.<\/p>

\u201cIf you were Abraham\u2019s children,\u201d said Jesus, \u201cthen you would do what Abraham did. 40\u00a0<\/sup>As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41\u00a0<\/sup>You are doing the works of your own father.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWe are not illegitimate children,\u201d they protested. \u201cThe only Father we have is God himself.\u201d<\/p>

42\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus said to them, \u201cIf God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. 43\u00a0<\/sup>Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44\u00a0<\/sup>You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father\u2019s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45\u00a0<\/sup>Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46\u00a0<\/sup>Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don\u2019t you believe me? 47\u00a0<\/sup>Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.\u201d<\/p>

48\u00a0<\/sup>The Jews answered him, \u201cAren\u2019t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?\u201d<\/p>

49\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cI am not possessed by a demon,\u201d said Jesus, \u201cbut I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50\u00a0<\/sup>I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51\u00a0<\/sup>Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.\u201d<\/p>

52\u00a0<\/sup>At this they exclaimed, \u201cNow we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. 53\u00a0<\/sup>Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?\u201d<\/p>

54\u00a0<\/sup>Jesus replied, \u201cIf I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55\u00a0<\/sup>Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. 56\u00a0<\/sup>Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.\u201d<\/p>

57\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cYou are not yet fifty years old,\u201d they said to him, \u201cand you have seen Abraham!\u201d<\/p>

58\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cVery truly I tell you,\u201d Jesus answered, \u201cbefore Abraham was born, I am!\u201d 59\u00a0<\/sup>At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.<\/p>\r\n

Read John 8:31-59<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

Around the middle of Jesus\u2019 three and a half year ministry, the gospel of John tells us that He went to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. During this festival, Jesus gets into a discussion with some Jews in the temple and John recorded their interesting conversation.<\/p>\r\n

As Jesus debates with these Jewish leaders, we come to a claim Jesus makes that is both amazing and profound. John tells us Jesus said, \u201cVery truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 51)<\/p>\r\n

On the surface, this statement is amazing and it is a profound promise, but it also makes me wonder, just like the Jews in the temple, what about those who lived before Jesus was alive? Those in the group surrounding Jesus in the temple respond by saying, \u201cNow we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets.<\/strong>\u201d (v. 52-53a)<\/p>\r\n

In this response, we have a subtle shift of wording that stood out to me as I read it. On one hand, Jesus tells those present that the people who obey His word will never \u201csee death\u201d. When the group of Jews responds, they respond using the phrase \u201ctaste death\u201d.<\/p>\r\n

At first, I wondered if they changed the word that was translated as death since they also changed the word from \u201csee\u201d to \u201ctaste\u201d, but a quick look at my Bible concordance, let me know that both words for death are the same. For those unfamiliar with the term Bible concordance, it is a reference book for looking up different places in the Bible where the same words are used. Bible concordances are great tools when trying to let the Bible explain itself.<\/p>\r\n

While in the concordance, I did find that Jesus does use the phrase \u201ctaste death\u201d at other times in His ministry, one of which was when He told the disciples that not all of them would \u201ctaste death\u201d before He returned. (Matthew 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27)<\/p>\r\n

However, while in the concordance, I also came across another phrase that speaks into this discussion \u2013 and it actually answers the Jews counter statements to Jesus. Just a few chapters later in John 11, we find the sickness, death, and resurrection of Jesus\u2019 good friend Lazarus. Setting the stage for what happens, Jesus tells the group of disciples in this event, \u201cThis sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God\u2019s glory so that God\u2019s Son may be glorified through it.<\/strong>\u201d (John 11:4)<\/p>\r\n

However, Lazarus did die, even if it was only for a few days initially. This makes me think that, similar to how Jesus often interacted with the Jews, He would talk on a different spiritual level than what the Jews were used to debating. Seeing death is clearly different from tasting death, and I wonder if Jesus spoke this way as an attempt to try to redirect the focus of these prominent Jews.<\/p>\r\n

While death in these verses could mean literal death, this original word in this context could also mean eternal death as well. But focusing on death is not what Jesus wanted to do in this portion of this discussion.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Jesus wants to draw our attention to the real truth that when we are obeying God, we never \u201csee death\u201d as the end of our existence. Instead, we know that even if we might die in this life and age, we have a future life waiting for us in God\u2019s kingdom.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Around the middle of Jesus\u2019 three and a half year ministry, the gospel of John tells us that He went to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. During this festival, Jesus gets into a discussion with some Jews in the temple and John recorded their interesting conversation. 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