John 8:46-59 - Jesus Defeats Death and is Divine

Exalting Jesus in John Never See Death (John 8:48–59)

Francis Bacon wrote, “Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark” (The Essays, 343). Because of the fear of death, we hope for victory over death. We hope something will happen to keep the cold, dark clutches of death from overtaking us. Is there hope for immortality?

Or is that just the thing of fairy tales? An idea to spark the imagination but we all know that talk of immortality is the stuff of dreams and unicorns. Remember Peter Pan and his lost boys? They lived in Neverland where they do not age and they don’t want to grow up. We have ancient stories about the fountain of youth, where people go looking for the source of eternal life. It is a hopeful quest, but we all know that it’s not real.

Today, we might not believe in fairy tales, but we do sometimes believe science fiction.

Randolfe Wicker, a man who runs a lighting shop in New York City is also the spokesman for the Human Cloning Foundation. He wants to be cloned when he dies. He says in doing this

Exalting Jesus in John Never See Death (John 8:48–59)

“I can thumb my nose at Mr. Death and say, ‘You might get me, but you’re not going to get all of me,’ ” he says. “The special formula that is me will live on into another lifetime. It’s a partial triumph over death. I would leave my imprint not in sand but in cement.” (Gibbs, “Baby, It’s You!”)

Immortality sparks the imagination and people have and will tried all sort of things to achieve it.

In our passage today Jesus comes along and says some bold things about immortality. Now, it is one thing to say something about life after death, it is another to trust what He says. Can Jesus be trusted? How do we know if He is of good character to be trusted?

Today, we will see that Jesus is Pure, Promised Life and was Pre-existant

Jesus is Pure, Defended and Defamed

Our passage starts halfway into a discussion about telling the truth. And Jesus is saying that He only tells the truth. Jesus then asks if anyone can prove Him guilty of sin. And the crazy thing about this is that no one can prove that Jesus was guilty of sin. This is a bold test, He asks for anyone to accuse Him. Jesus puts His head on the chopping block and asks anyone to take a swing. Can anyone show that Jesus isn’t telling the truth?

Jesus wants people to know that He doesn’t lie, unlike the Devil. Of all those around Jesus, who have seen and heard Jesus, no one is willing to call Him a liar. This shows that Jesus’ words are true. He does tell the truth. His interlockers couldn’t find fault with Him.

But even though they couldn’t object to this clam, the funny thing is that, the Jews still didn’t believe what Jesus was saying. Instead of answering Jesus question about finding sin, they turn to calling Him names. They call him a Samaritan and demon-possessed.

Sermons from John Piper (2000–2014) You Will Never See Death

The Jews despised the Samaritans as half-breeds who had intermarried with Gentiles six centuries earlier and now followed their own version of Old Testament religion. Calling Jesus a Samaritan was a kind of racial slur with the innuendo that his real father was unknown.

Jesus Promises Permanent Life, Declares Death Defeated

Jesus denied their lying claims about Himself, saying He is not after His own glory but God’s. This is true, because we have already seen that Jesus doesn’t lie. But then Jesus, the truth teller, goes on to make this crazy astounding claim. He says:

John 8:51 NIV

Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”

This is a huge claim. Jesus is saying that He knows how people can avoid death and that He has the power to offer this to all people.

Jesus says when people are “all ears”, when they hear and do what He says then, Jesus says they will never see death. Jesus is saying not only that He knows the way to avoid death, but that He is the way to avoid death. This is the thing of fairy tales and science fiction.

What Jesus means by this is not that His followers won’t die, but that they won’t face the eternal death that we all face.

Expository Thoughts on John, Vol. 2 John 8:48–59: Blasphemous Language Addressed to Our Lord,—Encouragement to Believers,—Abraham’s Knowledge of Christ,—Christ’s Pre-existence

[Jesus means] that the sting of the first death shall be removed from the true Christian. Their flesh may fail, and their bones may be racked with strong pain; but the bitter sense of unpardoned sins shall not crush them.

And this promise is free and open for all people. Jesus says “whoever”.

Exalting Jesus in John Who Is This Promise For?

Jesus excludes no one from this offer of salvation. No one is excluded because of being too bad ... and no one is included because of being good enough to earn eternal life apart from Jesus.

Jesus offers life to all who want to follow Him, and we can experience this now and into the future. We can taste this now.

Exalting Jesus in John What Does This Promise Mean?

We don’t have to remain spiritually dead, awaiting that day of judgment. Instead, we can be made alive and can look forward to eternal life with God in heaven forever. Jesus came to bring spiritual life to the spiritually dead.

When we become one of His disciples, when we hear His words and believe what He has said and done to save us, then we will not face eternal death. This is because we can live our lives, under and in Jesus, not because we have earned favor with God, but because Jesus has won God’s favor for us and brought us into God’s family and so have been brought back to God. We get new life now.

Exalting Jesus in John What Does This Promise Mean?

Death has lost its finality. Nothing can sever the life-giving relationship we now enjoy with God.

Romans 8 starts and stop with saying

Romans 8:1 NIV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

and nothing can

Romans 8:39 NIV

separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is good news.

Jesus, the truth teller has said that whoever listens to Him will not taste death. We can trust Him, for even back then, no one could find Him to be a liar.

Jesus is Pre-existent, Divine

The Jews however think that Jesus’ claim about avoiding death is crazy talk. They said Abraham didn’t even speak like that. They ask Jesus “who do you think you are?” Does Jesus think He is better than Abraham? And Jesus says “yes”. Yes He is better, Jesus says that in fact Abraham looked forward to seeing Jesus’s day. They ask how can this be? Surly Abraham had no idea about Jesus. But then Jesus, the truth teller, makes another crazy and astounding statement He says

John 8:58 NIV

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

Jesus says He was before Abraham, that before Him, that He was, He is the I am. Jesus has gone too far. He is using the title “I Am”. for Himself. This is the phrase God used to Moses to say what His own name is, and Jesus is saying that was Him.

John Spiritual Ancestry (8:31–59)

This is an absolute claim to preexistence anchored in the absolute “I am”

J.C. Ryle said:

Expository Thoughts on John, Vol. 2 John 8:48–59: Blasphemous Language Addressed to Our Lord,—Encouragement to Believers,—Abraham’s Knowledge of Christ,—Christ’s Pre-existence

if language means anything, they teach us that our Lord Jesus Christ existed long before He came into the world. Before the days of Abraham He was. Before man was created He was. In short, they teach us that the Lord Jesus was no mere man like Moses or David. He was One whose goings forth were from everlasting,—the same yesterday, to-day, and forever,—very and eternal God

The Jews knew what Jesus was saying, that Jesus was claiming He was the Lord Almighty. This was too much, so they tried to kill Jesus, but He got away. They couldn’t believe this truth teller, it was too much to believe.

But Jesus says, we can trust in Him. Jesus is not simply a Jewish teacher, or a miracle worker, He is the great I AM. He is God. Jesus tells the truth, even if His claims are huge and almost unbelievable. But we should follow the evidence where it leads and the truth is that Jesus is the truth and the way to eternal life.

We need to see Jesus as God, because this is true, and the truth will set us free. Let us believe His claims that he is God, and believe that if you put your life under Him, you will not taste death.

Saved from fear and death

I know death isn’t a plasent topic to talk about. Louis XV, King of France ordered that death was never to be spoken in his presence. We don’t like to think about death, usually because

Exalting Jesus in John What Does This Promise Mean?

we really fear two things: death’s uncertainty and its significance. When we receive the life that Jesus promises, the uncertainty is gone.

If we are in Christ, we can have hope for the future.

At the end of the passage the Jews wanted to kill Jesus. Eventually that did happen, Jesus would be killed on the cross, and in doing so, that brought about our own rescue from sin. By dying in our place, taking on all our wrong-ness and giving us all His right-ness, it means that we don’t have to face the second death.

This means, if we hear His voice, even today, we can be saved from death. Jesus is the answer. He is trustworthy. He is God and He offers life.

Expository Thoughts on John, Vol. 2 John 8:48–59: Blasphemous Language Addressed to Our Lord,—Encouragement to Believers,—Abraham’s Knowledge of Christ,—Christ’s Pre-existence

Let us continue leaning on Him without fear. The Lord Jesus Christ is the true God, and our eternal life is secure

The story goes that,

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching Beyond the Sunset

One day Saint Francis was hoeing in his garden when a friend said, “What would you do if you knew you would die at sunset?” He replied, “I would finish hoeing my garden.”

Francis was not worried about dying, for He knew, then he would be able to see His savior face to face, so he could live his life in peace and without fear.

One time I was talking to a old work mate of mine from ANU. He was telling me he had a great fear of death. He would wake up at 3 am worried about dying and what is on the other side. He then said, “but doesn’t everyone” in a ways that seemed to suggest that this was a normal experience. I was surprised. In Jesus, I think the problem of death was solved. I was like, “I don’t know anyone who is worried about life after death.” All the Christians I know think the same as me. For Jesus has conquered death. He has died and risen again. Because Jesus walked out of the tomb at Easter, we too will get a new body and be with God forever. And my friend sort of looked at me and something like “I wish I had that”. And the fact is, anyone can, if they hear and respond to Jesus.

So let us trust Jesus and His truth telling words. He is God,

Sermons from John Piper (2000–2014) You Will Never See Death

So that when he says, “You will never see death,” [it means] you will never see death. God has spoken. And his word never fails.