Читать книгу New Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of John vol. 2 - William Barclay - Страница 25

THE LIFE AND THE GLORY

John 8:51–5

‘This is the truth I tell you – if anyone keeps my word, he will not see death forever.’ The Jews said to him: ‘Now we are certain that you are mad. Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you are saying: “If anyone keeps my word, he will not taste of death forever.” Surely you are not greater than our father Abraham who did die? And the prophets died too. Who are you making yourself out to be?’ Jesus answered: ‘It is my Father who glorifies me, that Father, who, you claim, is your God, and yet you know nothing about him. But I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar, like you. But I know him and I keep his word.’

THIS chapter passes from lightning flash to lightning flash of astonishment. Jesus makes claim after claim, each more tremendous than the one which went before. Here he makes the claim that if anyone keeps his words, that person will never know death. It shocked the Jews. Zechariah had said: ‘Your ancestors, where are they? And the prophets, do they live for ever?’ (Zechariah 1:5). Abraham was dead; the prophets were dead; and had they not, in their day and generation, kept the word of God? Who is Jesus to set himself above the great ones of the faith? It is the literal-mindedness of the Jews which blocks their intelligence. It is not physical life and physical death of which Jesus is thinking. He means that, for those who fully accept him, death has lost its finality; they have entered into a relationship with God which neither time nor eternity can sever. They go, not from life to death, but from life to life; death is only the introduction to the nearer presence of God.

From that, Jesus goes on to make a great statement – all true honour must come from God. It is not difficult to honour oneself; it is easy enough – in fact, fatally easy – to bask in the sunshine of one’s own approval. It is not too difficult to win honour from others; the world honours those who are successful. But the real honour is the honour which only eternity can reveal; and the verdicts of eternity are not the verdicts of time.

Then Jesus makes the two claims which are the very foundation of his life.

(1) He claims unique knowledge of God. He claims to know him as no one else has ever known him or ever will. Nor will he lower that claim, for to do so would be a lie. The only way to full knowledge of the heart and mind of God is through Jesus Christ. With our own minds, we can reach fragments of knowledge about God; but only in Jesus Christ is the truth in all its fullness, for only in him do we see what God is like.

(2) He claims unique obedience to God. To look at Jesus is to be able to say: ‘This is how God wishes me to live.’ To look at his life is to say: ‘This is serving God.’

In Jesus alone, we see what God wants us to know and what God wants us to be.