DOA
“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.” John 8:51 NASB
Never see death – How can these words of Yeshua possibly be true, especially 2000 years later? He died. Everyone who heard the words died. Everyone ever since has died. Was he just a deluded apocalyptic prophet who thought that the end was just around the corner? Or do these words mean nothing more (or less!) than the typical Christian commentary, as below where they are interpreted as a statement about “eternal” life after dying?:
He shall not see death (θάνατον οὐ μὴ θεωρήσῃ)
The phrase θεωρεῖν θάνατον, to see death, occurs only here in the New Testament. The double negative signifies in nowise, by no means. Θεωρήσῃ see, denoting steady, protracted vision, is purposely used, because the promise contemplates the entire course of the believer’s life in Christ. It is not, shall not die forever, but shall live eternally. Upon this life, which is essentially the negation and contradiction of death, the believer enters from the moment of his union with Christ, and moves along its entire course, in time no less than in eternity, seeing only life, and with his back turned on death. The reverse of this truth, in connection with the same verb, is painfully suggestive. The question is pertinent why the Revisers have retained see, and have not substituted behold, as in so many instances.[1]
If Vincent is correct, then Yeshua’s words are disguised, misunderstood by those in the conversation. What he really meant to say is more like this: “I swear to you [“truly, truly] that if you keep my commandments after you die you will have life again, and in that life you will never die again.” Even the rabbis who debated him would have agreed with the idea of continual life in the ‘olam ha’ba. But they disagreed with Yeshua, so they clearly didn’t think he was talking about the ‘olam ha’ba. Or maybe their disagreement wasn’t about “never see death,” but rather about “keeps my words.”
Suppose you were one of the Ioudaíos in the conversation. Yeshua made some fairly bristling remarks. He basically called you a liar because you refused to recognize him as God’s appointed messenger. He made claims about a connection to Abraham, suggesting that you were a spiritual bastard. He insulted you in public. Then he said, “Follow my words,” implying that those in the audience should not follow your words. At this point, does it really matter if you have a technical argument over the nature of the ‘olam ha’ba? I don’t think so. What you really object to is that this man, without pedigree, claims he has more authority than you do. The “death” part is irrelevant.
But it wasn’t irrelevant two generations later, or ever since. We forget about the insults (or we applaud them) and we concentrate on the “death” part because the issue of authority doesn’t mean much to us. At least not as much as it would mean to Jewish adherents. Since we don’t pay attention to the insult and its implications, we concentrate on the “never see death.” That raises the question for us, and the answer is provided by a theological treatment so that we aren’t really talking about dying but rather about “after the grave” stuff. That’s all well and good, but did you notice that the Ioudaíos in this conversation don’t raise any objections to that claim at all? It might bother us, but it didn’t bother them. Why?
Occasionally I run across someone who claims to know when the world will end. Since their understanding always includes some sort of escape from this world of evil, I ask them if they will really need any of their bank accounts or houses or cars in the next life. The answer, of course, is “No.” Makes perfect sense. So, I suggest that they sign documents now so that I can take possession of all their assets when they are raptured since they obviously won’t have any use for them. That usually ends the conversation. For Western believers, it’s what happens after death that matters. For the Jews in the time of Yeshua, that was irrelevant. Life went on, no doubt, but it wasn’t secured by keeping the commandments. Yes, obedience mattered, as did rituals and festivals. But everyone knew entrance into the ‘olam ha’ba was a matter of God’s grace, not a grading scale. Maybe that’s another reason the Ioudaíos were so upset with Yeshua. He made it sound like keeping his words guaranteed entrance.
With this little bit of cultural background, what can we now conclude about “never see death”? Well, obviously, it cannot be about dying, unless you believe that Yeshua was a deluded apocalyptic thinker. [By the way, Paul seems to have struggled with the same situation in his remarks to the Corinthians.] Is he really talking about “life after death”? Possibly, but how can we be sure? It makes sense to us now, but it means that face value of his statement isn’t what it seems. Why would he be so deliberately obscure?
Or maybe it’s just John trying to make a point.
I’m betting that you never even thought about any of this. What a blessing!
Topical Index: death, Ioudaíos, John 8:51
