never see death

Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.

John 8:51

What does Jesus mean when He promises that any person who keeps His word will not see death? Millions of Christian gravesites seem to contradict this. Generations of faithful disciples have died in Christ. Even His own apostles would be killed proclaiming His gospel and “keeping” His word. Did Jesus make an outlandish false claim?

To understand this we need to see this statement in full context. Jesus is defending Himself to His enemies… the religious elite who would eventually turn Him over to Roman executioners and lead Him to see His own death. And the next part of this extended conversation with these leaders would find them defending their attack on Jesus by invoking Abraham as their “father”.

Jesus responds with a two-fold rebuttal that helps us understand His claim that those who believe in Him live and don’t die. 1) God is His Father and glorifies the Son (8:54-55). Because of this, His claims can be evaluated by the greater witness of the Father. 2) Abraham is not greater than God the Father and himself hoped for Jesus’ day as Messiah to arrive. Jesus existed even before Abraham was born. Abraham rejoiced (alive in God’s presence) contemporary with the arrival of Jesus as the One sent from God the Father as Messiah (8:56-58). Thus those who hope in Jesus live and and never see death. That is our faith! That is our hope! That is our assurance that physical death does not end us, but ushers us into the presence of God to rejoice in our Savior.