Jesus says to us in today's Gospel, John 8: 51-59 that "whoever keeps my word will never see death." The Jews are perplexed by that statement and reply: "Now we are sure that you are possessed. Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, 'Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham , who died? Who do you make yourself out to be?'....'Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM" (the caps are mine)." The Jews are so angry that he claimed that he is the I AM, that they tried killing him by stoning but Jesus went into hiding.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenant God made with Abraham and the chosen people! The Jews, God's chosen people, will have none of it and thus they throw stones at Jesus, hoping to kill Him. they do not succeed at this point so they continue plotting against Him. When later they crucify Him on Calvary, they believe that they have, in fact, destroyed Him. As Christians, we know otherwise. Jesus overcame death. He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, when we celebrate His and our resurrection.
As Jesus overcame death, so, too, will those who keep His word, as Jesus says to us in the beginning of today's Gospel: "[W]hoever keeps my word will never see death." Death, for those who believe in Jesus and live the Gospel way of life that Jesus modeled for us here on earth, is the gate through which we enter eternal life, our inheritance from God!
Thank you, Jesus!
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