Deliverance of the believer from death. The dialogue now takes a new turn. I. THE BLESSED PROMISE MADE TO THE OBEDIENT DISCIPLE . "If a man keep my Word, he shall never see death." he evidently now addresses those Jews who believe in him. 1 . The character of discipleship. It 2 . The blessed destiny of discipleship. II. FRESH MISAPPREHENSION OF THE JEWS . "Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest,... read more
The Jews —the adverse dominant party, ready always to misunderstand his words—(then read more
If a man keep my saying - If he believes on me and obeys my commandments.He shall never see death - To see death, or to taste of death, is the same as to die, Luke 2:26; Matthew 16:28; Mark 9:1. The sense of this passage is, “He shall obtain eternal life, or he shall be raised up to that life where there shall be no death.” See John 6:49-50; John 3:36; John 5:24; John 11:25-26. read more
Hast a devil - Art deranged. Because he affirmed a thing which they supposed to be contrary to all experience, and to be impossible. read more
John 8:48-53. Then answered the Jews, Say we not well Have we not just cause to say; Thou art a Samaritan An enemy to our church and nation; and hast a devil? Art possessed by a proud and lying spirit? The Jews and Samaritans bearing a mortal hatred to one another on account of religion, it happened, that in common language, Couthi, or Samaritan, was used to signify, not merely a Samaritan by country, but one by principle and disposition; and so denoted oft-times an inveterate enemy to... read more
91. True freedom; true sonship (John 8:31-59)Jesus used an illustration from slavery to show the people how he could help them in their need. They all knew that slaves could not free themselves. The only person who could free them was the owner of the house in which the slave worked, or the owner’s son, acting on his father’s authority. The Jews were slaves, in bondage to sin and unable to free themselves. The only one who could free them was God, acting through his Son Jesus. They would find... read more
keep. Greek. area, implying watching rather than guarding. See notes on John 17:12 . saying = word. Greek. logos. See note on Mark 9:32 . never see death = by no means (Greek. ou me. App-105 ) see ( App-133 ) death for ever (Greek. eis ton aiona. App-151 ): i.e. eternal death, because he will have part in the "resurrection unto life" as declared by the Lord in John 11:25 . See notes there. see death . The expression Occurs only here in N.T. read more
is dead = died. taste of death . They altered the Lord's words. Not an O.T. term. Occurs five times: here; Matthew 16:28 . Mark 9:1 .Luke 9:27 . Hebrews 2:9 . read more
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my word, he shall never see death.This is not a promise of escape from mortality but of eternal life, and no more glorious promise ever came to man. How strange that it should have been enunciated so earnestly in the midst of the vulgar and vituperative charges of his enemies. What a flower was this that bloomed in the sewer of their hatred of Jesus! read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - John 8:51
Obedience and immortality. The phase of our Lord's ministry brought before us in this part of St. John's Gospel is a combative, a controversial, phase. The Jews were perpetually opposing Christ, carping and cavilling at every work he performed, and almost at every word he uttered. Jesus took up the challenge, and met the objections and the allegations of his enemies. He defied them; he turned upon them with an unanswerable question or a startling paradox. There is not always apparent even... read more