Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
The religious leaders' response demonstrates spiritual blindness and willful misunderstanding. Now we know that thou hast a devil (νῦν ἐγνώκαμεν ὅτι δαιμόνιον ἔχεις/nyn egnōkamen hoti daimonion echeis)—the adverb "now" (νῦν) indicates they consider Jesus's promise of eternal life (v.51) as final proof of insanity or demonic deception. The perfect tense "we know" (ἐγνώκαμεν/egnōkamen) claims settled, certain knowledge—tragically ironic since they know nothing of spiritual reality.
Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. They interpret Jesus's words with crude literalism, focusing on physical death while missing spiritual truth. "Abraham is dead" (Ἀβραὰμ ἀπέθανεν/Abraam apethanen) states the obvious—even the patriarch died (Genesis 25:8). The prophets likewise died. Yet Jesus promises believers will "never taste death" (οὐ μὴ γεύσηται θανάτου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα/ou mē geusētai thanatou eis ton aiōna)—literally "shall never, ever taste death unto the age," the strongest possible negation in Greek.
"Taste of death" (γεύσηται θανάτου/geusētai thanatou) means to experience death. Jesus promised (v.51) that believers, though they die physically, will not experience spiritual death—eternal separation from God. Physical death becomes sleep (11:11-14), a transition to fuller life. The resurrection transforms death from enemy to defeated foe (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). But His opponents, trapped in materialistic thinking, cannot grasp spiritual realities (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Historical Context
The leaders' objection reveals their earthbound perspective. Judaism in Jesus's day held diverse views on afterlife—Sadducees denied resurrection entirely (Matthew 22:23), while Pharisees affirmed bodily resurrection (Acts 23:8). Yet even believers in resurrection struggled to conceive of conquering death itself.
Abraham's death was sacred history (Genesis 25:8: "Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years"). The prophets were revered, yet all died—Moses (Deuteronomy 34:5), Elijah (taken but not exempted from eventual death's power in the curse), Isaiah (martyred according to tradition), Jeremiah (died in exile). Death seemed humanity's inescapable fate.
Jesus's promise that His words grant eternal life seemed absurd—greater than Abraham's promise, surpassing the prophets' revelation. Yet this is precisely the claim: Christ's word is God's creative word (Genesis 1:3, John 1:1-3). Just as God spoke creation into being, Jesus's word grants life to the spiritually dead (5:24-25). This offended religious sensibilities but revealed the Incarnation's stunning reality: God Himself speaks.
Questions for Reflection
How does our focus on physical, material reality blind us to spiritual truths Jesus teaches?
What does Jesus's promise that believers will 'never taste death' teach about the Christian's relationship to physical death?
Why do religious people, even Bible-readers, sometimes respond with hostility to spiritual truth that challenges their categories?
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Analysis & Commentary
The religious leaders' response demonstrates spiritual blindness and willful misunderstanding. Now we know that thou hast a devil (νῦν ἐγνώκαμεν ὅτι δαιμόνιον ἔχεις/nyn egnōkamen hoti daimonion echeis)—the adverb "now" (νῦν) indicates they consider Jesus's promise of eternal life (v.51) as final proof of insanity or demonic deception. The perfect tense "we know" (ἐγνώκαμεν/egnōkamen) claims settled, certain knowledge—tragically ironic since they know nothing of spiritual reality.
Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. They interpret Jesus's words with crude literalism, focusing on physical death while missing spiritual truth. "Abraham is dead" (Ἀβραὰμ ἀπέθανεν/Abraam apethanen) states the obvious—even the patriarch died (Genesis 25:8). The prophets likewise died. Yet Jesus promises believers will "never taste death" (οὐ μὴ γεύσηται θανάτου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα/ou mē geusētai thanatou eis ton aiōna)—literally "shall never, ever taste death unto the age," the strongest possible negation in Greek.
"Taste of death" (γεύσηται θανάτου/geusētai thanatou) means to experience death. Jesus promised (v.51) that believers, though they die physically, will not experience spiritual death—eternal separation from God. Physical death becomes sleep (11:11-14), a transition to fuller life. The resurrection transforms death from enemy to defeated foe (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). But His opponents, trapped in materialistic thinking, cannot grasp spiritual realities (1 Corinthians 2:14).