JESUS’ GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
“I continually give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” (John 10:28, my translation from the Greek.)
First, a technical point: The Greek present tense usually suggests some sort of continuous or ongoing reality.
The present tense of the word “give” is used in John 10:23. This likely suggests that Jesus was referring to an ongoing, continuous giving of eternal life to his followers.
Eternal life is not simply something that was given in the past, or reserved for the future. No! Eternal life is something that is granted to us in each passing moment.
It’s a good thing! If I were given all my eternal life at once, I would devour it all and ask for more. It would be like the peanut butter sandwich cookies that my sweetheart got me the other day. They are already gone.
How freeing and relaxing it is to think of Jesus giving me eternal life continually. My regular, everyday life is energized by the One I love and follow. Many things may happen today that I can’t handle, but nothing will happen to me today that Jesus’ life in me can’t face.
This gives me great hope. Of course, someday my mortal body will cease to function. That is why it is called a mortal body, for crying out loud! I am exceedingly temporary.
Of course, there is a catch. There is always a catch, isn’t there. However, Jesus does not bury the proviso in a footnote in fine print. In the verse right before verse 28 (which, strangely enough, is verse 27) Jesus says the following: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” If we are following God as best we can at any given moment, we can rest in the assurance that we are never far from his kingdom. Eternal life becomes a reality for us the moment we obey.
Recent Comments