Jesus Proclaimed Eternal Life

What Did Jesus Do?

“And this is eternal life...”
John 17.3

To put a different, and far more redemptive, spin on the age-old question, “How do you keep an idiot in suspense,” how do you keep a sinner in suspense? Keep eternal life a secret. Of course, keeping sinners in suspense is an extremely cruel thing to do, I can only imagine Satan, and those who are under his influence, taking pleasure in it. Jesus certainly was not cruel, even having compassion on legions of unclean spirits (see Mark 5.1-13). Rather than keep a world full of sinners in suspense Jesus proclaimed eternal life.

Are you, like so many believers, looking forward to eternity? If you are, you've been missing out on the indescribable joy of experiencing eternal life right now. Did you perhaps never read John 17.3? The Lord did not talk about what eternal life might be. Neither did Christ tell his followers what eternal life would be. Jesus, as those who know him would expect, told it like it is, as in “This IS eternal life...” Not wanting to be cruel myself, I'll keep you in suspense no longer and tell you that eternal life is all about knowing, not doing.

You see, most people today, as in the days of Jesus, have it in their head that they have to do something to get in on eternal life. Take a certain rich young ruler. He came and inquired of the Lord about what had to be done to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied by pointing to the commandments, and the young man affirmed that he had kept them all from childhood. In that case, the Lord advised, there was just one more thing the man needed to do—give away all his wealth (see Luke 18.18-30).

It would be wrong to conclude from this that a vow of poverty is required for anyone to qualify for heaven. Again, eternal life is all about knowing, not doing. By not doing what the Lord said was necessary, and instead turning and sadly walking away, the man revealed that he knew the power of wealth in the world, perhaps even felt toward his riches as one feels towards one's god. But the young rule didn't know eternal life, even when it was, so to speak, staring him in the face. This was in sharp contrast to Peter and the other disciples, who knew what was at stake when Jesus called them and said, “Follow me,” for they had left all for the opportunity to know the Lord.

Perhaps it seems somehow too simple to us, so we overlook it, sure that there must be more to eternal life than knowing. We may want some bigger, grander act to be performed, even as Naaman was rather let down by what Elisha told him was necessary for him to be healed of his leprosy (see 2Kings 5.9-12). But Jesus was quite clear: eternal life is knowing. Knowing? Knowing what? Well, it's actually not at all about knowing what, but knowing who.

To experience eternal life, and experience it right here, right now, we must know that the one whom Jesus addressed as “Father” is the only true God, and we must know Jesus Christ as the one the Father sent, as the Son. Know them and know eternal life—live the eternal life right now in and through the knowing. There is absolutely no reason to keep anyone in suspense a moment longer. In fact, the core of our calling as Christ's disciples is to share him with others, to introduce them to the Father and the Son whom we know. This is the essence of the Gospel which Jesus proclaimed, even eternal life.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4