You Shall Live Also!

John 14:19-20 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. (20) At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

I love the way Jesus uses the physical world to teach a spiritual lesson. That is precisely what Jesus does in these two verses.

First, let us refresh our memories of the context of this passage. Jesus has gathered the apostles together to observe the Passover. This Passover, however, will be his last because this is the evening that Jesus is arrested and he will be crucified the next day. At this gathering, Jesus institutes the church’s observance of the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19-20). Also during this last gathering, Jesus is giving his apostles final instruction and encouragement before his death. Although Jesus has been trying to inform the followers that he was going to be put to death, they have not yet fully understood it. The text today is yet another attempt.

In verse 19 Jesus alludes to the fact that he soon will be put to death and that he would be resurrected and go back to his Father in Heaven (Acts 1:9). In and of itself, that is an interesting fact. The the power of that fact comes in next statement...

John 14:19 ... because I live, ye shall live also.

This is the real hope and purpose of the Gospel Of Jesus: That we might LIVE! But our prospect of living eternally is only possible because Jesus first cheated death and was raised from the dead. Because he blazed that trail, we too have the possibility and hope to do so as well.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (56) The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. (57) But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

As Christians, we do not need to fear death any longer because we have victory over the grave THROUGH Jesus. However, if we are not Christians, we have much to fear. Paul says in verse 56 that the Sting of Death is Sin. If we have never dealt with the problem of sin in our lives by having it washed away by the blood of Jesus, death still has a sting. Death will still be victorious.

May we all do what it takes to follow Jesus into the pathway of Victory over our own death by Living Also!