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Those Who Hear Will Live

As I look over Jesus’ use of the expression “I tell you the truth...” I observe that whatever came next was often a challenge for His listeners to understand or to accept.  This would certainly be true of the instance before us today.  In John 5:25 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”

The people of Jesus’ time were as aware as we are that dead people don’t hear and respond.  So, we, like them, might well wonder, “Whatever could Jesus mean when He spoke of a time when the dead would hear His voice and live?”

What Jesus meant is quite clear when we broaden our focus to include the overall thrust of His message.  Jesus consistently referred to people who didn’t believe in Him as dead, condemned, and under God’s judgment.  Knowing this removes much of the mystery.  Jesus knew that some among the crowds who listened to Him would begin to believe in Him and His message.  These He characterized as alive, free, and blessed of the Father.  

Because we understand this, the impact of the saying is reduced somewhat.  We could express it: “I tell you the truth, the has now come when some of you who don’t believe my message will accept it.”  However, those who were listening to Jesus at the time didn’t have the advantage we have now in terms of interpreting His declaration.  So they were still thinking of “dead” as being “dead” - you know, the absence of physical life.

So Jesus had some further words for them.  A little later, He continued: “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out — those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”  Jesus assures His hearers that there will be a time in the future when the literal dead will hear His voice and be raised to final judgment - one in which He, Himself, will be the judge.

This clarifies the original statement in which Jesus seems to be talking about two times.  “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear...”  The time at which the dead will hear that “is coming” refers to the resurrection to judgment.  The time at which the dead will hear that “has now come” refers to the spiritually dead who will believe in Him and His words and enter into life.

In this declaration of truth, Jesus highlights an either/or situation - something our culture tends to dislike strongly.  We like inclusivity, both/and, but Jesus makes it clear that only those who hear and respond to his voice will live.  The others?  They will experience death as they never have before - eternal separation from God.