Exploring "Eternal Life"

"The water that I give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." --John 4:14

The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well is a wonderful reference when discussing "eternal life." Jesus was leading his disciples from Judea home to Galilee, but rather than avoiding Samaria, as most pious travelers did, Jesus and his followers went right through this region whose inhabitants were viewed with great prejudice. At the well Jesus meets a Samaritan woman who is isolated even from her fellow townspeople. Two people who aren't "supposed" to even talk to each other have a marvelous and revealing interaction. The woman gives Jesus a drink of water from the well. Jesus offers her a "living water" which will not leave her thirsty again, and promises a flow of life within that will be like having an artesian well in her (our) very own heart! Go back and read this overflowing story again from John 4.

I must confess I was not thinking of that story when I asked our excellent confirmands, "What is eternal life?" But what a gift! Their contributions led us to explore other resources. Among them is the scene from John 14, in the Upper Room, where Jesus talks to his disciples about "preparing a place" for them, and "coming again, that I may take you to myself." Also the story of the rich young man (in Matthew, Mark, and Luke) who wants to know how he might "inherit eternal life," is a powerful one as well. Jesus invites the man to divest himself of his many possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow him. These scriptures helped inform our exploration. The responses to my initial question included:

--"Life only God can give"

--"Living forever."

--"Life after death"

--"Living with God in heaven."

We discussed "eternal life" as all life shared with God, the Eternal One, our source and our completion. Eternal Life is life filled with divine intimacy and full-fillment. The first response above really touches on this understanding. "Life forever" is a way of understanding that this is a relationship without limits; the boundless love of God gives definition and abundant life to our existence. In our relationship with God, words like "eternal" and "forever" are not measurements of time but rather expressions and depth and fullness.

"Life after death" is a common and important understanding of eternal life. Jesus' resurrection is a triumph over the boundary of death. This is true not only with physical death; God's power raises us up to new life after the kinds of painful endings we experience in failure, loss, and diminishment. The story of Jesus and the Rich Young man informs our learning in a particular way. The man's possessions had become a burden which prevented him from entering into the "fullness of life" available in following Jesus. That fullness can only be experienced "on the Way."While I'm sure that giving up his possessions may have felt very threatening intially, the end of this chapter of life (and the beginning of the new) would bring blessing to the poor and also to the newly unburdened man!

The concept of "Living with God in heaven" led us to explore our understandings of what heaven is (this will be the subject of a new post). We began by examining Jesus' statements and teachings about the kingdom.

The woman at Jacob's well walked away with a new understanding of her own life and new experiences of God's closeness and agape love. She took the good news to her community, which then impacted the lives of many, many people. "Eternal" indeed!