Key verse: "I tell you the
truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
John 8:58
For the Jewish leadership, Jesus
was finally speaking clearly. They remembered, in their history, when Moses met
Got at the burning bush, before he led the people out of Egypt. Moses had
asked: "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The Lord God
of your fathers has sent me to you," and they ask me, "What is His
name?" Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I am
who I Am." (Exodus
3:13-14A) "I Am," "JYWH," is the most revered name of
God because it is the name He gave Himself. The Jews treated it so reverently
that they wouldn't even speak it. When they were copying it as they copied and
recorded their history, prophesies and law, His name was represented by four
letters, "JYWH." To hear Jesus so plainly call Himself, "I
Am," was blasphemy of a most serious kind, punishable by death if it
weren't true.
We know that Jesus was speaking the
truth, but to them, these were the words of an irreverent man. He had claimed
to be bread, and compared Himself to the Manna from heaven. He had claimed to
be magical water that could quench thirst forever. He had claimed to be light
that could give life forever. Now, He was claiming to be God Himself. Only a
madman, a demon possessed man, would make such claims in the hearing of others.
How could he be speaking truth?
Throughout this passage, the issue
of paternity has been discussed. Who is your father? Is Abraham your father,
the devil, God? At one point, the comment was made, "We are not
illegitimate children," (John 8:41) This may have had a double meaning in
reference to Jesus. There had to be rumors about Jesus’ legitimacy and
paternity. It wouldn't have taken much digging for the leadership to learn that
Mary had been pregnant when she and Joseph were married and that Joseph wasn't
the Father of her baby. This made Jesus even more loathsome in their eyes and
may explain why they called Him a "Samaritan." (John 8:48) To have
this man, who, as far as they knew, was unschooled, a simple blue collar
carpenter of questionable heritage call Himself "God," was, to them,
like dragging God's name through the mud, the dregs of society. Only a demon
possessed man could be capable of such disrespectful speech and behavior,
unless He was speaking the truth, which they were certain He was not!
John's gospel seems most concerned
that Jesus’ testimony about Himself be made known. We will actually explore
the, "I Ams," of Jesus in the future. For now, it is enough to know
that Jesus did not live a hidden life. He stayed out in the open, showing us
how to live an obedient life for the Father whom He loved so much. Jesus is
God, not just the Son, or a Son, not a created being. He is God, the second
person of the Trinity of the Godhead. When He spoke to the leadership, He was
not blasphemous or demon possessed or deranged. He was speaking the truth, but
their sin, and love of this world and the power that they thought they had,
blinded them to the truth.
Remember, Jesus had told them that
their father was the father of lies. Now those lies were blinding them to the
truth of who Jesus is, that could set them free, (John 8:32) if they would only
believe and trust in Him.
Hymn: "How I Love You,"
by Keith Green
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