If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing

 

"He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'   Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  

 

Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

- John 8:47-59 

 

We are reading through the events at the Feast of Tabernacles, an eight-day autumn festival; this is the final year of Christ's earthly life.  It is the last, great day of the Feast, and Jesus is disputing in the temple with the Pharisees, who seek to seize Him.  In yesterday's reading, they answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God." 

"He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'   Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  In yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus contrasted the lies of the devil with the truth of God that He is offering.  Repeatedly, and constantly, Jesus will return to the love of God the Father which characterizes His own relationship to the Father who sent Him, with the work of the devil, whom He has called a liar and a murderer.  Here, He makes it clear that they have no love for God but serve that which is opposed to God in their desire to murder Him, and to deal with Him and His teachings unjustly, and through motivations which are aside from the love of God and the humility required to truly serve God, and not one's "own glory.".  While the Pharisees have been unable to defeat Him through logic or truth, these enemies resort to personal insult (see also John 9:34, the response to the healed blind man).  

Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."   Jesus again returns to the theme of relationship with the Father, and also the patriarch Abraham, who was capable of receiving truth through the love of God, and with whom He contrasts these religious leaders who now seek to put Him to death.  The theme of honor is essential, because it also asks us the question about what we honor first in our hearts; Christ expresses the humility of the love of His Father, who also honors Christ.

 

Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.  I AM (Greek ego eimi/εγω ειμι) is the divine Name of God in the Old Testament, which was first revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).  This is a clear and explicit reference to that Scripture, and is significant in John's Gospel.  My study Bible says that to the Jews, this was a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, which is made clear by their response (see also Mark 14:62-64).  It adds also that John places special emphasis on the use of this Name in order to clearly reveal Christ as God.  This divine claim illuminates Christ's authority even over death, which is a power that belongs only to God the Father.

Jesus again continues to emphasize His closeness to the Father.  He also teaches us about humility, when He says, "I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges . . .."  This is a great emphasis in today's reading, as He adds later, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God."  So what Jesus is doing, aside from presenting His arguments and His doctrine, even His identity, to the religious leaders, is modeling for us the humility that He would also ask of us.  Can we be humble enough to seek the honor of God in our lives?  Can we, who profess to be believers and followers of Christ, put aside our own aspirations and desires in order to "seek first the kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33)?  What does it mean not to seek our own honor or glory, but rather that of God?  When we're in the midst of a squabble, or a tough decision, or when we face great loss in some sense, can we put aside whatever it is our concern, no matter how great or important, and then seek God's will for ourselves, God's way through a storm or difficulty, God's much greater perspective?  Jesus says something really important and relevant when He says He doesn't seek His own glory, and adds to that "there is One who seeks and judges."  This is because if we seek the glory of the One who seeks and judges, then we're seeking truth, the answers and the solution to whatever it is we're in the middle of, the questions we have, the direction we need.  In David's great psalm of penitence to God, he says, "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight, that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge" (Psalm 51:4).  We take this to mean the same thing Jesus asserts here, that there is one Judge, and the ultimately there is only One whose reality is paramount and truly matters in our lives and choices.   Everything else pales by comparison, including the honor, glory, and praise we might receive from other people (see John 12:42-43).   So even Christ, who is claiming for Himself an incredible honorable place by naming Himself the I AM in today's reading, is practicing a deeply humble life, because His honor, and His identity, come from honoring God the Father first, and not from seeking His own glory.  He sets Himself as our example of humility, even as He declares His divine origin to the religious rulers -- even as He makes Himself equal with God.  When we can wrap our minds around this mind-boggling understanding, then we will also come to know its great significance for us.  For He does not ask of us that which He does not do Himself in His humanity.  He takes all that He is, all that He declares, all that He understands, from God the Father whose glory He seeks, and not His own.  So we may do likewise, and find ourselves.  We cannot claim the name I AM, but He has a place for each of us which we may find by honoring God first (John 14:2).