Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM

 

 "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 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  It is an eight-day harvest festival in autumn, and this is now in the final year of Christ's earthly life.  He has been disputing in the temple with the religious leaders, who have already tried and failed to have Him arrested.  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 if 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?"  The conversation here continues from the dispute in yesterday's reading (above).  We recall that the term "the Jews" is most often used in John's Gospel to denote the religious leadership.  All the people in our present passages are Jews, including Jesus, as well as the author of the Gospel.  Here, these religious leaders, who by now have chosen to be enemies of Christ, are unable to defeat Him through logic or truth, and so resort to personal insult ("Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?").

 

 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?"  Once again, Jesus speaks of His own witness, who is the Father.  It is the Father who honor Him.  And He claims to these leaders that they don't know the One they claim is their God. 

 

 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.   Jesus has repeatedly emphasized to these religious leaders His deep connection with the Father, who has put all things in His hands, from whom all the words He speaks come, whom He pleases in all things.  Here the term I AM  (in Greek, ego eimi) is clear and explicit as the divine Name of God in the Old Testament, as first revealed revealed to Moses at the burning bush (see Exodus 3:13-15).  My study Bible comments that to the Jewish religious leaders (and perhaps all who hear), this is a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, which is evident from their reaction (Then they took up stones to throw at Him); see also Mark 14:62-64.  My study Bible adds that John places special emphasis on the use of this Name in order to clearly reveal Christ as God.  It notes that this divine claim illuminates Christ's authority even over death (verse 52), a power which belongs only to God the Father.

Once again, as He has over the past several readings, Jesus emphasizes His closeness with the Father.  Everything He has, and everything He is, stems from the Father.  Jesus' judgment is true because He is not alone, but with the Father (John 8:16).  If they would know Him, they would know the Father (John 8:19).  Every word He speaks comes from the Father and is pleasing to the Father (John 8:26).  He does nothing of Himself, but seeks only to please the Father (John 8:29).  He says to be His disciple, to abide in His word given to Him by the Father, would make them free; He is the Son, and "if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).  They cannot hear nor believe Him, because they don't love God, and He is sent from God (John 8:42-47).  In today's reading, however, Jesus takes this all a giant leap forward, and enraging these enemies among the religious leaders even more, when He tells them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  This I AM is the divine Name of God.  It is also known as the Tetragrammaton (meaning "Four Letters" in Greek), which we read in our English language Bibles as YHWH, and pronounce "Yahweh" (Exodus 3:13-15).  This I AM is the Lord of the Old Testament, and Jesus has just explicitly stated that He identifies with the I AM.   As my study Bible explains this is unmistakable to the religious leaders, an unmistakable statement of equality with God.  But it's more than equality; He has declared His union with God in all things, but here He declares that He, in fact, is God.  In our Christian understanding through the apostles and all the Scriptures, we understand this divinity of Jesus, the inseparable nature of Father, Son, and Spirit.  But we can see what an astonishing statement this is to the outraged leaders, as they simply seek to stone Him to death on the spot.  But we should take with us the understanding that this is a great and profound mystery revealed.  How can the Son also be God with the Father?  And later, as all three Persons of the Trinity work in divine unity, the "Helper," the Holy Spirit will be sent by the Father in the Son's name, and will teach Christ's disciples, bringing to remembrance all things He has said to them.  This is a promise that stands the test of time ongoing for the life of the Trinity, of the divine Persons, is now and always and ever shall be -- intersecting and working within our time, establishing the Kingdom among and within us, and in an eternal sense offering us to share that life.  For the moment, let us consider all of Christ's words pertaining to His unity with the Father, and culminating with the amazing statement that "before Abraham was, I AM," because it is the ultimate key to who Christ is for us.   For He remains the "I AM," the One eternally present, always with us, the One to whom we turn, the only One to worship, and who is love.