52 The Judeans said to him, “Now we know for sure that you have a demon! Avraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, ‘Whoever obeys my teaching will never taste death.’ 53 Avraham avinu died; you aren’t greater than he, are you? And the prophets also died. Who do you think you are?” 54 Yeshua answered, “If I praise myself, my praise counts for nothing. The One who is praising me is my Father, the very one about whom you keep saying, ‘He is our God.’ 55 Now you have not known him, but I do know him; indeed, if I were to say that I don’t know him, I would be a liar like you! But I do know him, and I obey his word. 56 Avraham, your father, was glad that he would see my day; then he saw it and was overjoyed.”
57 “Why, you’re not yet fifty years old,” the Judeans replied, “and you have seen Avraham?” 58 Yeshua said to them, “Yes, indeed! Before Avraham came into being, I AM!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to throw at him; but Yeshua was hidden and left the Temple grounds.
5th Week of LentBefore Abraham came to be, I am. (John 8:58)
Throughout this long conversation with the Jewish leaders, Jesus had been hinting at his identity—and angering his opponents in the process. Up to this point, they had already called him a liar, accused him of being a Samaritan, and even suggested that he was demon possessed (John 8:48). You can just imagine them asking, Just who do you think you are, anyway? They might have found it hard enough to swallow if Jesus hadn’t gone beyond implying that he was greater than the great patriarch Abraham (8:52-57). But now, by saying, “I am”—a statement which was reserved only for Yahweh to make—Jesus identified himself with Almighty God (8:58)! The claim so infuriated them that they picked up stones to kill him.
We have quite a different dilemma today. Unlike first-century Jews, many people today don’t think too much about Jesus’ identity. They see him as little more than a noble man or a doer of good deeds. And as a result, their vision of life is sadly limited.
For us who believe, however, understanding who Jesus is can open up possibilities we might never have considered before. Jesus is the great “I am.” In his person reside all the qualities of God himself. As the eternal Son of God, he has always existed. Before the world began, he was predestined to rule over us as a shepherd tends his sheep. Even before we fell into sin, the Father intended to send his Son to us to fill us with divine life and bring us into his presence.
Hearing Jesus declare himself “I am” stirs our hearts with the assurance that we are in a safe place. It tells us that the eternal God knows every moment of our lives and that he is with us in every situation. He-who-is never lets us out of his sight—and how wonderful that is! Even when we stumble in sin and disbelief, Jesus is ready to lead us back into his Father’s embrace.
What love God has for us! Today let’s thank him for his faithfulness and ask his Spirit to impress these truths more deeply in our hearts.
“Jesus, how comforting it is to know of your unfailing love! Let your word penetrate my heart, that I may see you as you truly are: the awesome, eternal Son of God.” Amen!
Genesis 17:3 Avram fell on his face, and God continued speaking with him: 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Avram [exalted father], but your name will be Avraham [father of many], because I have made you the father of many nations. 6 I will cause you to be very fruitful. I will make nations of you, kings will descend from you.
(vii) 7 “I am establishing my covenant between me and you, along with your descendants after you, generation after generation, as an everlasting covenant, to be God for you and for your descendants after you. 8 I will give you and your descendants after you the land in which you are now foreigners, all the land of Kena‘an, as a permanent possession; and I will be their God.”
9 God said to Avraham, “As for you, you are to keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation.
Psalm 105:4 Seek Adonai and his strength;
always seek his presence.
5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his signs and his spoken rulings.
6 You descendants of Avraham his servant,
you offspring of Ya‘akov, his chosen ones,
7 he is Adonai our God!
His rulings are everywhere on earth.
8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the word he commanded to a thousand generations,
9 the covenant he made with Avraham,
the oath he swore to Yitz’chak,
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