He Is the Great I Am!

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John 8:48–59 (ESV)

48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” 49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Opening Prayer

Setting the Stage

As we conclude this wonderful chapter, it is important to note that ten times, between v.12 and v.59…

We find His enemies interrupting, contradicting, or reviling Him.

What we should take note of is our Savior’s calm dignity and perfect meekness under all of this.

This should be a never forgotten example to His Church.

Another important thing to note, not only this discourse, but all discourses that Jesus had with the religious leaders…

Note: Our Lord’s enemies, by their non-stop petty objections and interruptions…

They have, unintentionally, supplied us with a strong proof of the truth of His teaching.

Think about this, as one theologian states…

If our Lord’s doctrines had only been delivered privately to a prejudiced audience of kind and loving disciples…

They would not come down to us with the same weight that they do now.

But they were often proclaimed in the midst of bitter enemies, learned Scribes and Pharisees, who were ready to detect any flaw or defect in His reasoning.

The fact that the enemies of Christ could never answer or silence Him is such a strong evidence that His doctrine was God’s own truth.

—> It was from heaven and not from men.

As we saw last week…

Jesus has just stated that their father is the Devil.

They do the same works as the devil.

He was a murderer from the beginning.

They’re wanting to murder Jesus.

The offspring of the devil would bruise the heel of the Messiah.

That bruising is the crucifixion.

The very thing they are plotting against Jesus.

Jesus is not stating the fact that the Devil is their father as an empty insult.

He’s saying it with a desire to set them free from that very same bondage of being under the Devil’s power and sway.

He’s saying it to bring to light in their mind and heart that they do need a Savior…

And that He is the God-ordained Messiah.

But, they take it as an insult, rather than a truth needed to be heard.

And, in their reply to this biblical truth we see the natural man’s animosity towards the Gospel…

And, the God of that gospel.

They reply with the worse insult a Jew could give to another.

John 8:48 (ESV)

48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”

The Jews Insult Jesus

Since, they think, He treats the true sons of Abraham in such a way…

They call Jesus a Samaritan, which entails the following:

a heretic

an idolater

excommunicated from the Temple

irreligious

no regard for the Law of Moses

corrupter of Scripture

no portion with Jerusalem

no portion in the resurrection

not worthy of proselytizing

This and more are bottled up in the one insult of being called a Samaritan.

On top of this incredible insult they add that, in their opinion…

48 …and have a demon?”

This would be an additional insult to claim that Jesus is driven by madness.

Jesus Responds

John 8:49 (ESV)

49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.

The Jews slandering of Jesus here is not based on facts.

It’s not an attempt at truth.

It’s an attempt to suppress the truth that was just stated by Christ regarding their spiritual condition.

Christ spoke His words out of mercy and grace.

They’re responding with hatred and contempt.

This is what we revert to when we have no answer to an argument.

We revert to a senseless calling of names.

Their statement was a frustrated adult version of…

We’re rubber, you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off us and sticks to you.

This is why Jesus doesn’t even address the remark about Him being a Samaritan.

If you recall, they’ve already made it known that He is a Galilean of Nazareth.

Besides, how would a Samaritan ever make it into the Court of the Women and be teaching by the Treasury?!

This type of remark doesn’t even deserve a reply.

And, Jesus doesn’t give it one.

The remark about having a demon does deserve a reply, however.

This is an attack on two things:

His teaching, which is directly from God the Father.

His ability to do the things He does, which they accredited to as a partnership with Beelzebul.

So Jesus replies…

John 8:49–50 (ESV)

49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.

Jesus, in calm collectedness, replies to their slander by saying…

I would not seek to honor God…by only saying and doing what God wants me to say and do…

If I were partnered with the Devil.

All that I do, I do for the glory of my Father.

The only One who seeks for me to be glorified is my Father.

He is the Judge of all things.

He knows I am true.

He knows you are not.

He judges all…whether they honor or dishonor Me.

Then Jesus states…

John 8:51 (ESV)

51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

He says, listen up because what I’m about to say is very important.

Do you want to know how to honor Christ?

Do you want to know how to escape judgment?

By honoring Me.

—> This is how you honor Christ.

—>Keep my Word<—

What does Jesus mean here?

The legalist in us wants to read keep my word as keep my commandments…

But, that is not what Christ is saying here.

The message has been…

John 8:24 (ESV)

24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

The statement keep my word means…

believe that He is the Savior

It means to heed the gospel…

Which also means to believe upon Christ.

If you treasure the gospel.

If you treasure the Savior of the gospel…

you will never see/taste/experience death.

Which is another way of saying you will not die in your sins.

This is the gospel.

Of course, in their hostile, contempt-filled stupor…

They have no understanding of what Jesus means…

They think that Jesus is speaking of physical death.

So, they respond by saying…

John 8:52–53 (ESV)

52 The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”

They’re too agitated to connect the dots.

They’re anger with Jesus is keeping them from connecting dying in your sins with the death that Jesus speaks of here.

So, they accuse Him of madness by accusing Him of speaking of physical death, the first death…

Rather than the death of judgment, which is the second death.

So, they bring up the fact that Abraham died.

And, all the prophets died.

So, how can Jesus say that He can keep people from death.

Had they been paying attention.

Had they any regard for the words of Christ…

they’d know that the death avoided by those who put their faith in Him is the condemnation of death.

The sting of death is what Christians avoid.

Romans 8:1 (ESV)

1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:56–57 (ESV)

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Law which points out our transgressions against it…

Declares condemnation in all points of transgression.

The verdict is thus guilty and eternal death and wrath is the punishment.

But, in Christ…

Our transgressions have been expiated (removed) because the Law of God, the Justice of God, the righteousness of God has been propitiated (satisfied).

How?

Colossians 2:14 (ESV)

14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

And, this is what Jesus is teaching here.

But, they cannot hear over the deafening anger and hatred they have for God.

And, then they ask Jesus two questions:

#1 - Are you greater than Abraham?

This is very similar to the Samaritan woman’s question…

Are you greater than our father Jacob?

We notice how people make heroes out of people because they’re spoken of well by God.

But, they fail to see that the reason they’re spoke of well is because of their faith in God.

Every hero of the Bible is also shown to have failed repeatedly…

So, that we can say that we need someone greater than them.

And, we see their faith is in One greater than them, God.

So, we are to emulate their faith in God.

Not raise them up to heroic status and put our faith in them.

#2 - Who do you make yourself to be?

Now they think they know the answers to these questions.

But, they have no idea because they do not listen with hearing ears.

They do not hear because they have no room for the words of Christ.

But, in gracious manner, Christ answers their questions.

First, let’s look at the second question by clarifying something important…

John 8:54–55 (ESV)

54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.

The clarification is that Jesus is not trying to glorify Himself.

His goal is to glorify the Father.

Jesus is not making Himself out to be anyone.

Rather, the Father is manifesting to all who He actually is.

Because the Father cares about the glory of the Son…

Just like the Son cares about the glory of the Father.

So, Jesus isn’t making Himself out to be anyone.

And, He has more to say about this…

But Christ is not seeking self-glory…

And, He is surely not trying to make Himself seem greater than He is…

Which is the thought behind such a question.

But, back to the question…

Are you greater than our father Abraham?

How does Jesus answer this question?

John 8:56 (ESV)

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”

I think Jesus is speaking specifically about two events:

#1 - Abraham rejoiced in the gospel.

Paul tells us this in…

Galatians 3:8–9 (ESV)

8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

The gospel that was preached to Abraham was redemption would come through Abraham’s lineage…

And, the ultimate seed, Christ, would bless the Nations.

And, Abraham rejoiced when Isaac was born because it was the initiation of the promised redemption of Genesis 3…

And, the future promise of blessing the nations would come through Isaac.

Isaac’s name actually means joyful laugh, rejoicing.

The second event that Jesus is speaking to is…

#2 - Abraham rejoiced in Christ’s presence.

Paul says in…

2 Corinthians 5:8 (ESV)

8…to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Abraham, upon his physical death was ushered into the presence of the pre-incarnate Son of God.

Hebrews 11:10 (ESV)

10 [By faith Abraham] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

Abraham rejoiced to be in the presence of His God…

And in the ultimate land of promise.

Well, the crowd has no room for who Christ has claimed to be.

So, they mock at his young age…

Not even 50 years of age, which was the age of wisdom to the religious leaders.

Abraham has been dead for thousands of years…

And you claim to have seen Him.

Well, what Jesus actually said was…

John 8:56 (ESV)

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”

But, in profoundness and with no lack of clarity…

Jesus tells them how old He truly is…

He says truly, truly again to call attention to the utter importance of what He is about to say…

John 8:58 (ESV)

58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

His age is ageless.

He is the eternal One.

He is telling them exactly what John tells us in the beginning of this gospel…

John 1:1–3 (ESV)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

They knew exactly what Jesus was saying…

John 8:59 (ESV)

59 So they picked up stones to throw at him,

Jesus didn’t say…

—> Before Abraham was, I was.

Jesus isn’t claiming supernatural old age.

No, Jesus asserts the same words that Yahweh told Moses to tell the people of Israel who He was.

—> Moses, tell the people, I am sent you.

This is a crystal clear declaration of the eternality of the Son.

Christ is claiming the fullness of His deity.

And, the fulness of His eternality.

The very title of God who redeemed His people from Egypt…

Is the very same God who redeem His people from the condemnation of sin.

You want to know about Me?

—> Well, know this…I am!

You want to know my age?

I am…above all time.

Time does not relate to my divine being.

My true title is…I am!

John 8:24 (ESV)

24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”

This is the central message of the gospel.

You must believe that the One who saves…

Is the great I am.

The great I am…

Who takes upon flesh so that the One who created Abraham…

Would also be the one who would be the promised Seed…

To bring blessings to the Nations through the New Covenant in His blood.

Truly, truly, if you believe this, you will never feel the sting of death.

Closing Prayer