John 8:53-58
The Great I AM
As we have witnessed in these past few sermons, Jesus’ discussions in the temple courtyard following the Feast of Tabernacles had taken a deep dive into the theological realm.
“I am the Light of Life” he declared to them. A statement not to be taken lightly. (pun intended)
The God of the scriptures, who created life and all things out nothing, out of the darkness – began creation with His first recorded declaration – “Let there be light”
Instantly, from nothing – His word was obeyed – and there was light – and it was good.
The God of Israel had later manifest Himself as fire upon a bush as He spoke to Abraham – calling him to lead His people Israel out of captivity in Egypt to a Promised Land for them to dwell in and serve the Lord.
God then manifest Himself again by fire at night to lead Israel through the wilderness.
The implications of Jesus’ declaration - that He was the Light of Life - was not lost on the Pharisees, who were the religious leaders of the Jewish people.
Their reply was to declare His testimony untrustworthy and untrue.
“You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true” John 8:13
Jesus’ reply was straightforward - “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. John 8:14
The Pharisees spoke from the flesh – spoke out of their ignorance – and in arrogance.
Jesus spoke boldly, pointedly, and called them out for their ignorance regarding the things of God.
They who should have known – did not know to whom they spoke.
Nor did they who should have been seeking the things of God – have eyes to see, or ears to hear
And this is because their hearts were cold and hard.
Loving the things of the world – rather than being convicted of their arrogance and sin such that they would seek the truth.
It is the same predicament of so many today – who will not even consider the word of God.
As we are told in 1 Corinthians 1:18 ”For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”
And it is in the denying of that truth, that so many have perished, are perishing, and will perish.
Jesus declared to them-
“You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
John 8:23-24
For those of us who have heard and believed – we will not die “in our sin.”
His is the only payment for sin that satisfies the God’s righteous wrath.
Which makes His words the most important a person will ever hear – “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
His declaration to them speaks to the necessity of not only hearing Jesus, believing Jesus, but also OBEYING Jesus.
As we saw from the sermon last week – Some were hearing – Some were believing – but how many would be willing to “Abide” in His truth?
“If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
John 8:31-32
And regarding the power of sin - and the judgment of sin to come - Jesus proclaims this amazing promise to all those who believe and obey Him.
So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36
Those who practice sin – are a slave to sin. Sin is your master
Those who believe and obey Jesus – are set free from sin’s power over their lives – Jesus is our Master – and the Holy Spirit is our Helper –
Galatians 5:16 – "So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh."
While some were willing to hear and believe the things Jesus taught – They refused to accept Jesus for who He was.
As Jesus has repeatedly connected Himself with God the Father – the people responded arrogantly and with self-righteous pride – “Abraham is our father.” John 8:38
To which Jesus replied-
“If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham”
Meaning that when Abraham was confronted with the Word of God – As God spoke to him – Abraham not only BELIEVED God – He OBEYED God.
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
It is the same today – believers are saved by God’s Grace – Through Faith – The natural response to that Grace and Faith is Obedience to the Word of God.
To them, Jesus again proclaimed He was the source of eternal life –
51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”
The word “keeps” {Greek / tēreō / tay-reh'-o } means to attend to carefully, guard, observe.
– That is to say, as He had before, if anyone “believes and obeys His word” – they will never see death.
The crowd began to turn against Jesus. Unwilling and unable to consider what Jesus was trying to teach them.
Father Abraham (vv. 52-53)
52 The Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death. 53 Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be?”
What a great question! If only more people were asking that question and WILLING to hear the answer the Word of God provides!
As Jesus stood there speaking with the Jewish audience, they saw a man standing in front of them. But this man was the Only begotten Son of God.
The people heard the words Jesus spoke. But His words were the words of life.
Jesus spoke of life and death. He spoke of being the source of life-giving light.
He declared that those who believed – and obeyed Him – would never die.
But that’s rubbish, they thought - Everyone dies.
They had been discussing Abraham, and even as great as Abraham had been- – Abraham was long dead.
Jesus had declared He spoke the words God had given Him to speak – making Him a prophet. – And all the prophets of the sacred writings were long dead. So, the challenge and the question remained -
– “Surely, You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? - Whom do You make Yourself out to be?”
To understand the challenge in their tone we must understand who Abraham was to the Jewish people –
For most of the Jewish culture, their sense of identity was fundamentally linked to their identity as God’s people.
God had called Abraham out of the Land of UR where he was living-
Genesis 12:1–3
Now the Lord said to Abram,
“Go forth from your country,
Through Abraham – Isaac was born – Through Isaac – Jacob was born - whose name God later changed to Israel – Through Jacob, 12 sons were born - who gave rise to 12 families – the 12 “tribes” of Israel.
As an interesting historical note – Genesis 15-17 records that Before Isaac, Abraham’s first sired his son Ishmael with his wife’s maid-servant -
Ishmael and his mother were later sent out from his father’s camp –
Ishmael then went on to father a nation of his own – the people of the Arab nations – and one of his descents, Muhammad, would become the chief prophet of Islam.
As for Abraham- Jewish tradition taught he was far more than a mere historical ancestor, he was considered the foundational father of the covenant and the pinnacle of human righteousness.
Abraham was the recipient of the unconditional covenant promises of blessings and curses.
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
To the Jews- To be a physical descendant of Abraham was to consider oneself automatically included in God's favor and kingdom.
From other Jewish writings, such as “The Book of Sirach” “Sir-rosh” came traditions and claims about Abraham-
Sirach “Sir-rosh” 44:19–20 “Abraham was the great father of a multitude of nations, and no one has been found like him in glory. He kept the law of the Most High, and entered into a covenant with him; he certified it in his flesh, and when tested he proved faithful.”
Abraham was seen as having a “special” relationship as a “friend of God”
Jews referred to YHWY/God as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – Of this relationship the Prophet Isaiah wrote in 41:8
“But you, Israel, My servant,
Scripture records Abraham passing ten severe trials of faith, culminating in the willingness to offer Isaac on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22).
To the Jews – Because of Abraham, righteousness and salvation were viewed primarily as a national, birthright privilege - Rather than an individual spiritual regeneration.
To the crowd that day, Jesus claims began to sound as if He were glorifying Himself and His relationship with God the Father as greater than that of Abraham’s!!
For a fellow Jew to claim to be greater than Abraham was, in their minds, nationalistic treason!
The True Source of Glory (vv. 54–55)
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 and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word.
Two of the largest stumbling blocks to seeing Jesus for who He is, Believing Jesus in what He says and Following Jesus as He instructs are Pride & Prejudice.
Pride – A perspective of self- respect, honor and importance
Prejudice – unfair, unreasonable and non-supported views or opinions that affect decision making.
The Jews had an exaggerated sense of national pride and self-importance.
And their prejudice toward Abraham as the “Father” of their nation had elevated him to the point of national idolatry!
– “Surely, You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? - Whom do You make Yourself out to be?”
Jesus does not operate out of human arrogance, prejudice or pride. True glory is His because it is bestowed by God the Father.
In John 8:41, The people religiously claimed a relationship with “God” as their “Father.”
Jesus exposes their spiritual separation from God whom they claimed.
They identified themselves with religious language, temple rituals, and titles,
As Pastor Dennis taught from last week’s sermon – To know/(ginōskō) God does not mean to know “about” God – but to understand God.
Not in the sense of knowing everything there is to know – but in the sense of understanding His nature- knowing His character – and being in awe of His omnipotence.
“You do not know Him” Jesus declares. “I know Him” – And it is HE who glorifies ME.
Jesus declares that He is not self-promoting, elevating, or honoring himself
God the Father is doing that – as He declared at His baptism – Matthew 3:17 "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased"
Or upon the Mount of Transfiguration - Matthew 17:5 “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him
Jesus repeatedly declared having come from heaven and to heaven He would return – He also declared “just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father” John 10:14 - And that “I and the Father are one” John 10:30
Therefore, Jesus declares to them - "if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word."
You say that God is your Father – that is a lie,
And again – Jesus knows the Father – and His response is to obey the Father.
The life of a true believer – the path of a person who has truly received Christ by Faith and been born again – WILL BE evidenced by practicing obedience rather than sin.
As Jesus declares in John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments”
The Joy of Abraham (v. 56) 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
These Jews were practicing “presumptive salvation” -They presumed they were right with God for all the wrong reasons.
Sadly – many people do the same thing.
Without having truly believed in Jesus – trusted in Jesus – learned about Jesus – turned from their sin because of Jesus – and committed to following Jesus… They believe they somehow how have obtained salvation and will go to heaven.
They believe they are “right with God” because of the good things they do – the right words that they said once in an alter call –
Even though their declaration of faith is proven false by their lack of repentance and fellowship with Christ and His church.
As for these Jews - Jesus steps into the middle of their delusion with the declaration that Abraham – whom they held in so lofty adoration- was not the source or the author of their salvation – but a pointer to the One who stood before them that day!
God told Abraham all the nations would be blessed in him– But it would not be by Abraham – but by his descendent – JESUS, who would appease the wrath of God in His own flesh.
Abraham understood what these Jews did not – God had promised a blessing far greater that would come one day through him – through His seed –
In the same way that God had promised to Eve that through her a child would come who would crush the head of the serpent.
On Mt Moriah – As God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his only son – Abraham believed and trusted God – so he obeyed.
The Contrast could not be more clear- Abraham—the very father they claimed—rejoiced at the prospect of Christ's arrival.
The Great "I AM" (vv. 57–58)
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 born, I am.”
Scoffing, they challenge Jesus –
You aren’t even 50 years old! Abraham died 2000 years ago! And yet you claim to have seen Him?! To know what he thinks about you?!
Jesus’ response was an absolute mic-drop of the divine and sovereign truth regarding His identity – they had asked earlier “Whom do You make Yourself out to be?”
This was His reply as written in the Greek-
“Amēn, amēn legō hymin, prin Abraam genesthai egō eimi”
Ah-men, ah-men, LEH-go, hoo-MEEN, prin, ah-brah-AHM, geh-NESS-thigh,
Eh-GO, aye-MEE
“Truly, truly, before Abraham was, I am.”
The implication was powerful, clear, unmistakable.
Abraham was born – He came into being – “genesthai” ( geh-NESS-thigh )
Jesus declared – “egō eimi” Eh-GO, aye-MEE - “I AM” The phrasing in the Greek is to indicate that which… IS. - NO beginning, NO end – Just… IS.
And for the Jews – they knew this phrasing well.
Moses wrote in the Book of Exodus (Chapt 3) that before miracles were worked before Pharoah, before the sea was parted, before water came from the rock or the manna fell to feed God’s people…
Moses was tending sheep in the wilderness when he saw a bush that was on fire, not yet being consumed by the flames.
From the flames the voice of YHYW called out to him-
The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. 8 So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey,
Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”
14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
In a land filled with men, who had a beginning and an end – to a people surrounded by false god’s of man’s own making –
The God of the scriptures, the God of Abraham, Issaac and Jacob declared for Moses to tell Israel – “I AM has sent me to you”
Stones of Hostility (v. 59)
59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple
The “therefore” in this last verse makes it plain to see the Jews understood clearly that Jesus was declaring Himself to BE the Uncreated God –
It is this claim – and others like it where Jesus speaks plainly of His divinity – that force people to commit themselves to one of three positions.
Jesus is either A LIAR – A LUNATIC – or THE LORD
The Great I AM – in the form of IMMANUEL – God with us, born of a virgin – The Word made flesh – the Son of God.
And their response was to deny that claim – and to immediately in their offense seek to execute Him for blasphemy by stoning Him.
Under the Mosaic Law, stoning was the penalty prescribed for blasphemy—specifically, for misusing or false claiming the name of God.
"Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him." (Leviticus 24:16)
Modern day critics often claim that Jesus never explicitly said He was God.
John 8:59 proves this denial untrue. His first-century Jewish audience—who understood OT blasphemy laws and the language of the day better than any modern skeptic—clearly heard Him claim the self-existent nature of God.
You simply cannot miss the tragic irony of this scene –
Here, in the courtyards of the temple of God Most High – God’s created beings – God’s called nation, the Jews of Israel, picked up stones to cast them at their God.
Because they did not recognize their God – Because they had become so misled – and so hard of heart.
The Last Prophet of the Old Testament to speak was Malachi – 300 years prior – he declared the words the Great I AM told him to speak
“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts
The words of John’s gospel were proven true yet again – “He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.”
Jesus removing Himself from the scene is due again to the purpose for which He came.
IN CLOSING –
Just as no human rejection or hostile intent could shorten Christ's earthly ministry by a single second before His appointed hour,
So too is the believer's life entirely held in the sovereign hands of God.
Human hostility cannot overcome God's redemptive purpose for His people.
So, no matter how harsh the day – or how bitter those who oppose us – know that our God is greater – and His will, WILL, be done. – Let us Pray
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
2 And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Jacob whom I have chosen,
Descendant of Abraham My friend,