Before Abraham

March 13 Before Abraham John 8:48-59

“(I)n this passage, Christ promises eternal life to His disciples, but demands disciples who will not merely nod their assents like donkeys, or profess with the tongue that they approve His teaching, but who will keep it as a precious treasure. He says that they shall never see death; for when faith quickens a man’s soul, the sting of death is already blunted and its poison wiped off, and so it cannot inflict a deadly wound.” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 4:231

If any doubt remained that Jesus was claiming to be God, that doubt must have evaporated when He said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Those who heard Him would have found the claim laughable, were it not also blasphemous. Was Jesus really saying that He was older than Abraham, who had been dead for almost 2,000 years? So, they took up stones with which to kill Him.

Presumably, those who heard Jesus speak were those who had also heard Him claim to be the Light of the World. The response to His words had been mixed; some had believed Him, but their belief had fallen short of acceptance of Jesus as Savior and Lord. In frustration, some of them began to abuse Him, casting insults at Him. They called Jesus a Samaritan, perhaps meaning that He was lax in His adherence to the Law, or suggesting that He had a low view of Temple worship. And they called Him demon-possessed, a charge brought against Jesus on several occasions. They could not understand how anyone in their right mind could say some of the things that Jesus said. They concluded that He must be mad. It is often the case that the closed mind cannot imagine how anyone could hold an opposite opinion and so attributes such beliefs to madness. But Jesus was not mad; He was simply seeking to give glory to His Father in heaven.

Jesus told them that anyone who kept His word, meaning anyone who believed in Him and trusted His words, would never “taste” death. Again, they misunderstood Him. Jesus was speaking about eternal death, the grim prospect of an eternity without God. They thought that He was speaking about physical death. The distinction would have been familiar in their day. They should have realized that Jesus was talking about the danger of the second death, beyond which there is no possibility of reconciliation with God. Were they picking a fight when they deliberately misunderstood? Abraham died, they countered, as did the prophets. Was Jesus saying that He was greater than Abraham?

The form of the Greek implies a negative answer. They expected to be told that Jesus thought no such thing, that He would not think to compare Himself to the father of the nation. Instead, Jesus made one of His most controversial claims: “Before Abraham was, I am.” If Jesus had wanted to say that He had existed before Abraham, He could have said “I was.” Instead, Jesus used the formula that was only ascribed to God. His “I am” was intentional. It was as clear a signal as possible that He claimed to be God. They had heard enough. This man had to die. And He would die, but not just yet, for His hour had not come. Though they picked up rocks to kill Him, Jesus slipped away from the Temple. As He went, did He think to Himself that, before long, He would have to face His enemies?

For further reading: Psalm 92