The Jews said to Him, You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” [John 8:58 NAS]
This curious name – I AM – first crops up in the Bible in the book of Exodus: God confronted Moses at the burning bush, commanding him to return to Egypt and rescue the Hebrew people. Moses had the audacity to argue with the Almighty, throwing out one excuse after another, until he finally asked, “Ok. When I go there, they are going to want to know on whose authority I am asking for the Hebrews’ release. They are going to want a name!! What am I going to tell them then?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Tell the people of Israel, I AM sent me to you.” [Exodus 3:14 NAS]
Jump forward to the book of John. Jesus is in a heated conversation with the Jews, when the crowd through Abraham into the conversation. Jesus replied, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Snorts of laughter spewed from the Jews. What? Abraham lived only 2000 years before Christ. They saw His statement as absurd. The next one out of His mouth must have absolutely blown them away. “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.”
Every self-respecting Hebrew in the crowd that day would have known that Jesus’ statement was directly linked to the verse in Exodus 3. They all went to rabbinical school – they would have seen the connection immediately. This dusty peasant Teacher with His radical ideas was claiming the name of God. And not just any name – the I AM. Not the I was, or the I am, or the I will be – I AM [no beginning, no end: an everlasting presence]. You could just hear the wheels turning in their heads: Who in the world did this guy think He was? Who, indeed…
Who is He in yonder stall at whose feet the shepherds fall?
Who is He, in deep distress, fasting in the wilderness?
`Tis the Lord, O wondrous story!
`Tis the Lord, the King of glory.
At His feet we humbly fall
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all.
No comments:
Post a Comment