Before Abraham Was Born, I Am (John 8:48-59)

 

Before Abraham Was Born, I Am (John 8:48-59)

Jesus came to this earth about two thousand years ago in the form of a baby. There was no room in the inn, so He was laid in a manger. However, our Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator God who made heaven and earth by His word. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega. He knows each person even before they are born, from eternity past. We cannot discern who belongs to God, but Jesus knows everything. Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas Iscariot would betray Him (John 6:44).

Even so, God did not bring immediate judgment. Instead, He demonstrated His unchanging love by sending His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to teach the truth clearly. To save humanity from the depths of sin, Jesus bore the sins of the world and became a sacrificial offering on the cross. This is the good news of Christmas! Whoever repents, turns to God, and accepts Christ is cleansed by His blood and receives the gift of eternal life. Merry Christmas!

Honor to My Father

The Jews answered Him, "Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?" (John 8:48).

Jesus told the Jews that they do not hear His words because they do not belong to God (John 8:47). In response, they insulted Him, claiming He was demon-possessed. This insult referred to the fact that Jesus was conceived during Mary and Joseph's betrothal period. However, they did not believe that Mary conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. This revealed their lack of understanding of God.

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).

Rather than accepting Jesus of Nazareth as God’s Messiah, they labeled Him a Samaritan and demon-possessed. At that time, the Jews treated Samaritans as Gentiles due to the Assyrian conquest in 722 BC, which led to mass deportation and emigration of foreigners. Their rejection of Jesus revealed that they did not belong to God. As children of the devil, they followed his works, failing to understand or accept God's word. They were filled with hatred and a murderous spirit toward Christ.

"I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me" (John 8:49).

Jesus continued to speak truthfully to them. He was not demon-possessed; rather, He cast out demons. Yet they accused Him of driving out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons (Luke 11:14). This accusation exposed their ignorance of God and His word. Jesus is mightier than the devil, who is merely one of God’s created beings. The devil is a fallen angel who rebelled and was cursed. Jesus came to rescue people from sin, which entered the world through the devil's lies. By His blood, Jesus redeems us from sin, darkness, and death.

"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder" (Luke 11:21-22).

Jesus explained that they dishonored Him because He did not act according to their will. He honored God, even to the point of death on the cross. The cross of Jesus demonstrates the severity of sin and its consequences. On the cross, Jesus exposed the world’s unrighteousness and evil. His cross is a light shining on those trapped in sin. Whoever acknowledges their sins and confesses them in Christ receives forgiveness and is cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

"But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light" (Ephesians 5:13).

I Do Not Seek My Own Glory

"I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge." (John 8:50)

Jesus always is in glory, honor, power, authority, and holiness. Our Lord Jesus Christ is forever worthy of worship, praise, and adoration. However, He did not come to earth seeking glory. Instead, He came in the form of a servant, enduring pain, shame, insult, and suffering for the sake of saving those who were perishing in sin.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5)

Jesus sought the Father’s glory, which is accomplished when His will is fulfilled. God’s glory is displayed in His plan to save the world from sin and death. While God is omnipotent and nothing is impossible for Him, His holiness demands judgment for sin. Therefore, Jesus sought the Father’s glory by becoming the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.

"Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.'" (John 12:27-28)

Whoever Obeys My Word Will Never See Death

"Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death." At this they exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?" (John 8:51-53)

To obey Jesus' word means to believe and live according to His teachings. Those who believe in His word and trust in Christ receive eternal life and will not see spiritual death. This does not mean they avoid physical death, but rather that they are saved by God for eternity. No matter how the devil is trying to devour and accuse us, the grace of God in Christ stands forever. "For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable." (Romans 11:29) Even though the physical body dies and decays, believers will be clothed with imperishable and glorious resurrection bodies.

The Jews, however, mocked Jesus, accusing Him of being demon-possessed. They could not comprehend the spiritual truth of His words, as they compared Him to Abraham and the prophets who had died. They asked, "Who do you think you are?" revealing their lack of understanding about Jesus’ true identity. This was not due to a lack of evidence but because they belonged to the devil, not God.

Abraham Rejoiced at the Thought of Seeing My Day

Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." (John 8:54-56)

Jesus did not come to seek His own glory but to glorify His Father. As evidence of this, He submitted to death on the cross. God then glorified Him by raising Him from the dead on the third day and exalting Him to His right hand as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, God grants eternal life to all who believe in Him.

Although the Jews claimed to know God as the God of their ancestors, they did not truly know Him. Jesus, however, came from the Father and perfectly obeyed His will. He spoke only the truth, without deceit. Abraham believed in God’s promise to send the Messiah through his lineage and looked forward to Jesus’ coming with joy.

"He took him outside and said, 'Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.' Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:5-6)

Before Abraham Was Born, I Am

"You are not yet fifty years old," they said to him, "and you have seen Abraham?" "Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. (John 8:57-59)

Jesus spoke of His eternal nature, revealing the truth about His divine existence even before Abraham. The Jews, astonished by this claim, questioned how Jesus, not yet fifty years old, could have seen Abraham. Their reaction was not about Jesus’ literal age but rather their incredulity at His bold statement.

However, Jesus proclaimed the truth: "Before Abraham was born, I am!" This declaration echoes the divine name of God revealed in Exodus 3:14, "I AM WHO I AM". Jesus identified Himself as the eternal Word, who was with God in the beginning and was God (John 1:1). Through Him, all things were made (John 1:2-3). Jesus is the Creator and the Alpha and the Omega. God knew Abraham even before his birth and chose him according to His eternal plan.

"But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased..." (Galatians 1:15)

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb." (Psalm 139:13)

God created humanity in His image and likeness. When humanity fell into sin and darkness, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, as the Savior. Instead of judging us for our sins of hatred and judging others, God placed all the punishment upon His Son, Jesus. Now, we stand eternally in the grace of Christ’s blood. We live clinging to the saving power of His blood. This is the blessed path and the way to eternal life. Amen!

2024. 12. 22.
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Scripture quotations are from the NIV.