Sermon: John 8:48-59: Before Abraham Was, I Am

 

Old Testament Reading

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” (Genesis 22:1–14, ESV)

New Testament Reading

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 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.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” 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.’ 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. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So 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, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (John 8:48–59, ESV)

Introduction

Jesus has a way of bringing division, doesn’t he? People seem to either love him or hate him. Those who land somewhere in the middle concerning their opinion of Jesus probably haven’t considered his claims. His claims concerning himself were so big, so grand, so incredible, that a person, after hearing those claims, is forced to come to definite conclusions concerning him. People must eventually take sides. And there really are only two options with Jesus. After encountering the claims of Christ a person will either believe in his word and follow him as Lord from the heart, or reject his word, considering him to be a deranged soul – a lier, a lunatic, or an egomaniac, but certainly not Lord.

I suppose it is possible to remain neutral in regard to your opinion of Jesus, but only if you decide to ignore his claims.  You can (and people do this often) ignore what is revealed in Holy Scripture. You can take the name of Jesus and fashion for yourself a conception of  Jesus that is less extreme, less threatening, less demanding. I suppose you could do this and maintain a neutral and uncommitted disposition towards him. But how would that be any better than rejecting him all together? In the end, you still would not know the Christ of history – the Jesus of the scriptures.

Notice that in John’s Gospel Jesus is unwilling to be pressed into a mold. He’s unwilling to allow the Pharisees (or anyone else, for that matter) to form and fashion him into the “Messiah” of their choosing. If anything is clear in John’s Gospel it is that Jesus insisted that people come to him as he was in reality. In other words, Jesus was not willing to be moved by man, but demanded that man be moved concerning their opinion of him.

This is the case with the group that Jesus was talking to in the temple. They professed faith in him, but their faith was false. It was built upon false ideas concerning who Jesus was and what he came to do. Notice that Jesus did not leave them in their false faith. He would not be pressed into their mold, but pressed in upon them that they might conform to the truth from above. He revealed himself ever more clearly. And notice that as he revealed himself ever more clearly, and ever more precisely, people were moved from their the place of misunderstanding. They were moved from their position of neutrality to one side or the other. Some believed, I’m sure. But many grew hostile towards him.

Notice how the opinion of the Jews changed. These were the people who said they believed in him, as noted in 8:30. But in verse 48 they speak to Jesus in this way: “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan…?” This was their way of saying that Jesus was a traitor – they did not consider him a true Jew – his devotion to the Fathers was questionable – his doctrine untrue, in their opinion. More than that, they also say in verse 48 that he has “a demon”. This was their way of saying that Jesus was insane – out of his mind. Also, there seems to be an opinion of Jesus that he was seeking his own glory. Though the Jews do not explicitly accuse him of this, they do imply it. In verse 53 they ask him, “Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” They viewed him as a man bent on making himself into something great – as one obsessed with glorifying himself. Notice that Jesus does defend himself against this accusation saying, for example, in verse 50, “Yet I do not seek my own glory…”

And so three accusations are made against Jesus by the Jews. One, you are a Samaritan – a traitor. Two, you are out of your mind – demon possessed. And three, you are an egomaniac – seeking to bring glory, honor, and praise to yourself.

What I am about to say might sound strange, but in a way (and please here me  – I’m saying in a way) these men are closer to the kingdom in 8:48 than they were in 8:30.

It’s true, in 8:30 we are told that they professed to believe in Christ, whereas in 8:48 they say that Jesus has a demon. But notice that in 8:30 their hearts and minds were filled with misunderstandings concerning Jesus’ true identity and the work he came to accomplish. How do we know this? Look at how they turn on him as he reveals himself ever more clearly! And why would I say that they are closer now than before? Think of this: at least now they are understanding Jesus’ claims! At least now that have a proper view of Jesus! They are responding in hostility, it’s true. But they are hostile because they get what he is saying. They understand his claims, and their wicked hearts are offended by those claims. At least they are understanding Jesus’ claims. The only thing needed now is the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

The claims of Jesus really are offensive if they are not true.

It really is most reasonable to either love him or hate him.

I think the saying holds true that we must consider Jesus to be either a lier, a lunatic, or Lord.

John’s Gospel was written to move move us from a place of unbelief or indifference concerning Jesus Christ, to full fledged faith in him.

Notice in this passage that Jesus does not bend to the pressure of those around him – he will not be pressed into their mold. Instead, he goes all in. It is here in this passage that we encounter Jesus’ most extraordinary claims. This passage is the pinnacle of chapters 7 and 8. Notice that at the end of chapter 8 we are told that Jesus goes out of the temple, which marks the beginning of a new section of John’s Gospel.

So what does Jesus reveal concerning himself? What does he say concerning his person and work?

 

God The Father Seeks To Glorify The Son (vs. 48-50)

He reveals, first of all, that he does does not seek his own glory, but that God the Father seeks his glory.

This really is quite an astonishing thing for someone to say. We are told elsewhere in scripture that God does not share his glory with anyone (Is. 48.11). How could he? If he were to give glory to another he himself would be guilty of the sin of idolatry. God alone deserves the glory. God does all things for the glory of his name, and righty so. The reason it wrong for us to live for our own glory is because we are not God. The reason it would be wrong for God to give glory to another is because he is God. But here Jesus claims that God the Father desires to glorify him.

Look at verse 48: “The Jews answered him, ‘Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?’” Why would they say such harsh things? It is because of what Jesus said of them in verse 47:  “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” For Jesus to suggest that they, the offspring of Abraham, were not of God was to much for them. This is what brought about the charge of being a Samaritan and having a demon.

 Verse 49: “Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.’” That Jesus was a Samaritan-traitor and demon possessed was certainly a possibility, humanly speaking. But only if his claims were untrue. Here Jesus reiterates that his claim were true. He lived for the honor of the Father. He lived, not for his own glory, but to glorify the Father. The Jews were on the wrong side of the issue – they were on the loosing end. They dishonored Jesus, and therefore, dishonored the one for who’s honor Jesus lived, namely the Father. By dishonoring Jesus, they dishonored the Father. If they were to give glory to the Son, they would glorify the Father also.

It is here in verse 50 that Jesus claims that the Father is seeking his glory: “I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.”

Why is it right for the Father to seek the glory of Jesus, whereas it would be wrong for him to seek the glory of anyone else? Two things immediately come to mind. One, Jesus alone lived (and lives) for the glory of the Father. To glorify the Son is to glorify the Father. Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God, is the only mediator between God and man. Christ is the only way to the Father. When the Father glorifies the Son he, in effect, glorifies himself. Two, it is right for the Father to glorify the Son because Jesus Christ was and is God come in the flesh. He was God incarnate. And so when the Father sought the glory of the Christ he was in fact not seeking the glory of another, but his own glory, the glory of the only begotten So of God. As hard as it is for us to comprehend, this is indeed true.

The point is this: Jesus’ claims concerning himself would indeed lead us to believe that he was a traitorous, demon possessed, egomaniac, but only if his claims concerning himself were untrue. If it is true that God the Father sought to the glory Jesus, then we must live for his glory as well.

Jesus Has Power Over Death (vs. 51-53)

Secondly, Jesus reveals that he has power over death.

This too is an astonishing claim. For what man can possibly claim to have power over death?

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

The words, “Truly, truly, I say to you”, are meant to grab the attention.

Notice that Jesus again emphasizes the need to keep his word, saying, “if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” True belief in Jesus involves more than a temporary trust, or momentary belief. True faith is a faith that abides – a faith that remains. Death is overcome only as we receive the word of Christ (his whole message), and continue in it (for the whole of life). It is not that we are saved by the keeping of his word, but that the keeping of his word is evidence of a faith that is true. We are told that it is those who keep his word who will never see death.

These words can easily be misunderstood. In fact the Jews did misunderstand! Listen to their response in verse 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.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?’”

Their reasoning is sound. The great figures of the faith all died. Abraham died. The prophets died. Who does Jesus think he is to claim to have the power over death?

But it is clear what Jesus meant by this. He was not speaking of physical death, but spiritual death. Jesus in other places predicted his own death (John 8:28). He also made it clear that his followers would die, even predicting the manner in which they would die (John 21:18-19). Never did Jesus claim to deliver us from physical death. No, he came to deliver us from a much more serious death. He came to deliver us, not from the relatively inconsequential and insignificant death of the physical body, but the death of the soul – the death of the human Spirit – which involves eternal separation from the God who made us – eternal punishment. This is death that he came to save us from.

And we are promised by Jesus that those who keep his word will never see, or never taste, death. How can this be? All will taste physical death with exception of those who are alive when the Lord returns. But those who are in Christ will never see or taste spiritual death. Those who are in Christ will pass from life to life, whereas those not in Christ will pass form a state of death to death. If we are in Christ we have been made alive in him. When we experience physical death we will go on living in him. We will pass from life to life. In this way those who keep Christ’s word will never taste death.

Brothers and sisters, don’t you know that there is a death far more significant and far more threatening than physical death? It is the death Adam experienced in the day that he sinned against God. He went on living and breathing for some time, but he died when he ate of that forbidden fruit. This is by far the worst kind of death. This is by far our greatest enemy, our most formidable foe.

When Christ says, “if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death”, he is claiming to be the answer to Adam’s sin. Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 15:20: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20–22, ESV)

Jesus’ claim to have power over death would indeed lead us to believe that he was a traitorous, demon possessed, egomaniac, but only if his claim were untrue. If it is true that those who keep his word will not see death, then his word we must keep all the days of our life.

Abraham Longed To See Jesus’ Day (vs. 54-56)

Thirdly, Jesus reveals that Abraham himself longed to see his day.

It is not hard to understand why Jesus would talk about Abraham. The Jews had recently insisted that they were spiritually free because they were children of Abraham. They also had just pointed out that even Abraham died. Jesus now says that even Abraham looked forward to and rejoiced in the day when the Christ would come.

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

This is a very powerful argument, given the circumstance. The Jews revered Abraham greatly. More than that, the Jews thought very highly of themselves because they were offspring of Abraham. Here Jesus points out that even Abraham did not trust in himself, but in the Christ who was to come. Abraham himself looked forward to the day when the promised Christ would appear. Abraham rejoiced in and was glad over the promises of God which pointed forward to Christ. The promises of God were his hope and joy.

Commentators have wondered what exactly Jesus was referring to when he said, “Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” When did Abraham “see Jesus’ day”? That is the question.

Some suppose that Jesus was saying that Abraham saw his day in that he was seated in heaven at the time when Jesus was speaking these words to the Jews. The thought is that Abraham was looking down upon Jesus from heaven, rejoicing in his life and ministry. This doesn’t seem to fit. Jesus used the past tense: “Abraham saw it and was glad”; he did not say, “Abraham sees it and is glad.”

Other believe that Abraham was given a vision during his lifetime of the coming Christ. Some claim that this happened during the events of Genesis 15. I suppose it is possible to think that God gave Abraham a vision of the coming Christ which caused Abraham to be glad and to rejoice, but the scriptures do not reveal this to us. This view is speculative.

It seems far better to understand Jesus as saying that Abraham lived the whole of his life by faith. He lived, as the writer to the Hebrews notes, “looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10, ESV). Abraham understood that the promises of God were not just for him, nor for his descendants, but for all the earth. He saw Christ, not with his physical eyes, nor by way of vision, but with eyes of faith, knowing that God would send a Redeemer, that God would provide a substitute.

If we must chose one event in Abraham’s life where we see him rejoicing in the promises of God most fully, I would point to the events of Genesis 22, which I read in the introduction to this sermon. It was in this event, involving the sacrifice of Isaac, where Abrahams faith was tested most fully. More than that, it was in this event of the mock-sacrifice of Isaac where Abraham faith was displayed most profoundly – he displayed, through his obedience, that he really understood and believed in the promises of God.  And even more than that, it was in the event of the mock-sacrifice of Isaac that the plan of God for the redemption of mankind was illustrated most clearly. The beloved son – the son of promise – was offered up, but a substitute was provided. Jesus Christ was the fulfillment to these things. Abraham, though he did not see Jesus Christ with his physical eyes, nor did he know him by name, saw him. He “saw his day” with eyes of faith, and rejoiced.

Think of what Jesus is claiming here in John 8! He is saying, I am the one! Here I am standing right before you! You are so proud of your heritage! You are so fond of the Fathers who have gone before you! But they all hoped in me. They looked forward to my day. They rejoiced and placed their hope in what I would accomplish for them. Oh, the irony of it all! They loved Abraham, but they hated the one who Abraham loved the most. They claimed to love God, but they hated the one beloved of God.

Jesus’ claim to be the one that Abraham rejoiced in would indeed lead us to believe that he was a traitorous, demon possessed, egomaniac – but only if his claim were untrue. If it is true that Abraham rejoiced to see Jesus’ day, then we too should rejoice in him.

Jesus Existed, As The Eternal Son of God, Before Abraham Was Born (vs. 57-59)

Fourthly, and finally, Jesus revealed that he existed as the eternal Son of God before Abraham was born. This is truly the pinnacle statement in John 8. In fact, this might be the most significant claim in the whole of John’s Gospel.

Verse 57: “So 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, I am.’”

The Jew’s were puzzled as to how Abraham could have seen Jesus and how Jesus could have seen Abraham. Again, they are taking his words too literally, and not thinking spiritually. And so they say, you are not yet 50 years old, how could you have seen Abraham. 50 was a nice round number, and they were certain that Jesus was not yet fifty. Actually, he was probably in his early 30’s.

Jesus’ response is incredible. “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

I will not rehash all that I said about the phrase “I am” during a sermon a few weeks back.

The words “I am” are to remind us of the language found in Isaiah concerning the coming redeemer.

Furthermore, the words “I am” are to remind us of the name given to Moses by God as he spoke with him in the burning bush:

“Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’’ God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” (Exodus 3:13–15, ESV)

Jesus’ claims are clear. He existed before his own birth. In fact, he existed before Abrahams birth.

This is nothing new. John 1 revealed that Jesus is “the Word” come in the flesh to tabernacle, or dwell, amongst us, and that the Word was with God in the beginning, indeed is God.

Listen carefully. The man, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, was born. He had a beginning. It was a supernatural beginning, but it was a beginning. The man Jesus Christ came into existence approximately 2,000 years ago, being born of a virgin. He was born – he took on flesh – he tabernacle among us 2,000 years ago, and 2,000 years after the time of Abraham. But he existed as the eternal Son of God – the eternal Word of God – the second person of the Trinity, before Abraham was born. indeed he has existed for all eternity.

It is no wonder that the Jews picked up stones to throw at him. His words were blasphemous to their ears, and they thought he deserved to die. They understood what he was claiming. He claimed to God come in the flesh.

Jesus’ claim to be the great I Am, and to have existed before Abraham was born, would indeed lead us to believe that he was a traitorous, demon possessed, egomaniac – but only if his claim was untrue. If it is true that Jesus is the great I Am. If it is true that he was God with us – God incarnate –  then how could we not abide in his word, believe upon his name, and serve him with all that we are, to the praise of his glorious grace?