I Am – John 8:48-59

Britannica.com has a fairly decent article on the name of Yahweh, “the god of the Israelites, whose name was revealed to Moses as four Hebrew consonants (YHWH) called the tetragrammaton.”  When Moses meets Yahweh at the burning bush and asks His name, Yahweh tells him to say “I Am” sent you (Exodus 3:14), indicating that the name comes from, in some sense, the Hebrew verb hayah.  It is this that Jesus references in his “debate” with the Jewish leaders.

The Jews answered and said to him, “Did we not say well that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”  Jesus responded, “I don’t have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.  But I don’t seek my own glory. There is  One who seeks it and who judges.  Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will not see death forever.”  The Jews said, “Now we know that you have a demon.  Abraham died and the prophets, and you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word he will not taste death forever.’  You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, or the prophets who died.  Who do you think you are?”  Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing.  My Father is the One who glorifies me and you claim Him as your God.  And yet, you don’t know Him, but I know him.  If I said I didn’t know Him, I would be a liar like you all.  But I know Him and I keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and rejoiced.”  Then the Jews said, “You aren’t fifty years old and you’ve seen Abraham?”  Jesus told them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”  Then they took up stones to cast at him.  But Jesus was hidden from them and went out of the temple.  (John 8:48-59)

Once again those who don’t want to believe purposely run over Jesus’ remarks that are not intended literally.  Jesus knows the hearts of these “believing” unbelievers and will not throw them a bone.  As Jesus taught in his sermon on the mount, “Don’t cast your pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6).  Their out and out hatred and prejudice against Jesus is encapsulated in the racial slur they use against him (“You are a Samaritan”) and the accusation that he has a demon.  Jesus only denies the demon accusation, and ignores the racial slur.

Though it is possible that Jesus is saying Abraham saw him when he appeared to him, as for example, in Genesis 18, it is more likely that he is speaking to the reality that though Abraham’s body is dead his spirit is still alive in Paradise and awaiting the resurrection.  He has seen the fulfillment of God’s plan in Jesus.

Jesus further purposely stirs up this wicked crowd by saying, “Before Abraham was, I am,” alluding to the statement Yahweh made to Moses when Moses asked His name (Exodus 3:14).  The name Yahweh is apparently related to the Hebrew verb of being, “I am,” and these Jews immediately recognize that Jesus is claiming to be God.  In their wrath they want to stone him, and go looking for stones to kill him, but he is somehow hidden from them and leaves the temple area.  This suggests that God somehow veiled the eyes of Jesus’ enemies.  John might have added, “It was not yet his time.” 

There will be times when to speak plainly will yield no positive results and our tactic might be the same as Jesus’ tactic, to speak in veiled terms so that those who hear the foolish objections of the willfully unbelieving might see how foolish the objections are.

Discussion Questions

1. Who is the oldest person you have ever seen alive?  How old do you think Jesus was when he spoke in this situation?
2. What did the Jews hope to accomplish by calling Jesus a Samaritan?  (The Samaritans were viewed both as racially inferior and theologically in error)
3. How do we know Jesus didn’t mean that whoever kept his words would not die physically?
4. Why do you think Jesus is so harsh with the Jewish leaders?
5. Jesus doesn’t come right out and say, “I’m Yahweh,” but rather uses this more indirect way of saying it.  Any thoughts as to why he did it this way?
6. What can we learn from Jesus about how to address people who are willful unbelievers?