John 1:1 and the Jehovah’s Witnesses – Episode 19, Jesus Is the I AM

If we would understand how John intended us to understand John 1:1c, “and the Word was God” (could he possibly, as Jehovah’s Witnesses assert, mean Jesus was “a god”?), we need to see John’s representation of Jesus in places outside of John 1:1, that is, in the remainder of his Gospel.

I Am

In John 8 Jesus gets into another debate with the Jewish leaders. They dispute Jesus’ testimony and its validity, they dispute his origin from God, and they dispute his claim that they are not really Abraham’s children. This leads to one really amazing claim by Jesus.

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)

The Jewish leaders’ anger at Jesus’ suggesting that he is greater than their father Abraham prompts Jesus’ cryptic statement, “Abraham rejoiced to see my day.” They point out the obvious, that Jesus isn’t even 50 years old yet (my guess is he was about 39) and so he couldn’t in any way be contemporary with Abraham. But they take up stones to kill the blasphemer when he says, “Before Abraham was, I am.” In Exodus 3 we read of Moses’ encounter with the Angel of Yahweh in the burning bush and Moses’ recognition that he is interacting with God. He asks God what His name is, who he should say is sending him to Egypt to bring Israel out of slavery, and God responds, “‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” The Jewish leaders get the reference Jesus is making. Jesus is claiming to be Yahweh, the great I AM.

Not surprisingly, Jehovah’s Witnesses must do some gymnastics to explain this away:

The opposing Jews wanted to stone Jesus for claiming that he had “seen Abraham,” although, as they said, Jesus was “not yet 50 years old.” (Joh 8:57) Jesus’ response was to tell them about his prehuman existence as a mighty spirit creature in heaven before Abraham was born. Some claim that this verse identifies Jesus with God. They argue that the Greek expression used here, e·goʹ ei·miʹ (rendered “I am” in some Bibles), is an allusion to the Septuagint rendering of Ex 3:14 and that both verses should be rendered the same way. (See study note on Joh 4:26.) In this context, however, the action expressed by the Greek verb ei·miʹ started “before Abraham came into existence” and was still in progress. It is therefore properly translated “I have been” rather than “I am,” and a number of ancient and modern translations use wording similar to “I have been.” In fact, at Joh 14:9, the same form of the Greek verb ei·miʹ is used to render Jesus’ words: “Even after I have been with you men for such a long time, Philip, have you not come to know me?” Most translations use a similar wording, showing that depending on context there is no valid grammatical objection to rendering ei·miʹ as “have been.” 

There may be no grammatical objection in general to rendering eimi as “have been,” but what we are then being asked to believe in this context is that the Jewish leaders deliberately misunderstood Jesus’ intent. They are willing to stone Jesus because he said he has been in existence as a “mighty spirit creature in heaven before Abraham was born?” Doesn’t make sense. They would not stone an angel, who has existed as a mighty spirit creature in heaven before Abraham was born.