‘Before Abraham was, I AM.’

‘Before Abraham was, I AM.’

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

John 8:58

The true spirituality of Christ often brought Him into controversy with the religious hypocrites. John 8 brings such an occasion before us. He had liberated the woman taken in adultery. He had faced her accusers, forgiven her and freed her. Because they had failed and Christ had exposed their hypocrisy, they were ‘mad against’ Him. The remainder of John 8 is a record of their attempts to find fault with Christ. Our text for today is Christ’s closing remark. They had asserted their superiority by saying that they were the children of Abraham. Christ had ultimately countered with, ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”’ Our text is Christ’s reply to them, ‘Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”’ Here Christ declares His Eternity. They viewed Christ as a pup, and an upstart. Christ declares that He precedes Abraham. Here Christ also declares His Superiority. They had asked, ‘Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?”’ Christ, without being disrespectful, places Abraham in his proper order in the grand scheme of things. Christ also reveals His Identity. He says, ‘before Abraham was, I AM.’ By this Christ identifies Himself as God incarnate. These opponents of Christ understood Him rightly. They were under no illusions about His claims. Here is something for us to consider. If we, like them, reject Christ, we must do so in the face of all of His claims. Christ is the Great Continental Divide of Humanity. Let us embrace Him as He is, Who said, ‘Before Abraham was, I AM.’

Our Gracious Master and Our God,
we rejoice that You are the Great I AM.
We rejoice that You being God, have robed Yourself in human flesh,
to bring to us, all that we need to see of the Living God.

Where the Bush is Burning
Tomm Tice