Abraham & the I AM
4/14/25 Bible Thought (John 8)
John 8 details another clash between the religious folk and the Lord Jesus. As Jesus is teaching, the Scripture says,
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (Jn. 8:31-32).
Discipleship, Jesus says, is proven by allegiance to His teaching, abiding in it and following His instructions. In so doing, freedom will come. But the Jews had issue with this, for they weren’t enslaved to anyone (Jn. 8:33). For crying out loud, they hit the DNA lottery! They were Abraham’s offspring, heir of the covenants of promise!
It’s interesting that Jesus isn’t exactly gentle with these guys. He’s not real winsome and had probably never read How to Win Friends and Influence People. He concludes that all who practice sin are its slaves (Jn. 8:34) and furthermore that Abraham wasn’t really their father, the devil was (Jn. 8:38,44).
If they were truly the offspring of Abraham they would do the works of Abraham—namely, they would believe. The Scripture says of Abraham that, “he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). Instead, their works were planning to kill the Messiah! (Jn. 8:39-41). Certainly not how Abraham would’ve acted.
Jesus later concludes, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad” (Jn. 8:56). Now, what exactly Jesus is referring to is debated. Some Jewish rabbis concluded that God had revealed other future things to Abraham beyond the covenants including the day of the Messiah.[1] Others point to the birth of Isaac and the laughter and celebration connected with Him, or even the passage of Isaac’s sacrifice.
Regardless, Jesus points out that Abraham is secondary to Him. The great patriarch, from whom the nation of Israel came, is second. The one they would place upon a pedestal and celebrate as their father truly pales in comparison to the Messiah. He looked forward eagerly to Jesus’ time!
“But how could Abraham rejoice in this guy, Jesus, when he lived so long ago?” the Jews pondered aloud.
Jesus responds, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (Jn. 8:58).
We know from the prologue of John’s Gospel that Jesus the Christ was the eternal Word of God made flesh (Jn. 1:1,14). As such, He never began to exist. Everything in creation came about, but He just was. In the beginning, He already was.
Here, He showcases this by pointing out that over a millennium prior, in the days of Abraham, He existed, present tense—I AM. Not only this, but this is a clear allusion to the divine name revealed to Moses (Ex. 3:14). As such, Jesus is making an unmistakable claim to divinity and as such Abraham is going to take the backseat.
What’s interesting is this passage today has two different groups of Jews kind of as bookends. In the beginning, there are Jews who believed in Him (Jn. 8:31). At the end, there were those who sought to kill Him (Jn. 8:59). Some were hanging on His words; others would’ve loved to see Him hanged. Some picked up everything He said, and others picked up stones to stone Him.
Truly, some followed in the footsteps of their father Abraham as they were people of faith. Paul picks up on this in his letter to the Galatians where he says,
“So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” (Gal. 3:9)
and again later,
“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:29).
The question then for us today, is, “Do we believe?” Do we trust that Jesus is the Messiah, the One who came to save? Will His words find a place in us? (Jn. 8:37). If we answer yes, then we are the offspring of Abraham, the man of faith, the one who rejoiced to see Jesus’ day.
I thank God today that He opened my eyes and gave me ears to hear and that I live in the new age that has dawned and that I know Jesus not only by name, but as my Savior and Lord.
What about you, friend?
[1] Colin G. Kruse, John: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 4 of Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 215.