The I Am
John 8:48-59, Remsen Bible Fellowship, 09/15/2019
Introduction:
When was the last time you were backed into a corner? It could be a literal physical corner, or it could be a verbal corner which you were pushed into through an argument. Regardless of the particulars of the circumstance, it is rarely a comfortable experience.
In our passage from John’s gospel this morning, we are going to see the crowd around Jesus feeling as if he has backed them into a corner, and they are going to respond the way many of us do when in the same situation. They lash out. However, because they don’t have any real accusations to lash out at him with, at first we’ll see some mud slinging. But by the end of the interaction, we will see them resorting to a method of dealing with guilt which is nearly as old as mankind: murder.
Read: John 8:48-59
1: Discounting the offensive truth, v48 (making fun of Jesus)
- Remember the setting: Jesus has offered knowledge of the truth (himself) and true freedom for all who abide in his word.
- The crowds balk at this, because the offer of freedom implies they have a need of freedom, which is a premise they do not share.
- Jesus explains that their lives display some uncomfortable truths: they are slaves of sin and children of the devil. They don’t listen to his words, the don’t abide in his word (as required by v31), because they aren’t children of Abraham or children of God the way they think they are.
- How do you respond when backed into a corner? Ad hominem attacks, name calling, mud slinging.
- They cannot bear Jesus’ words (v43), so they impugn his character.
- How did they view the Samaritans?
- Note that this isn’t the first accusal of demon possession: 7:20, cf Matthew 12:22-32
- What does this reveal about their hearts? (v47)
- Failure to believe is not an intellectual matter, it’s a matter of the heart.
2: Defending the glorious truth, v49-51 (with the promise of rescue from death)
- Jesus refutes the demoniac claim: how? “I honor my Father”
- The next line turns the tables, “and you dishonor me.” If they were genuinely concerned with the worship of God, they would have honored Jesus (v42).
- While Jesus responds to their accusations, he seems utterly unworried by them. Why? He doesn’t have to seek his own glory.
- Who seeks to glorify the Son?
- 1:14, his glory is the glory from the Father
- 5:19-20, what does the Son do?
- 5:22-23, why honor the Son?
- Psalm 2:12
- Those who keep (v31) the word of the Son, those who take refuge in him, will not see or taste death.
- Note that to this point Jesus has largely made positive claims for those who believe:
- Whoever believes will have eternal life: 3:15-16
- The believer receives living water unto life: 4:10,14
- The believer has their hunger & thirst satisfied, & live forever: 6:35,58
- Again, living water of the Spirit: 7:37-39
- The believer in the Son is set free from bondage: 8:32,36
- This claim in v51 is the boldest possible claim of what won’t happen to those who follow Jesus: they won’t die.
- What does this mean? 11:25-26
- For the believer, death is not finally death, Philippians 1:21ff
- How do you view your death?
- How does that affect your life and the choices you make?
3: Dismayed by the truth, v52-53, 57 (failing to embrace the messiah)
- Now we know that you are demon possessed!
- They emphatically disapprove of what he has said: how can anyone promise escape from death?
- They point out that people have a universal habit of dying.
- “Are you greater than?” The construction of this question is rhetorical, it expects a negative response. And the prophets died! They are simply scandalized by what Jesus is saying.
- There is a hint of irony as we read what John has recorded for us. As the reader standing back with the scope of almost 2,000 years of perspective, we know that the answer to the question is, yes, Jesus is greater. But they are seemingly in the dark to this reality.
- They cannot imagine anyone greater than Abraham, so when Jesus claims that Abraham rejoiced to see his day, they only thing they can say is, what?
- The distance between Abraham and the 1st century is roughly the same as between the 1st century and today. They have no category for a 33 year old having seen Abraham.
- This all illustrates what Jesus said in v37, my word finds no place in you.
4: Declaration of the Truth, 54-56, 58 (compassionate conversation and definitive claims)
- In v54 Jesus repeats his claims: that if his glory were just vain self-promotion, it would be meaningless. But it comes from God. “Their God.”
- But you have not known him. V55. Their claim to know God is shown to be false by their failure to see the nature of Jesus’ glory.
- What are your claims like? Have you submitted to and embraced Jesus, or do you think you have another way of being right with God?
- Look at the contrast Jesus draws between himself and his opponents in v55. You claim God, but you don’t know him. In contrast, if I were to say I didn’t know him, I’d be a liar-like you.
- The frank nature of Jesus’ words here might shock us. But they are perhaps the most compassionate thing he could say. That he is speaking at all to these people after they accuse him of being a demon-possessed good-for-nothing half-breed is a remarkable mercy. He would be completely justified in saying, “come back when you are capable of civility.” Instead, he engages with them. But in what way? By repeating the theme of v44. They lie because they are the children of Satan, not God.
- V56 is admittedly difficult. Commentators have vastly different ideas of what this could mean. What is patently clear is that Abraham was in some measure aware of the coming time of blessing, and he rejoiced over that reality.
- They are incredulous at this (v57), an incredulity which Jesus confronts with his most definitive self-statement of divinity in the book.
- Truly, truly. Amen, amen. Verily, verily. Listen up! I’m going to drop something on you that you must hear: before Abraham was, I am.
- What does this mean? It means not less than
- Jesus identifying himself with YHVH, Exodus 3:14
- Affirming Jesus’ constant and eternal nature, Hebrew 13:8
- Pointing forward to what he says in John 10:30
- The implicit demand associated with calling himself the I Am is that all those present ought to worship him as God. He whom they have sought to kill stand here and says, listen, boys. I’m your Maker.
5: Disappearing to die another day, v59 (Jesus controls his fate)
- Do they respond in worship? No. They seek to murder God.
- How does this response strike you? It might seem foolish, hopefully it seems foolish to you! But if you are not submitting your life, your decisions, and your worship to Christ right now you are complicit in the same type of rebellion that these Jews were. He’s just not standing in front of us to stone.
- Jesus disappears here. What do we do with that? Is he scared? No. 7:30.
- Jesus doesn’t disappear to escape death, Jesus disappears because the hour is not yet. The hour is coming and he will then lay down his life of his own accord (10:17-18).
- This is the paradox of Christianity and of this gospel: that the eternal I am; the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob; the self-existent Creator came to save by becoming a man and dying. By taking on human form and humbling himself to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2).
Conclusion:
Where does this leave us this morning? Where does it leave you? Jesus, the eternal I Am, God with all authority: this Jesus makes an offer to all those who hear his words, both 2,000 years ago as he spoke them, and now in this moment as they are preached to you: if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. Eternal life is on offer for everyone who trusts in and abides in Jesus. You don’t have to fear death. You don’t have to worry about your soul. You don’t have to fret over whether you committed some unforgivable sin, or whether you’re up to the moment of your confession. You can trust in Christ and receive complete forgiveness and a secure relationship with your loving heavenly Father.
These men sought to kill Jesus. Oh friends. Cling to him. Don’t pick up stones. Lay them at his feet.