Day Thirteen: Who Does Jesus Think He Is?
Who do you think you are? It’s a question that often escapes our lips in moments of intense frustration and anger. When someone crosses a line or challenges our beliefs, this question becomes a battlefield where pride and identity collide.
In John 8:48-59, we find the Pharisees asking this very question. Jesus has previously called them the devil’s children and said that they were disregarding the truth; his previous claims assume he knows who they are, and so this question is in part about the authority on which he makes these claims.
The Pharisees believe that they know who he is; Jesus is a ‘demonized Samaritan’. This double accusation was tantamount to calling him an outsider and a heretic; it was to say “he is not one of us, and he is not to be trusted.”
In response to their accusations and disbelief, Jesus unveils a profound revelation about who he thinks he is. He declares, “Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:58).”
Now we need to note that Abraham lived just about as long before Jesus as Jesus did before us. Speaking of them as contemporaries would cause most people to pause and ponder time travel, perhaps remembering scenes from Back To The Future. But Jesus isn’t saying that Abraham somehow traveled forward in time or that he traveled backward. What he is saying in this powerful statement is that not only did he preexisted Abraham, but also that he preexisted everything!
In using the divine title “I Am,” by echoing the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14), Jesus asserted His divinity, revealing that He is the eternal God who transcends time and space. The Pharisees, in their self-righteousness, failed to recognize the very presence of God standing before them. Jesus wasn’t just a wise teacher or a charismatic leader; He was the embodiment of the great I Am.
This revelation of Jesus as the great I Am validates everything He said about life and death. When Jesus spoke of eternal life for those who believe in Him and eternal separation for those who reject Him, He did so as the one who holds the keys to life and death.
In our lives, we often wrestle with the question of identity, purpose, and truth. Jesus, by revealing Himself as the great I Am, assures us that He is the source of all truth, the author of life, and the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Just as the Pharisees had to confront the reality of Jesus’ identity, we too must grapple with who Jesus truly is and what that means for our lives.
In John 8:48-59, we find the Pharisees asking this very question. Jesus has previously called them the devil’s children and said that they were disregarding the truth; his previous claims assume he knows who they are, and so this question is in part about the authority on which he makes these claims.
The Pharisees believe that they know who he is; Jesus is a ‘demonized Samaritan’. This double accusation was tantamount to calling him an outsider and a heretic; it was to say “he is not one of us, and he is not to be trusted.”
In response to their accusations and disbelief, Jesus unveils a profound revelation about who he thinks he is. He declares, “Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:58).”
Now we need to note that Abraham lived just about as long before Jesus as Jesus did before us. Speaking of them as contemporaries would cause most people to pause and ponder time travel, perhaps remembering scenes from Back To The Future. But Jesus isn’t saying that Abraham somehow traveled forward in time or that he traveled backward. What he is saying in this powerful statement is that not only did he preexisted Abraham, but also that he preexisted everything!
In using the divine title “I Am,” by echoing the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14), Jesus asserted His divinity, revealing that He is the eternal God who transcends time and space. The Pharisees, in their self-righteousness, failed to recognize the very presence of God standing before them. Jesus wasn’t just a wise teacher or a charismatic leader; He was the embodiment of the great I Am.
This revelation of Jesus as the great I Am validates everything He said about life and death. When Jesus spoke of eternal life for those who believe in Him and eternal separation for those who reject Him, He did so as the one who holds the keys to life and death.
In our lives, we often wrestle with the question of identity, purpose, and truth. Jesus, by revealing Himself as the great I Am, assures us that He is the source of all truth, the author of life, and the only way to the Father (John 14:6). Just as the Pharisees had to confront the reality of Jesus’ identity, we too must grapple with who Jesus truly is and what that means for our lives.
Posted in Lent
No Comments