Amen, amen before Abraham was, I AM

.... Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple (John 8:58, 59). There was an impression that was around when I was a child it was “Gentle Jesus meek and mild, wouldn't hurt a fly.” Anyone who thought that did not know his Bible. He was meek certainly, as in humble, though we may have to adjust our understanding of humility! But mild? In this passage you might be forgiven for thinking that Jesus was not a tad provocative. Earlier in this conversation He had told them “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do” (verse 44). He had also claimed “Amen, amen if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.” They reply “Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead” (verses 51, 53), and the conversation continues as above. It's not exactly clear how He manages to escape, but He does this on more than one occasion (i.e. Luke 4:29, 30). But in any case, Jesus claim “before Abraham was, I AM” is the last straw.

It is the one place where we can be left in absolutely no doubt as to what He was claiming. He was claiming to be the God who revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush. God is commissioning Moses there,  and when Moses asks whom shall he say sent him, the Lord answers 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’ (Exodus 3:14). That we are not misunderstanding this is clear from the reaction of the crowd. They took up stones to stone Him. I am put in mind of C. S. Lewis's trichotomy. He say either Jesus was a liar, claiming to be God when He was not, or a lunatic on a par with someone who claimed to be a poached egg, or He is who He claimed to be the Lord God almighty. He says I want you to prevent you from saying a very silly thing, namely that He was just a good teacher. He has not left us with that possibility, He is either a liar, a lunatic or He is who He claims to be the Lord of all creation.

To come back to our understanding of humility, it is not lack of humility for me to claim that I am a child of God, created in the image of God, and have passed from death to life. I have this on His authority (i.e. John 1:14; Genesis 1:26; John 5:24). Likewise it is not arrogance for Jesus to claim that He is God. We have somehow confused timidity with humility, but is it not only not humility to withhold truth, even when it makes others angry as it did here, actually it lacks love. We see this even in the context of this passage. You see as Jesus had said earlier,  it is the truth that ultimately sets you free (8:32). We do of course need to speak truth in love.

Father, Jesus was a bold as a lion, fierce when He needed to be, always acting in love and saying only those things You told Him to say. We want to be like Him Lord, bold, courageous, sensitive, loving, intimately in touch with You, hearing Your voice, and walking full obedience. Forgive us when we fail Lord, and equip us to walk in Your paths in His precious Name Amen