“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
John 8:58
There are many ways and places in which Jesus reveals Himself, but we are focusing on a few of them. Yesterday, we saw how Jesus described Himself as the Bread of Life that gives us satisfaction, emphasizing that nothing else in this world comes close; we will always continue to need more of everything.
Today, we want to explore a very interesting description of Jesus in the Scriptures, one that sparked controversy then and even now. In this passage, the Jews accused Jesus of being a Samaritan and a demon-possessed man because He had told them that they were neither descendants of God nor Abraham. He told them that they needed to believe in His Word so that they would live forever. However, when they responded, questioning how He could make people live when all the prophets, including Abraham, had died, and how He could have seen Abraham when He was so young, Jesus made a profound statement.
In verse 58, Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!” Why did Jesus say this, and what does it mean? First, Jesus said this to reveal Himself to these Jews who had no idea who He was. Jesus was quoting from Exodus 3:14, where God introduces Himself to Moses as ‘I AM.’ So, Jesus was clearly calling Himself God, which was considered blasphemy because it was forbidden to use the Name of God for oneself. Nevertheless, He did so because He would not deny Himself. Jesus is God. Now you understand why the Jews immediately picked up stones to stone Him; they knew exactly what He meant by that statement.
But the question for you now is, “Do you believe that Jesus is God?” This is one of the core revelations of the book of John, and it is very important because it is foundational to our faith as believers. Now, let’s take a closer look at the title ‘I AM.’ What does it mean, and what does it reveal about Jesus?
‘I AM’ is a statement of God’s identity and it points to the never-changing nature of God. First, this name is one of the ways God assures us of His faithfulness at all times. Just as Hebrews says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.” Nothing changes God; He remains the same. So when God saved you, He wasn’t later going to change His mind and declare that you weren’t saved anymore. When He speaks His Word, He isn’t going to take it back and change it. We can confidently say today that nothing on earth is consistent—everything changes—but one thing that remains the same is God.
Secondly, this name points to the fact that Jesus has always existed. Before the beginning, He was there. In the beginning, He was there. After the beginning, He is still there. And forevermore, He will always be there. This shows us that Jesus encompasses all of time and eternity, and He is always present in them. Even as you read this, Jesus is in your past, present, and future. Every moment of your life is clear before His eyes, and He knows it all because He is God.
All of this brings us to a place of humility and submission because what can you hide from One who knows it all? What can you use to entice someone who doesn’t change and sees you as you are? This understanding calls us to be in awe of Jesus and to worship Him for this nature that has been revealed to us. It also reassures us that the ‘I AM’ is in our tomorrow, and He is surely working it all out for His glory.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I believe You are my God, and so I worship You, for You are the ‘I AM.’ Help me to have an experiential understanding of what this means in my life. Help me to trust Your unchanging and ever-present nature in my life at all times.
