John 8.39-59 Jesus the I AM

  • Sam Ford
  • Jan 7, 2008
  • Series: Gospel According to John

John 8.39-59 Jesus, the I AM

January 6, 2008

Sam Ford

 

Being a Father

I love being a Father.  I remember when I first became a Father.  Throughout the pregnancy you think about what it's going to be like, imagine all the things you will and will not do, as you psyche yourself up for something you haven't a clue about.  No one can really tell you what it's like to become a Father.  9 months go by like a blink of any eye, then in what feels like a moment, your wife is screaming some sort of MANISH YAWP that you have never through possible from the lips of your bride, and the doctor is handing you a little mass of joy and suffering. You're a Dad. 

 

I can remember this overwhelming feeling of responsibility, especially when we took the little guy home.  I am now the great protector-I need weapons!  Before I was the "Man of the House", but now, I have a family to take care of, to provide for, to protect, to teach, and to lead.  As the years have gone by, I've learned a lot from my children and they have learned a lot from me-both good and bad.  I have two boys, Fischer and Landen, and a little girl named Emersyn.  Through them I have learned patience, I've learned about what's important and what is not, I've learned how to pick battles, I've learned about sacrifice, but most importantly, I've learned to live life differently as SIX LITTLE EYES watch every move I make and hear every word I say.

 

Before I became a Father, I never understood the impact that Fathers have both on their Sons and daughters.  I never understood how the Bible viewed the roles of men and women, fathers and mothers.  Not to take away anything from mothers, but because God designed men in a relationship as the head of the family-they exist in a position of inescapable leadership.  Meaning, if you are a father, you lead regardless of whether or not you lead well.  However you lead, whether in a godly way, in an abusive way, or not at all, your headship will result in greater influence on your children than any other human alive.

 

Children look to their Fathers not only for love, affection, protection, security, but also as an example.  In other words, Children imitate their fathers, for better or worse.  When my boys are quoting verses and opening doors for girls, OR talking about bottoms and dancing around weird saying "What the snarf?", I am reminded of their little eyes that watch my every move.  Why?

Because, at least for now, they want to be like me.  To them, I'm all wise, all powerful, all everything.   It is only when they are all grown, that I will see whether or not I modeled the right behaviors-what it means to be a man, a husband, a father, a lover of Jesus.   My hope is that being a "Ford" will be more than a name.  Being a Ford boy, or being a Ford girl will have meaning, and significance rooted in godly behavior. 

 

Last week, we ended in John 8.38 where the Jews and Jesus are discussing Fatherhood as it relates to the "Father" of their religion - Abraham.  They have the family name, but they don't look anything like their Dad.  They've forgotten everything they were raised to be...

  • They claim to love the truth of their Father but work to suppress it
  • They claim to honor their Father but they honor themselves with religion
  • They claim to know their Father but can't recognize Him or His works

 

I can't help but wonder...do I have anything more in my faith than a name. When all is said and done, I'm I left with a religion and a name, or a relationship with my Creator.

OUR FATHER IS ABRAHAM

39 They answered him,  "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them,  "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing what Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing what your father did."

The Jews are angered when Jesus tells them that he speaks what he's heard from his Father, and he tells them that, "You speak from yours." 

 

Because he doesn't specify exactly who he is talking about, the Jews want to make sure he knows that they speak from the authority of Abraham-the Father of the Jewish faith.  They want to make it clear that Abraham is their father physically and spiritually.  (Jesus is in fact implying a completely different Father).Jesus humors them for the moment and says that if Abraham was their father, they would be doing what Abraham did.  So, who was Abraham and what did Abraham do?

 

Who was Abraham? - Genealogy in Luke 3; Adam, Seth, Noah, Shem, Terah

What did Abraham do?

Genesis 12.1-4

Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

 

Abraham then, obeyed God's command, trusted that God would make all things well, welcomed God's messengers, and rejoiced in the promise God made which would be realized in Jesus. 

 

Jewish Pride

  • The Jewish people have a tremendous amount of pride in the fact that they are descended from Abraham, regardless of whether not they DO WHAT HE DID. They have so much pride in that fact that they are the "chosen people", they have forgotten that those people were chosen to glorify God. The entire Exodus, the foundational history of God's people, is a story of a people being redeemed out of the land of Egypt BY THE POWER OF GOD who CRUSHES the Kingdom of Egypt, so that they can become WORSHIPPERS of GOD. These Jews have latched onto their RELIGION (beliefs, traditions, rituals, etc.) but abandoned their faith.

 

Christian Pride

Before we get all down on the Jews for their "religiosity", let's be honest about how we fall into the same trap.  When Paul writes in Romans 2.28-29 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God., he could just as easily be talking about today's Christians. 

 

Today, people often say "I am a Christian" or "I love Jesus" but their behavior does not match up.  When the Jews are asked what makes them "Jewish" they will tell you, "I'm descended from Abraham."  When questioned about what makes them a Christian, many people will tell you they go to church every week, that they have been baptized, they take communion, they read their Bible, they try to do good things, etc.   Some may even go so far as to say that because their parents are Christians, I'm a Christian.  Because I was raised in a Christian Home, I am a Christian.  Connection with a good church, good family is no proof whatever that we are going to be saved. 

 

Don't say your anything...be it.

If you are Christians, you are not just going to "say you are."  Our culture is so good with labels.  You can label yourself anything you want...but how you live your life and, more importantly, how you accept the truth of God will tell us WHO YOU ARE.  Don't tell anyone that you LOVE JESUS if you're not going to live like you do. 

 

Why tell anyone "I LOVE MY WIFE" if I'm going to abandon her, abuse her, ignore her, etc.   I'm not sure who we think we're actually fooling...certainly not God, perhaps a few friends, or maybe ourselves. 

 

James 1.22-25

22 ...be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

 

WE KNOW WHO ARE FATHER IS...WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOURS

They said to him,  "We were not born of sexual immorality.

When the Jews' arguments don't pan out, then they begin to make personal attacks on Jesus.  They're probably mocking the questionable nature of Jesus' birth.  In verse 19, they inquired about his earthly father as Jesus was referring to his heavenly Father.  Arguments about truth often turn personal. We defend our sinful behavior by attacking the apparent weaknesses or rumored issues of those who are telling us truth.

 

OUR FATHER IS GOD

We have one Father-even God." 42 Jesus said to them,  "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.

The Jews clarify that their not JUST sons of Abraham, their Sons of God.  In other words, they tell Jesus that we are godly men, we are righteous. 

 

And Jesus gives a very simple test for people who say they follow God.  "Do You Love Jesus."  . NO ONE WHO DOES NOT LOVE JESUS is really a child of God.  But what does it mean to "love" Jesus? 

 

1John 5.1-3: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.


THE DEVIL IS YOUR FATHER

44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The conversation between Jesus and these Jewish leaders is now getting quite heated.  Jesus basically says, there are two families in this world, and you are part of one.  There is no SPIRITUAL SWITZERLAND, you're either in God's family or Satan's.  Jesus tells them that their Daddy is Satan, that they think like him, feel like him, and act like him.

 

Satan is Real

We mustn't pass over the fact that Jesus clearly believes that Satan is REAL in that he is a being that exists with personality.  I only say this because according to the Barna Research Group:

In 2004, an incredible 50% of those who profess to be "born again" actually deny Satan's existence.

 

There is a devil.  There is an invisible enemy, who is powerful, intelligent, always near us, never sleeping, never lazy, walking across our paths, in our homes, at our jobs, and in all other areas of our lives.  He possesses intelligence, memory, will, desire, pride, wrath, and strategy.  And he wants to kill you--eternally.  Paul writes is quite clearly in Ephesians 6.12, 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  1Peter 5.8 says that our adversary, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

 

Satan is Your Daddy

These Jewish guys would never deny the existence of Satan, but they would certainly argue the fact that they had been influenced by him. As Christians we often make one of two very tragic mistakes:

(1) Naively ignore the powers of darkness and chalk things up to "bad luck"

(2) Emphasize them to the extreme by looking for a demon under every rock. 

 

When we imagine how Satan influences our lives, I think we envision the worse case scenarios like séance, Ouija boards, or full on possession.  Jesus here speaks to the influence of Satan on our very behavior, on our thoughts, and our actions. 

 

Satan is what Satan does

Jesus doesn't just TELL them, Satan is your Daddy; he proves it with evidence!  He can tell their SPAWN of SATAN because, AS THEY SEEK TO KILL HIM, as they SEEK TO DESTROY THE TRUTH, they mirror the very actions of Satan (the created angel) himself.  Jesus says that Satan is two things, a murderer and a liar. 

 

  • As a murderer, the devil seeks to do more than just take your life. He seeks to kill humanity, to envelope light with darkness and life with death. The devil murders goodness, purity, honor, beauty, joy, hope, and all that makes life lovely either through active destruction or passive perversion. And he will use whatever means he can to accomplish that ONE goal.

 

  • As a lover of falsehood, his most effective method is to replace the truth with a lie. We mustn't underestimate Satan's intent and his methods. He will tell you whatever you want to hear if it will lead you down the path of destruction. The Bible calls him the accuser, lover of lies, hater of truth, one who masquerades as an angel of light to deceive the masses. Satan hates truth and, at times tries to actively destroy it, but many times he will subtly twist it. This is the devil's work that began in the Garden of Eden where he replaced the truth of God with an attractive lie. He deceives through false representations, tell us that good is evil and evil is good, truth is falsehood and falsehood is truth, the broad way good, and the narrow way bad.

 

RHETORICAL QUESTIONS

45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God."

Jesus asks some rhetorical questions-which is just a way of TELLING someone something because the answer is obvious.  Jesus tells them, they won't believe him due to the fact that the Devil is their Daddy.  It's like telling someone their "argumentative" and when they try to ‘argue' against it you say, well-see!   

 

The Devi's kid's hate truth...because it's the truth (not rational thinking there)

Jesus makes some clear distinctions between God's kids and the DEVIL'S kids.  Quite simply, those who SAY the follow God gravitate toward lies and away from the truth, precisely because it is the truth. THIS IS UNBELIEF.   Aleister Crowley (who died in 1947), is considered to be the father of modern Satanism. In his publication called, The Book of the Law, he sums up the essence of Satanism. It is: "do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law."

 

God's kids accept God's truth because it's God's truth.

Those born of God, the true children of God, love the truth.  In other words, their belief is MORE than in name, it evidences itself out in OBEDIENCE. 

 

1John 3.8-10 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

  • Can you imagine if someone blogged this today?

 

PERSONAL ATTACK

48 The Jews answered him, "Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?"49 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. 50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."

  • "You are a Samaritan," affirming their direct descent and basically calling Jesus a half-breed, one that is not truly Jewish. Then they tell him, "You have a demon," challenging his prophetic credibility.

 

  • I don't have a demon...you dishonor me, God is seeking to glorify me, he'll judge.

 

  • Truly I Say...anyone keeps my Word, they won't see death. Ask yourself what the difference is between someone who hears the word, knows the word, understands the word, and keeps the Word.

 

Revelation 2.9-11

9 " ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.'

 

YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ABRAHAM?

52 The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.' 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?"

The Jews are blown away by Jesus' statement.  His claim sets him above all former prophets and Abraham himself who had been dead and buried at least 1850 years.  The Jews believe that ONLY A DEMON would be so arrogant!  The Jews think that Jesus is some self-exalting, demon-possessed fool who is more interested in self-glory than the true God.   Even a cursory examination of Jesus life will prove that he is the most obedient and dependent person that every lived, completely submissive to the Father. 

 

So, they ask him WHO DO YOU MAKE YOURSELF to BE that can claim such authority?  Jesus responds in one of the most powerful passages in Scripture and tells us exactly who He is. 

 

I AM...greater than Abraham

54 Jesus answered,  "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.'  55 But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad."57 So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"  58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

 

Before Abraham

Those listening to Jesus are complete confused at this point. First Jesus says that Abraham rejoiced to see "my day".  In other words, Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of Abraham's hopes and joys revealed by the promises of God.  Jesus is not a NEW HERO to take the place of the promises to Abraham over 2,000 years prior, HE IS THE ONE HERO that has always been the ONE PROMISE for the salvation of all men. 

 

Jesus does go about saying this is somewhat of a strange way.  He establishes the fact that Abraham and his TRUE CHILDREN have been waiting for Jesus.  Then he establishes HIS authority by claiming that He existed before Abraham.  Now, if Jesus wanted to imply that he was simply born before Abraham, he could have said I was before Abraham.  But he says more than that...

 

The Name of God

He says,  before Abraham was "I AM".  The claim is not mocked by the Jews, rather, it is clearly understood.  The Jews take up stones to stone him, because he is once again claiming to be God.

  

The Origin of the Name:

  • The name translates the Hebrew tetragrammaton (four lettered expression) YHWH. Because the name was originally written without vowels, it is uncertain how it should be pronounced. Hence, the American Standard Version translates it "Jehovah," whereas most modern translations render it "Lord".
  • Jehovah is the name, by far, used most in the O.T. - 6,823 times
  • Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew verb "havah" meaning "TO BE" and is almost exactly like the Hebrew Verb Chavah meaning "To live".
  • When we read LORD in capital letters, we should remember God as the BEING who is completely "self-existent", the one who possesses life = no one made God = He always was.
  • The most noted Jewish commentator of the Middle Ages, Moses Maimonides said with regard to this name, "All the names of God which occur in Scripture are derived from His works except one, and that is Jehovah; and this is called the plain name, because it teaches plainly, and unequivocally, the substance of God."

 

The Name Appears as Moses is speaking to the Burning Bush:

  • When God decided to make a special revelation of himself, he used the "I AM", YHWH, Jehovah.
  • Not only does it speak to his self-existence (non dependence), but also to the one who is personal. The God who is merciful, gracious, patient, full of loving kindness, forgiving, just, righteous, and faithful to deliver from bondage.

 

Exodus 3.13-14 13 Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, ‘What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am."  And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel,  ‘I am has sent me to you.'

 

CONCLUSION

Jesus is the I AM...The God who CRUSHED the greatest kingdom on earth, freed His people so that they could be...worshippers.

 

When all is said and done, are we more than a followers of Abraham?

 

Whose child do we say we are...and what does it look like?

 

When we go into the world...is all we have to offer religion? 

Do all we have is No, we offer the I AM...Exodus 6.6  6 Say therefore to the people of Israel,  ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out.

 

Exodus 34.5-7

5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed,  "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.

 

There is only one way to be declared more than not guilty, leave the devil's house, and become adopted by Jesus.  Do NOTHING but accept the truth that YOUR GOD came down, died on the cross to protect you from HIS WRATH, then ROSE AGAIN to bring you new LIFE to spend with him after all of this is gone.

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