Or, I Am in the Flesh
Scripture: John 8:48-59
Date: December 2, 2012
Speaker: Sean Higgins
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It’s been a dicey couple weeks for Jesus. At the beginning of chatper 7, His brothers told Him to go up and show off Himself in Jerusalem for the Feast of Booths. He didn’t follow their counsel but He did head up to the city about half way through the feast. And He didn’t stay quiet. He started to teach and, as soon as He did, all kinds of angry people came out of the Jewish woodwork. Even though He claimed to be the light of the world, offering them freedom in truth and promising to keep them from dying in their sins, the people grew in their hate for Him.
In chapter eight, we’re probably still within a week or so of the end of the feast. “The Jews” (mentioned in verses 48, 52, and 57)were primarily the Jerusalemites, and Jesus has engaged them about their need for freedom. They argued that they already were free based on their father, Abraham. Last week in John 8:39-48 we saw Jesus’ argument that if they really were children of Abraham, they would act like Abraham and receive the truth. If they were really children of God, they would love God’s Son. Practice proves parentage. But they don’t act like Abraham’s kids because they aren’t his kids. They can’t bear to hear Jesus’ words because they have a different father, the devil.
These Jews continue to demonstrate how unbearable God’s words were to them by their responses in verses 48-59. We’ll see them ask three sets of questions that leave no doubt about who had the problem: they did. There’s no question about it, they are going to die in their sins (8:21, 24) if they don’t believe that Jesus is who He says He is. He is I Am in the flesh.
The Jews weren’t pleased with Jesus saying that their father was the devil. They couldn’t agree that they had lies and murder in their heart. So they lied about Jesus (to take the attention off of themselves) before they tried to murder Jesus.
The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” (John 8:48-51, ESV)
The Jews answered Jesus’ explanation about why they could not hear the words of God (verse 47) by demonizing Jesus; they literally claimed that He was possessed by a demon.
Giving their answer in the form a question does not indicate sincere teachability, it was a sneering double insult. You are a Samaritan was a racial smear tactic. Remember that the woman of Sychar in John 4:9 wondered how Jesus would have anything to do with her since she was a Samaritan. Which also, by the way, demonstrated that even she knew that Jesus wasn’t a Samaritan. These Jews are in desperation mode. That’s also why they insinuate that Jesus had a demon . In other words, “The only way that anyone would say the types of ridiculous things that You’re saying, Jesus, is if a man was a religiously inferior half-breed demoniac. You must be out of Your mind.”
Jesus doesn’t even deal with the Samaritan slur. He does answer, in what seems to be a calm response, I do not have a demon . But that isn’t all, He provided more than a denial to explain why His behavior was so strange to them. But I honor my Father . The reason that they couldn’t comprehend Jesus honoring His Father is that they were honoring their father. They didn’t get it and, because of that, Jesus said, you dishonor me .
On one hand, Jesus wasn’t worried about their dishonor, and it wasn’t because He didn’t deserve honor from them. Instead, He didn’t worry about it because someone else was taking care of it. I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it and He is judge .
He wasn’t waiting for His mom to step up to defend Him. He wasn’t planning to do it for Himself at a later time. He said that the judge , the omniscient and all-righteous judge knew the glory of Jesus deserved and how wrong it was for men not to give it to Jesus. There is no fooling or escaping this judge.
Verse 51 appears out of step in Jesus’ argument. Verse 51 is an argument by way of invitation. They lie about Him, dishonor Him, and He repeats that He is exactly what they need. He makes a magnificent promise to those who don’t deserve it which demonstrates His glory.
Truly, truly I say to you , it’s not a demon. If anyone keeps my word he will never see death . This is an offer of eternal life, an offer they heard from Him before. But He makes the offer again as part of His answer to their slanderous accusations. He is committed to honoring His Father and that includes salvation.
The offer belongs to anyone who keeps my word . Remember that keeping Jesus’ word involves receiving the truth, loving Him, honoring Him, and obedience to Him. Jesus is not offering a salvation by works, but He can still say that a relationship with Him is determinative. It changes things, from the heart on out. It also changes one’s eternity.
He will never see death . It’s a way to describe the death experience in sensory terms, as when you see something for yourself. Anyone and everyone who keeps Jesus’ word won’t have that experience. This is a Genesis 3 reversal. This is unbelievable, and so the Jews disbelieve it. But for those who believe, there’s no question about it.
The crowd takes the invitation to unending life as their proof that Jesus is, in fact, demon driven.
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.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” (John 8:52-53, ESV)
Only a crazy man could make a death defying promise. From their perspective, the most honored men—Abraham and the prophets—died. If Abraham and the prophets not only received God’s truth, but also revealed it and they died, then how in the world could Jesus offer something better? Yet you say, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death” . The phrases “see death” and “taste death” are the parallel, with taste emphasizing the bitterness. The issue isn’t seeing versus tasting, it was the not dying. The only possible way is if Jesus was greater, but that was impossible. Are you greater than our father Abraham? There’s no way. This question is an exasperated, “Who do you think You are?”
Jesus answers the charge of arrogance first. From their perspective, Jesus was just promoting Himself with impossible claims (sort of like what His brothers advised Him to do, though different). He needs to answer that yes, He is greater, but He tells them why they won’t like it first.
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.’ 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. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” (John 8:54-56, ESV)
His Father seeks His glory (as in verse 50), but they have a different father no matter what they claim. If their claim, “He is our God” was actually true, then they would seek Jesus’ glory too. Jesus said, But you have not known him . They are lying; Jesus can’t lie. If He claimed something other that what He had, He would be like them, claiming something that wasn’t true.
This is important: liars don’t say that they’re lying. That’s what makes it a lie. So if two people claim to be telling the truth, how do you know which is which? Jesus’ example helps us, even as we recognize that, in our situations, both persons could be lying.
Liars will change their story. Liars will seek their own glory. Liars will kill to protect their story of glory. Liars won’t acknowledge that they’re lying; they’ll lie again to cover the first lie.
Jesus, on the other hand, doesn’t ever change His story. Jesus doesn’t worry about His glory. Jesus died to support His story of glory. Jesus always acknowledged that His Father was His reference point.
That said, when did these liars get exposed? When were they forced to recognize it for themselves? We don’t know. Some conflicts are not resolved by the time you finish your bucket of popcorn. We may have to wait longer than we like for the Judge to make the bad guys say “Uncle” and put on the black hats. In fact, the liars may have killed us (or our reputations) before that happens. But if we have eternal life, then we’ll be alright.
Jesus does affirm that He is greater than Abraham. Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad* . No one event in Abraham’s life fits neatly into this description. The best answer appears (to me) to be when Abraham received the promise of a son and when Isaac was born. He rejoiced in faith beforehand and he rejoiced in the fulfillment of the promise. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of which Isaac began, or, stated differently, the day of Isaac started the day of Jesus. Abraham knew that Isaac was the first step toward a Savior and Jesus was the Savior. That also means that, yes, Jesus was greater than Abraham, no question about it.
The Jews really think that they’ve cornered Jesus into the demon diagnosis. He is proving His craziness before their very eyes.
So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” (John 8:57, ESV)
First, fifty years old is an even number rounding up. They were giving Jesus another decade or so and that still wouldn’t help His point. Second, Jesus did not say that He saw Abraham. He said that Abraham saw His day. Contrarians have a hard time picking up on nuance, though they hear enough to make their argument. Nevertheless, Jesus doesn’t fix what was wrong in their argument, He gives them a real reason to be angry.
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58, ESV)
This is what we’ve been waiting for. It is a statement that does not make sense chronologically (on a time line), grammatically (in its syntax), or ontologically (related to Jesus’ being). But it is true and glorious and life-giving.
If all that Jesus was trying to do was deal with the age problem, He would have said, “Before Abraham was, I was.” He would have used the perfect tense not present tense. But if He’d said that, we still would think that He had a beginning, just an earlier beginning than Abraham. That would still not explain how he appeared younger than 50.
Jesus said, I am as a title. He is taking on the Old Testament covenant name of God, Yahweh. It was the name God gave Himself to Moses when God sent him in Exodus 3:14. “I am who I am.” God is the God who Is. He did not begin. He is. And Jesus is I am in the flesh. He is not only Abraham’s seed through Isaac, He is the one who gave the promise of Isaac to Abraham in the first place.
There are other ἐγὼ εἰμί statements in John, but none more blunt or absolute than this one.
And the Jews got it. It won’t work for us to call this an awkward comment by Jesus, or an unfinished one as if He was interrupted mid-sentence. It was blasphemy (if untrue) and, according to Leviticus 24:16, the penalty was death by stoning.
So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (John 8:59, ESV)
Stoning was supposed to be a judicial enforcement after a legal trial, not immediate, mob vigilante violence (Carson, 358). Since the Temple was still being rebuilt, large stones were available. Jesus slipped away while some went to gather them.
There was no question about it, Jesus claimed to be the fulfillment of Abraham’s promise, the true Son and knower of the heavenly Father, and God Himself in the flesh. He was I Am incarnate.
We do not want to dishonor Jesus, the One who seeks His glory is still and He will judge those who deny Jesus regardless of the lies they tell to cover their unbelief.
We do want to keep His Word because then we will never see death. In Jesus we have freedom to give up our earthly tents, if and when necessary, because we cannot be separated from Triune, eternal life. If you’re never going to see death, and if the Judge is seeking your glory, then shouldn’t you feel a lot more free?
I recently heard this quote from Harry Truman: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” In light of Jesus’ response to the Jews’ dishonor, I wonder if we could tweak the statement a little. It is amazing how much more we could accomplish if we let God take care of getting us credit. (See also 1 Peter 2:23 and 4:19).
So we also keep working and waiting, with gladness, for His return. He came once, He’s coming again, and we have every motivation to rejoice as Abraham did by faith.
There’s no question about it. Jesus is I Am, the revelation of God and the giver of life.