I AM

Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. – John 8.54-59

Jesus was once again in a discussion with the Jewish leaders and officials/ Although He had clearly told them over and over again that He was Messiah and the Son of God I guess they didn’t accept because they are still pressing their point. Here the debate is over who God’s sons are and who can claim God as Father. They were trying to get Jesus to retract His statement that He was truly the Son of God. He couldn’t do that, He said, because if He said that He would be a liar.

They kept pushing Him until He said this – ‘before Abraham was, I AM.’

It’s those last two words that caused all the trouble. He claimed the name that God had used when He had told Moses who He was. We use the name Jehovah or Yahweh today. To these men though this was the ultimate blasphemy.

Jesus had now crossed the point of no return. They immediatley sought to kill Jesus for what He said. No one can deny that Jesus was not claiming to be the God who created and sustains the universe.

You can’t have Jesus part way. If He is not God He is not worth following. His teachings may be profound but unless He is God He cannot be trusted and His teachings are worthless and we might as well go on ourmerry way.

But He is I AM and as such worthy of our all.