John 20 Before Abraham I AM
BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS, I AM
#20
Bible Reading
John 7:1-26
“1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judæa, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. 4 For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. 5 For neither did his brethren believe in him. 6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready. 7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. 8 Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come. 9 When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
10 But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. 11 Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? 12 And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people. 13 Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.
14 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. 15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? 16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. 18 He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
19 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me? 20 The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to kill thee? 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel. 22 Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. 23 If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? 24 Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek to kill? 26 But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?
The Unbelievers
One of the most contentious and difficult sections of the Gospel of John centers around a conflict in Jerusalem at the Feast of Booths (Sukkot).
This particular feast was both a celebration of harvest and a reminder of sleeping in "booths" or tents upon leaving Egypt (Leviticus 23:34-44; Deuteronomy 16:13-15). Like Passover, Purim, and the Feast of Dedication (Lessons 9 and 34), the Feast of Booths also looked back to times of victory over oppression. The Feast of Booths, while rooted in the Exodus narrative, actually focused specifically on the less than glamorous time period of camping out in the wilderness, the time between Egypt and the Promised Land. They had escaped slavery, but they were still awaiting the rest of their salvation. The Promised Land, sworn to their fathers, was so close they could taste it, but we know how the story goes. They were in those tents far longer than they ever expected: forty years of wilderness wanderings because they refused to trust what God was accomplishing right before their eyes. "They were not able to enter because of disbelief" (Hebrews 3:19).
As we'll see in this section of John, this problem continues into the time of Jesus.
Jesus, like Moses, has just miraculously fed the people bread from God (John 6:32-35), has just crossed the sea (John 6:16-21), and was just recognized as the Prophet (John 6:14) and the Holy One of God (John 6:69). During the feast He even shouts out an offer of water to any who will drink (John 7:37-39). He is doing amazing things in front of everybody, but He is still met with stubborn disbelief. This includes his own family, for even His "brothers were not believing in Him" (John 7:5).
When Jesus goes to the Feast in Jerusalem, He must do so in secret because any time He goes to Jerusalem, His life is on the line. This section begins by saying, "the Jews were seeking to kill Him" (John 7:1) and ends with them furiously grabbing stones (John 8:59). It's amazing; Jesus just miraculously fed the 5,000, performed incredible signs, and yet when He arrived at the feast, "There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him" (John 7:12). Wow, grumbling at the Feast of Booths. That's interesting. This word "grumbling,” in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures), is used in Exodus 16:7, which is right after God gave them "bread from heaven" (Exodus 16:4).
In Exodus, after the Passover and the escape from Egypt, right after they passed through the Red Sea (Exodus 14), they begin to grumble about water (Exodus 15:24) and food (Exodus 16:2, 8, 12).
When the Israelites thought they were grumbling against Moses, Moses clarified, "Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD" (Exodus 16:8). Jesus just fed the people, crossed on the sea, and is with the Jews at the Feast of Booths remembering the wilderness wanderings, and they are again grumbling and not believing. They say things like "He leads the people astray" (John 7:12) and "You have a demon!" (John 7:20). Leading the people astray kind of sounds like the old accusation hurled against Moses (Exodus 14:11; Numbers 14:1- 4; 21:5). They argue Christ can't come from where Jesus is from (John 7:27, 41, 52; remember John 1:46). They shout, "Your testimony is not true" (John 8:13) and "Do we not rightly say that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" (John 8:48). These are not mere grumbles against a man. They are grumbles against God. Ironically, they are blasphemies for exactly why they want to kill Jesus.
Bible Reading: John 7:36-41
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
40 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? 42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? 43 So there was a division among the people because of him. 44 And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
45 Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? 46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. 47 Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? 48 Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? 49 But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. 50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) 51 Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? 52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. 53 And every man went unto his own house.
The Believers
But let's not overstate their failures. Some actually do believe. Remember Nicodemus? He reappears in this section. In John 7:50-51, he defends Jesus to his peers, saying they ought not judge Him without first going to hear from Him.
Hearing from Jesus is exactly what Nicodemus did back in John 3, but his argument is ignored because Jesus is from Galilee. Nicodemus, along with many others, is starting to believe: "Many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, 'When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He'" (John 7:31)? Some were saying "Certainly this is the Prophet" and others "This is the Christ" (John 7:40-41). In fact, the more Jesus teaches, the more people begin to believe, "As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him (John 8:30).
No matter how many reject Jesus, blaspheme Him, and even try to kill Him, there are always some who believe. They cannot help but be drawn in by who He is and what He is doing. In John 8:31, Jesus talks to "those who believed Him." He promises, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free" (John 8:31-32). This becomes another one of those common misunderstandings. They take Jesus to be talking about freedom from literal slavery, and their response is a bit befuddling:
"We are Abraham's descendants and have never been enslaved to anyone, how is it that You say, 'You will become free?'" (John 8:33). Excuse me? Abraham's descendants have never been enslaved by anyone? You are currently at the Feast of Booths! You were living in booths because you were escaping slavery. Jesus, as the new Moses, is offering freedom from slavery again! An even better freedom. Where you won't be stuck in tents but will have eternal life! "Truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:34-36). Jesus, as God's Son, offers freedom from sin's enslaving power to be eternally free. Instead of taking hold of this great freedom, however, they just turn it into an argument.
Bible Reading: John 8:53-59
52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
The Blasphemy
It is imperative to say: be careful as you read this next section.
Tragically, passages within John 8:37-59 have been used in antisemitic rhetoric and to incite hatred and violence against Jews because of some of the strong language. Bear in mind that Jesus is a Jew. Many of the Jews believed in Him. And poor decisions made by some Jews 2,000 years ago should not lead to hatred or distrust of Jews living today. In fact, it shouldn't even be met with hatred against those Jews because it wasn't by Jesus. True imitation of Jesus would never lead us to violence, hatred, or antisemitism. It would lead us to loving self-sacrifice for those with whom we disagree. True imitation of Jesus leads us to the cross. Never forget that.
Having said that, in this section, the insults fly, and violence ensues. Jesus says to those before Him that by their actions, they have rejected God as their Father, and instead, their Father has become the devil. They are trying to kill God's Son; they are rejecting His grace, forgiveness, and kingdom. They are murderers and liars who are doing the work of the devil. In response, they call Jesus a demon and a Samaritan.
They scoff that Jesus can offer eternal life because the faithful of the past have already died. Those who listened to Abraham died. Abraham himself died. If one dies after listening to Abraham, the father of their faith, how can an insignificant man from Nazareth give life? "You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do you make yourself out to be?" (John 8:53). That question gets to the heart of the Gospel of John.
Who does Jesus make Himself out to be? Is He greater than Jacob (John 4:12)? Is He greater than Abraham (John 8:53)? Is He greater than the prophets? Is He even greater than Moses? Jesus' answer shows that each one of these questions is drastically and embarrassingly undershot. Jesus, the man not yet 40 years old, has seen Abraham. In fact, Jesus declares, "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58). I AM. This statement is not intended to be bad grammar but another allusion back to the divine revelation of the identity of God to Moses (Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3). The God who appeared to Abraham, Jacob, and Moses has now appeared again.
The great and indescribable I AM is here.
For the first time, they pick up stones to kill Jesus. They will try this again at the Feast of Dedication in John 10:31. They believe His blasphemy must be punished. Hatred and animosity toward Jesus are heating up every time He opens His mouth, especially around Jerusalem. With each passing feast day, Jesus gets closer and closer to the cross.