Before Abraham Was Born, I Am!
April/16/2008 Filed in: Daily Walk
Series
• New
Testament Reading: John 8:1-59
• Old Testament Passage: Exodus 3:11-15
• Points to Ponder
“Before Abraham Was Born, I Am!”
Jesus is on the witness stand being cross-examined by the prosecution. This is high energy court
room action as exciting as any scene from “Law & Order”. The Pharisees are going after Jesus and
Jesus just isn’t backing down. He stands by his claims and calls himself and his Father as witnesses.
They challenge him on being his own witness and question him as who is his father. After telling
them that he can be his own witness and that they don’t know his Father, he says, “If you do not
believe that I am, you will indeed die in your sins” (8:24). [Note: “the one I claim to be” in the NIV
is not in the Greek text.] He responded to the Pharisees so effectively and frustrated their cross
examination such that “even as he spoke many put their faith in him” (8:30).
Jesus responds to their objections by telling them that they are not Abraham’s descendants, God is
not their Father, and that in fact, their father is the devil because they speak his language - lies! To
all these claims, the Pharisees respond with some form of the question, “Who do you think you are?”
Then Jesus says it again, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” (8:58). The Pharisees are done with
questions - he’s said it twice now and there’s no mistaking what he means. Jesus claims that he is the
One who met Moses in the burning bush, that his is Jehovah God in the flesh! In the Pharisee’s
minds he is guilty of blasphemy and deserves to die.
• Questions to Consider: Any even somewhat objective truth seeker cannot deny that
according to the gospel accounts, Jesus claimed to be God. Since he claimed to be God, what are
the only two logical conclusions a person must choose from? What would say to the people who
say that Jesus was a prophet, but not the Son of God?
• Old Testament Passage: Exodus 3:11-15
• Points to Ponder
“Before Abraham Was Born, I Am!”
Jesus is on the witness stand being cross-examined by the prosecution. This is high energy court
room action as exciting as any scene from “Law & Order”. The Pharisees are going after Jesus and
Jesus just isn’t backing down. He stands by his claims and calls himself and his Father as witnesses.
They challenge him on being his own witness and question him as who is his father. After telling
them that he can be his own witness and that they don’t know his Father, he says, “If you do not
believe that I am, you will indeed die in your sins” (8:24). [Note: “the one I claim to be” in the NIV
is not in the Greek text.] He responded to the Pharisees so effectively and frustrated their cross
examination such that “even as he spoke many put their faith in him” (8:30).
Jesus responds to their objections by telling them that they are not Abraham’s descendants, God is
not their Father, and that in fact, their father is the devil because they speak his language - lies! To
all these claims, the Pharisees respond with some form of the question, “Who do you think you are?”
Then Jesus says it again, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” (8:58). The Pharisees are done with
questions - he’s said it twice now and there’s no mistaking what he means. Jesus claims that he is the
One who met Moses in the burning bush, that his is Jehovah God in the flesh! In the Pharisee’s
minds he is guilty of blasphemy and deserves to die.
• Questions to Consider: Any even somewhat objective truth seeker cannot deny that
according to the gospel accounts, Jesus claimed to be God. Since he claimed to be God, what are
the only two logical conclusions a person must choose from? What would say to the people who
say that Jesus was a prophet, but not the Son of God?