The Jewish leaders continued to question Jesus and His authority, especially His authority to forgive sins. Note that earlier when Jesus called upon the crowd to confront the sin within themselves before casting the first stone against the woman caught in adultery, they all left convicted. The individuals in the crowd were honest and humble enough to recognize that Jesus had identified and called attention to their hypocrisy. Not so with the Jewish leaders. Their continued questioning of Jesus not only revealed that they were deluded by their own self-righteousness, but also their desperation in discrediting Jesus so that they would not have to face the truth of their own sin.
The ensuing conversation turns to the topic of Abraham. Jesus begins in verse 37 by saying to the Jewish leaders, “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.” In a culture where genealogy and knowing who one’s forefathers were was a central part of identity and status, Jesus later statement in verse 38 would have shocked the Jewish leaders. All Israelites claimed common lineage through Abraham and took pride that it was with Abraham that God made a covenant with him and his descendants to be a blessing to the nations. But Jesus claimed that He has a different Father than that of the Jewish leaders. Despite the Jewish leaders’ insistence that their father was Abraham, and even defensively claiming that God was also their Father, it was clear that their father and Jesus’ Father were not the same.
Abraham lived a life of faith and obedience before God. And that too before God’s Law was given to the Israelites in a tangible form. Despite his flaws, Abraham sought to know God deeply and to walk faithfully and humbly before Him. However, the Jewish leaders sought their own glory and fame behind their superficial piety. If Abraham was truly their father, then they would follow his example and submit themselves to God’s Truth. And if they were truly children of the Father, they would not seek to murder anyone, let alone the Son of God. So, who was the true Father of the Jewish leaders?
Jesus spells it out for them in verse 44, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” Note how the Jewish leaders do not deny this. Instead, they resort to insults, calling Jesus a demon and Samaritan to deflect from the truth. And yet in verse 51, Jesus reaffirms that salvation is for them too; that if only they listen to His words and keep them, they will have the hope of eternal life. But Jewish leaders want nothing of this. When Jesus states that He is the fulfillment of Abraham’s hope and that Abraham has in fact seen Him, the Jewish leaders are skeptical. Jesus then makes a clear and categorical statement of His divinity in verse 58, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” The capitalization of “I AM” in the Bible refers to the name of God: Yahweh, the eternal and self-existent Creator of the universe; the personal name of God which Jews hold with such reverence that they believe it is too holy to pronounce and often substitute with “Adonai” (Lord) or “Elohim” (the singular and generic noun for God). And as if to prove that Jesus was indeed right about the Jewish leaders all along, they began to pick up stones to murder Him. Regardless of all human attempts to suppress the truth of who man is and who God is, the Truth always emerges as clear as day.
Read the passage prayerfully a few times over and then answer the questions: John 8:37-59
Questions:
How did Abraham anticipate the coming of Jesus? (v. 37-40, 52-56 cf. Genesis 15:1-19, Genesis 22, Hebrew 11:8-12, 17-19)
What stands out to you about the response of the Jewish leaders when Jesus confronted them about who their real father is? How do people respond today when confronted with the reality of sin? (v. 41-50)
What does Jesus mean in verse 51 that “…if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death”?
Application:
What lessons can you take away from this passage regarding sin, pride, and humility?
What comfort do you draw from the fact that God is the great and unchanging “I AM”?
Conclusion & Heart Prayer:
Lord, what are You saying to me? And what are You calling me to do about it?
