Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” So, they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. John 8:58-59

It is interesting that Jesus never backs down with the Jewish leaders. He tries over and over to get their attention and help them understand. But He never forces them to believe. He respects their free will, even if it saddens His heart that their hearts are hardened to who He is. As He is trying to make the point that Abraham knew Him, the Jews become indignant (and maybe a bit sarcastic…) when they say, “You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?” 

Jesus’ response floors them because He uses the phrase “I AM” which is the name God gives Moses in Exodus 3:13-14 “But,” said Moses to God, “if I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what do I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I am who I am.” Then he added, "This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

St. John the Evangelist stresses the divinity of Christ throughout his gospel, not just here but in other places as well. (John 8:24; 58; 13:19 and 18:5-6) It must have been quite shocking for the Jews to hear this carpenter from Nazareth who has been roaming around teaching and gathering followers, claiming not just to be sent by God, but to be God. It makes you almost understand why they were so upset that they were ready to stone Him. 

But they didn’t. Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. This is not the first time that someone wanted to kill Him and He just calmly escapes without harm. Notice that even though He is aware that He will be killed by them, it will be on His timing, not theirs. That again shows who He is and that He is in control. Nothing will happen that He hasn’t allowed. 

There is an important lesson here for us. Jesus is not just any other teacher. He’s God. He is our Savior. And because He is who He is, we can rest in His timing and His will for us. When we are unsure of what is happening, we can ask Him, “Lord Jesus, are you in control of all that is going on in my life?” And you can hear his response, “I AM.” Rest in all that those two words really mean. 

Reflection Questions: Have you spent some time really pondering what it must have been like for the Jews to be in the presence of Christ? How would you have responded to the miracles and teachings that were happening? Would you have believed or doubted? Do you struggle now remembering that Jesus is God? 

Prayer: What an amazing thing it is to ponder Your Divinity, Jesus. You took on human flesh and left heaven to experience all of our struggles. Thank You. Show me that You are still in control, and I can trust all of my life to You. Amen.