Before Abraham Was, I Am

00:24:22
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2gZzcoCZi4

Sintesi

TLDRThis video examines a passage from the Gospel of John, specifically John 8:48-59, in the context of the Feast of Tabernacles. It explores Jesus' conversations with Jewish leaders, where he makes a bold claim about his identity: "Before Abraham was, I am." This claim not only challenges his opponents' understanding of scriptural lineage but also affiliates Jesus with the divine identity of God, as expressed in Exodus 3. The discussion highlights the repeated presence of Abraham's name in the chapter, underscoring a theological connection between Jesus' mission and Abraham's legacy. The phrase "I am" is pivotal, serving as a direct echo of God's name revealed to Moses. Jesus' declarations set a foundation for understanding his identity as part of the Holy Trinity, a significant theme celebrated on Trinity Sunday. This analysis also considers various interpretations of Abraham's foreseeing of Jesus' day and the reaction from opponents, illustrating the heightened tensions and their ultimate attempt to stone him for presumed blasphemy.

Punti di forza

  • πŸ“œ Understanding of John 8:48-59 in the context of Jewish festivals.
  • πŸ“š Clarification on why Abraham is mentioned frequently in this chapter.
  • ✝️ Jesus' claim "Before Abraham was, I am" links him to the divine identity.
  • πŸ“– Explanation of Jesus as the light, using "I am" statements.
  • πŸ’¬ Analysis of the heated debate between Jesus and Jewish leaders.
  • πŸ” Exploration of the theological implications of Jesus' words.
  • 🎢 Explanation on the significance of Trinity Sunday in Christian theology.
  • πŸ•ŠοΈ Examination of Jesus' identity as part of the Holy Trinity.
  • πŸ— Insight into "keeping Jesus' word" for eternal life.
  • πŸͺ“ Why opponents reacted violently to Jesus' expressions and claims.

Linea temporale

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    In this video episode, the speaker discusses the interpretation of John 8:48 and its context in the Gospel of John, focusing on the heated debate between Jesus and His opponents during the Feast of Tabernacles. Jesus is accused of being demon-possessed and a Samaritan due to His claims about His identity and relationship with Abraham, setting the stage for discussions about theological themes like light and the significance of Abraham's legacy.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    The speaker delves into why Jesus was called a Samaritan and demon-possessed, discussing how Jesus accused His opponents of being aligned with the devil, which spurred their accusations. They discuss Jesus' assertion that anyone who keeps His word will never see death, explaining the Greek verb 'tereo' implies not a commandment-keeping but safeguarding and preserving Jesus' teachings, leading to spiritual life and exemption from eternal death.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    The narrative continues with tension growing between Jesus and His opponents as Jesus declares that Abraham saw His day and rejoiced, sparking further debate. Various interpretations are offered on what it means that Abraham saw Jesus' day, involving prophetic foresight, rabbinic tradition, and typology in Jewish thought, with Jesus placing His identity in direct lineage to Abraham's hope.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:24:22

    The climax of the debate arrives with Jesus' profound statement "before Abraham was, I am," identifying Himself with Yahweh, the eternal God. This claim, interpreted through the context of Exodus 3 and the "I am" declarations in John's Gospel, reinforces Jesus' divine identity, leading to His opponents' attempt to stone Him for blasphemy, highlighting the intense theological conflict over His identity as God incarnate.

Mostra di piΓΉ

Mappa mentale

Mind Map

Domande frequenti

  • What is the main focus of this episode?

    The main focus is on reading the Gospel of John 8:48-59 with an emphasis on Jesus' declaration "Before Abraham was, I am."

  • How is Abraham mentioned in John 8?

    Abraham is mentioned multiple times as Jesus interacts with his opponents, challenging their understanding of lineage and faith.

  • What festival is referenced in this analysis?

    The Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot is the context for Jesus' discussions in John 8.

  • What is significant about Jesus saying "I am"?

    Jesus' "I am" statement links back to God's name given in Exodus 3, emphasizing his divine nature.

  • Why do Jesus' opponents want to stone him?

    They perceive Jesus' claim "Before Abraham was, I am" as blasphemous, indicating he claims to be God.

  • What are some interpretations of Abraham seeing Jesus' day?

    Interpretations include prophetic vision, historic events in Abraham’s life symbolizing the coming of Christ, and Abraham's spiritual foreseeing of Jesus' salvation plan.

  • Why is Trinity Sunday significant in this context?

    Trinity Sunday celebrates the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, highlighting the core Christian belief in the Trinity as seen in Jesus' divine claim.

  • What is the connection between John 8 and Exodus 3?

    Jesus' statement "I am" connects to God's self-identification in Exodus 3 as "I am who I am."

  • How does Jesus describe his relationship with the Father?

    Jesus describes his relationship as one of honor and divine mission, asserting that the Father glorifies him.

  • What does it mean to keep Jesus' word according to this passage?

    To keep Jesus' word means to value, guard, and have faith in his teachings and promises, leading to eternal life.

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Scorrimento automatico:
  • 00:00:00
    [Music]
  • 00:00:10
    hi and welcome to this week's episode of
  • 00:00:11
    reading the gospels through hebrew eyes
  • 00:00:14
    this coming sunday is trinity sunday and
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    so of course all of the readings and the
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    hymns and the prayers will be focused
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    upon especially upon father son and holy
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    spirit now depending upon which
  • 00:00:25
    lectionary you follow you're probably
  • 00:00:26
    going to have a gospel reading either
  • 00:00:28
    from john 16 or john 8. now in this
  • 00:00:31
    video we're going to talk about john 8
  • 00:00:33
    beginning with verse 48 and then through
  • 00:00:35
    the end of the chapter
  • 00:00:37
    now the context here from john chapter 7
  • 00:00:40
    to john chapter 9 is the feast of
  • 00:00:42
    tabernacles or sukkot also sometimes
  • 00:00:45
    called the feast of booths so the fall
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    festival and that's important to keep in
  • 00:00:50
    mind especially if you're reviewing the
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    opening part of this chapter where jesus
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    talks about being the light of the world
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    light being a prominent theme in the
  • 00:01:00
    celebration of tabernacles now we're
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    going to see beginning with verse 48
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    that at this point where our reading
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    begins
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    there's already been a long and
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    sustained
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    debate between jesus and his religious
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    opponents and by the time that verse 48
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    arrives it's the he
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    the debate's already very heated so that
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    as we'll see in just a second they are
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    name-calling at this point they're
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    calling jesus a samaritan and demon
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    possessed so we'll see a little bit of
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    the context as the why they're so mad at
  • 00:01:32
    him we're also going to note
  • 00:01:34
    how prominent the name of abraham is in
  • 00:01:38
    this chapter it occurs all over the
  • 00:01:40
    place in fact let's begin there just
  • 00:01:42
    with kind of getting a bird's eye view
  • 00:01:44
    as to how many times and in how many
  • 00:01:46
    ways abraham's name and legacy features
  • 00:01:50
    in this chapter
  • 00:01:51
    so beginning already with verse 33 of
  • 00:01:53
    john 8
  • 00:01:55
    the opponents of jesus say we're the
  • 00:01:57
    offspring of abraham we have we've never
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    been enslaved to anyone and then jesus
  • 00:02:01
    responds to them
  • 00:02:02
    and then verse 39 they answer him
  • 00:02:04
    abraham's our father and jesus responds
  • 00:02:07
    back to them
  • 00:02:08
    verse 40 he says you seek to kill me and
  • 00:02:12
    that's something that abraham never
  • 00:02:13
    would have done
  • 00:02:15
    then in our the verses that we're going
  • 00:02:17
    to be looking at verse 52 they're going
  • 00:02:19
    to mention that abraham died and then
  • 00:02:22
    asked jesus are you greater than our
  • 00:02:23
    father abraham
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    and then
  • 00:02:26
    most significantly 56 57-58
  • 00:02:29
    jesus will say your father abraham
  • 00:02:31
    rejoiced that he would see my day
  • 00:02:34
    and then the jews respond
  • 00:02:37
    you're not even 50 years old there's no
  • 00:02:39
    way you could have seen abraham and then
  • 00:02:41
    this climactic confession of jesus verse
  • 00:02:43
    58 truly truly essay to you before
  • 00:02:46
    abraham was i am
  • 00:02:48
    so multiple times abraham features into
  • 00:02:51
    this story so keep that in mind as
  • 00:02:53
    you're looking at 48 and following it's
  • 00:02:55
    not the first time that he's mentioned
  • 00:02:56
    he goes all the way back to the earlier
  • 00:02:58
    part of the chapter secondly
  • 00:03:01
    this before abraham was i am this ego a
  • 00:03:04
    me famous way of course that john frames
  • 00:03:08
    his gospel all these i am statements
  • 00:03:11
    this is also not the first time that
  • 00:03:12
    we've had that greek phrase i go a me in
  • 00:03:16
    this chapter it just certainly the most
  • 00:03:18
    identifiable
  • 00:03:19
    confession of jesus link back to exodus
  • 00:03:22
    3 but there's multiple other occasions
  • 00:03:25
    as well
  • 00:03:26
    so in john 8 12
  • 00:03:28
    jesus says ego amy i am the light of the
  • 00:03:31
    world john 8 18 and go away me i am the
  • 00:03:34
    one who bears witness about myself
  • 00:03:37
    john 8 24 i told you that you would die
  • 00:03:40
    in your sins for unless you believe that
  • 00:03:42
    i am
  • 00:03:43
    then you will die in your that i am he
  • 00:03:46
    you will die on your sins
  • 00:03:47
    and then of course 8 28
  • 00:03:50
    when you have lifted up the son of man
  • 00:03:52
    then you will know that i am he and then
  • 00:03:54
    finally that most important verse verse
  • 00:03:56
    58 before abraham was i am so multiple
  • 00:04:00
    occasions where
  • 00:04:02
    that particular phrase is used and that
  • 00:04:04
    once we hear jesus say that at the end
  • 00:04:07
    it helps us to kind of retrace our steps
  • 00:04:09
    and wonder if that's not being alluded
  • 00:04:11
    to through all these other i am
  • 00:04:14
    statements we find in john chapter 8.
  • 00:04:16
    and at the end of this video we're going
  • 00:04:17
    to go back and we're going to look at
  • 00:04:18
    the context of exodus 3 to see how jesus
  • 00:04:22
    is directly echoing what was said back
  • 00:04:25
    then
  • 00:04:26
    so let's just look at the opening
  • 00:04:27
    statement talk about it for a second
  • 00:04:29
    this is verse 48 of john 8.
  • 00:04:32
    the jews answered jesus
  • 00:04:34
    are we not right in saying that you are
  • 00:04:37
    a samaritan and have a demon
  • 00:04:40
    so we'll look at why they're so upset in
  • 00:04:43
    just a second but as a way of uh giving
  • 00:04:45
    you some background here i have done a
  • 00:04:47
    video on the samaritans who they are
  • 00:04:49
    their history their beliefs so on and so
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    forth so you can find that on the 1517
  • 00:04:54
    youtube channel who are the samaritans
  • 00:04:56
    or history worship abbreviated bible and
  • 00:04:58
    their significance in the new testament
  • 00:04:59
    and i'll put a link to that video in the
  • 00:05:01
    description of this one
  • 00:05:03
    now why are they so upset well if you go
  • 00:05:05
    back to the preceding context this is
  • 00:05:08
    this is not the only part of their
  • 00:05:10
    debate but this is what leads right up
  • 00:05:12
    to their accusation
  • 00:05:14
    jesus has been talking with them and he
  • 00:05:17
    is telling them
  • 00:05:19
    first of all that they can't hear his
  • 00:05:21
    word they don't understand it and why
  • 00:05:22
    because he says you are of your father
  • 00:05:25
    the devil
  • 00:05:27
    and your will is to do your father's
  • 00:05:29
    desire that he talks about how the devil
  • 00:05:31
    is a murderer and he's a liar and then
  • 00:05:33
    at the end in verse 47 right before our
  • 00:05:36
    reading begins he says the reason why
  • 00:05:38
    you do not hear them that is the reason
  • 00:05:41
    you don't hear the words of god is
  • 00:05:42
    because you are
  • 00:05:44
    not of god
  • 00:05:46
    so that's the reason they call him a
  • 00:05:48
    samaritan and also demon
  • 00:05:51
    could simply be translated a samaritan
  • 00:05:54
    that is demon-possessed because there
  • 00:05:56
    are traditions already with simon magus
  • 00:05:59
    in the book of acts about how samaritans
  • 00:06:02
    were at least
  • 00:06:03
    in uh
  • 00:06:05
    kind of the gossip the rumor the slander
  • 00:06:07
    we might say connected with demons and
  • 00:06:10
    magic and and dark powers so that might
  • 00:06:13
    be
  • 00:06:14
    the reason that the opponents of jesus
  • 00:06:17
    link up him being a samaritan with with
  • 00:06:20
    demon possessed also they could simply
  • 00:06:22
    be engaged in name calling so whatever
  • 00:06:25
    it is that is
  • 00:06:27
    the way they respond to what jesus has
  • 00:06:30
    said concerning them so that's just
  • 00:06:32
    verse 48 let's see what happens in what
  • 00:06:34
    follows
  • 00:06:35
    this is 49-52
  • 00:06:38
    jesus answered
  • 00:06:40
    i do not have a demon
  • 00:06:42
    but i honor my father and you dishonor
  • 00:06:46
    me of course they just dishonored him by
  • 00:06:48
    calling him a samaritan and one who's
  • 00:06:50
    demon possessed
  • 00:06:51
    yet i do not seek my own glory
  • 00:06:55
    there is one who seeks it and he is the
  • 00:06:58
    judge that by the way is a pretty loaded
  • 00:07:00
    phrase they've just called the son of
  • 00:07:03
    god a samaritan one who's demon
  • 00:07:04
    possessed and he is reminding them here
  • 00:07:07
    that there is one who judges so be
  • 00:07:11
    careful in the accusations that you're
  • 00:07:12
    leveling against him he goes on amen
  • 00:07:16
    amen truly truly i say to you if anyone
  • 00:07:18
    keeps my word he will never see
  • 00:07:22
    death and we're going to come back to
  • 00:07:23
    that in just a minute
  • 00:07:25
    the jews say to him
  • 00:07:26
    now we know that you have a demon
  • 00:07:28
    abraham died as did the prophets yet you
  • 00:07:31
    say if anyone keeps my word he will
  • 00:07:34
    never taste death
  • 00:07:37
    let's talk for a minute about this greek
  • 00:07:39
    verb that's translated as keep
  • 00:07:41
    so the verb itself is te reo and as you
  • 00:07:44
    can see from this image taken from logos
  • 00:07:47
    bible software there's a lot of
  • 00:07:49
    different ways that this is rendered
  • 00:07:50
    into english depending upon the context
  • 00:07:52
    the most common is with some form of the
  • 00:07:55
    english word keep or keeping or keeps
  • 00:07:57
    but also observe and guard and reserve
  • 00:08:00
    and establish and maintain and protect
  • 00:08:04
    so it's the general idea of
  • 00:08:07
    being given something in this case we're
  • 00:08:09
    being given the words of god the
  • 00:08:11
    promises of god we might say the gifts
  • 00:08:13
    of christ or we could just simply say
  • 00:08:15
    everything that that christ gives to us
  • 00:08:17
    for the father gives to us
  • 00:08:19
    in christ
  • 00:08:20
    he gives this to us and he says te reo
  • 00:08:23
    it keep it
  • 00:08:25
    so don't lose it
  • 00:08:26
    don't misuse it don't do anything with
  • 00:08:29
    it except keep it hold it guard it
  • 00:08:32
    preserve it who has all of those those
  • 00:08:34
    particular meanings so to te reo to keep
  • 00:08:37
    the word of god it's not a law
  • 00:08:40
    commandment kind of thing it's rather
  • 00:08:43
    being gifted with everything that god
  • 00:08:44
    wishes us to to have and then to keep
  • 00:08:48
    that
  • 00:08:49
    to keep it safe to keep it close to
  • 00:08:51
    guard it because these are the gifts
  • 00:08:53
    that christ desires to provide for us so
  • 00:08:56
    in other words
  • 00:08:58
    don't hear this as if jesus is saying
  • 00:09:00
    i've given you a whole list of
  • 00:09:02
    10 new commandments and i need you to
  • 00:09:05
    obey those commandments if you are to
  • 00:09:07
    pass from death to life now he's saying
  • 00:09:09
    i've given you my words i've given you
  • 00:09:11
    my promises i've given you myself so if
  • 00:09:13
    you keep those what will happen to you
  • 00:09:15
    you will not see
  • 00:09:17
    death now what does that mean
  • 00:09:20
    well just as a way of reminder the
  • 00:09:22
    scriptures talk about death in basically
  • 00:09:24
    three different ways there's first of
  • 00:09:26
    all there's spiritual death like paul
  • 00:09:28
    talks about dead in our trespasses and
  • 00:09:30
    sins
  • 00:09:31
    there is obviously physical death but
  • 00:09:34
    there's also what revelation calls in
  • 00:09:36
    two or three places the second death
  • 00:09:38
    which we usually refer to as everlasting
  • 00:09:41
    condemnation or going to hell however
  • 00:09:43
    you want to phrase it that is
  • 00:09:45
    biblical language for the second death
  • 00:09:47
    jesus is basically saying that we have
  • 00:09:49
    moved from
  • 00:09:52
    the death that we had into a life that
  • 00:09:55
    will never end and he echoes this in
  • 00:09:56
    john 5 24. truly truly i say to you
  • 00:09:59
    whoever hears my word and believes him
  • 00:10:02
    who sent me has eternal life a present
  • 00:10:05
    possession
  • 00:10:06
    he does not come into judgment but what
  • 00:10:09
    he has passed
  • 00:10:10
    from death to
  • 00:10:13
    life
  • 00:10:14
    so in christ we have already gone from
  • 00:10:17
    that spiritual death and we certainly
  • 00:10:20
    will not have the second death and what
  • 00:10:23
    are we in well we're in life itself why
  • 00:10:27
    because we're the one who is the the
  • 00:10:29
    resurrection of the life
  • 00:10:31
    so will we still die physically well yes
  • 00:10:34
    unless of course christ returns before
  • 00:10:36
    we physically die
  • 00:10:37
    but our physical death is simply a
  • 00:10:39
    passage from this life into paradise
  • 00:10:42
    with christ into the more more full
  • 00:10:45
    realization of the life that we already
  • 00:10:47
    have
  • 00:10:48
    now
  • 00:10:49
    but that we have not yet fully
  • 00:10:51
    experienced but we will experience that
  • 00:10:52
    when we're with christ and we certainly
  • 00:10:54
    will will climactically
  • 00:10:57
    finally
  • 00:10:58
    experience that life in the resurrection
  • 00:11:00
    of the body and the life of the world to
  • 00:11:02
    come
  • 00:11:03
    now a question that might arise in your
  • 00:11:04
    minds while you're listening to this
  • 00:11:05
    dialogue is did the pharisees or the
  • 00:11:08
    sadducees or whoever these religious
  • 00:11:10
    leaders that jesus is talking with did
  • 00:11:12
    they just misquote jesus
  • 00:11:14
    well let's look at it
  • 00:11:16
    jesus says that
  • 00:11:18
    if anyone keeps his word he will never
  • 00:11:20
    see death
  • 00:11:22
    and then when they quote this back to
  • 00:11:24
    him they say he will never taste death
  • 00:11:26
    so are they twisting his words i don't
  • 00:11:28
    think so because
  • 00:11:30
    this
  • 00:11:31
    these two different ways of talking
  • 00:11:32
    about death whether seeing it or tasting
  • 00:11:35
    it are basically synonymous and on your
  • 00:11:38
    screen i've got an example where this
  • 00:11:40
    occurs in the same in the same letter or
  • 00:11:43
    sermon whatever you would want to call
  • 00:11:44
    hebrews so in hebrews 2 9
  • 00:11:46
    it talks about tasting death but then
  • 00:11:49
    you go all the way to hebrews 11 and it
  • 00:11:50
    talks about seeing death so the same
  • 00:11:53
    greek verbs are used interchangeably
  • 00:11:55
    there
  • 00:11:56
    so
  • 00:11:57
    i don't think that uh it's a matter of
  • 00:11:58
    them misquoting him they're just kind of
  • 00:12:00
    rephrasing it with a synonymous
  • 00:12:02
    synonymous uh kind of terminology
  • 00:12:05
    the point is still the same that if you
  • 00:12:08
    are keeping christ's word that is
  • 00:12:11
    keeping by faith that which he has
  • 00:12:13
    gifted you with
  • 00:12:14
    then you will not see death you will not
  • 00:12:16
    taste death you will not experience that
  • 00:12:19
    second death instead you passed already
  • 00:12:21
    from death to life now let's see what
  • 00:12:25
    happens as we continue our way through
  • 00:12:27
    john 8 this is 53-56
  • 00:12:31
    they said to him
  • 00:12:33
    are you
  • 00:12:34
    greater than our father abraham who died
  • 00:12:37
    that's an echo by the way of what the
  • 00:12:39
    woman at the well and samaria says
  • 00:12:41
    concerning jacob are you greater than
  • 00:12:42
    our father jacob
  • 00:12:44
    so they say are you greater than him
  • 00:12:46
    he died the prophets died who do you
  • 00:12:49
    make yourself out to be
  • 00:12:51
    jesus answers them
  • 00:12:53
    if i glorify myself
  • 00:12:55
    my glory is nothing it's my father who
  • 00:12:58
    glorifies me of whom you say he is our
  • 00:13:01
    god in other words who do you make
  • 00:13:03
    yourself out to be well nobody i'm not
  • 00:13:04
    making myself out to be anybody it's my
  • 00:13:06
    father who's making me who's saying who
  • 00:13:09
    i am who's glorifying me
  • 00:13:12
    of whom you say he is our god
  • 00:13:15
    jesus goes on but you
  • 00:13:17
    my god you haven't known him
  • 00:13:19
    i know him
  • 00:13:21
    and if i were to say that i don't know
  • 00:13:23
    him i would be a liar like you
  • 00:13:26
    but i do know him and i keep his word
  • 00:13:31
    your father abraham rejoiced that he
  • 00:13:35
    would see my day he saw it
  • 00:13:38
    and was glad
  • 00:13:41
    so
  • 00:13:41
    you could tell you can just tell by this
  • 00:13:44
    these interactions that things are
  • 00:13:46
    getting more and more tense more and
  • 00:13:49
    more heated up you can kind of in your
  • 00:13:51
    minds i almost almost picture
  • 00:13:53
    the the emotional reactions especially
  • 00:13:56
    of jesus opponents as they they begin to
  • 00:13:58
    realize
  • 00:14:00
    more and more exactly what jesus is
  • 00:14:03
    saying not only about himself but also
  • 00:14:05
    about about them
  • 00:14:07
    and then he makes this statement about
  • 00:14:09
    abraham rejoicing to see
  • 00:14:12
    to see his day now what what does that
  • 00:14:15
    mean
  • 00:14:16
    well there are there are numerous ideas
  • 00:14:18
    out there let me kind of run through
  • 00:14:19
    them quickly and tell you the one that i
  • 00:14:21
    tend to gravitate toward
  • 00:14:23
    one and this is from irenaeus the second
  • 00:14:24
    century church father this is from his
  • 00:14:26
    book against heresies where he says that
  • 00:14:29
    abraham was a prophet and saw in the
  • 00:14:32
    spirit the day of the lord's coming
  • 00:14:35
    so basically kind of a standard
  • 00:14:37
    explanation that because abraham was a
  • 00:14:39
    prophet he was able to see into the
  • 00:14:42
    future and because of that prophetic
  • 00:14:44
    ability he could see the coming of
  • 00:14:46
    christ well that certainly makes perfect
  • 00:14:48
    theological and biblical sense so that's
  • 00:14:50
    one possibility another is this
  • 00:14:53
    and this is from rabbi akiba who was a
  • 00:14:56
    very prominent rabbi at the end of the
  • 00:14:57
    first century beginning of the second
  • 00:14:59
    second century a.d so just a little bit
  • 00:15:02
    post dating the life of jesus
  • 00:15:04
    and in genesis rabbi which is an early
  • 00:15:07
    rabbinic commentary
  • 00:15:08
    it's recorded
  • 00:15:10
    that god showed abraham not only this
  • 00:15:13
    age but the age to come and the age to
  • 00:15:16
    come is the age in rabbinic terminology
  • 00:15:18
    the age of the of the messiah so if if
  • 00:15:21
    that idea was already around in the
  • 00:15:23
    first cent early first early part of the
  • 00:15:25
    first century which i'm pretty sure it
  • 00:15:27
    would have been
  • 00:15:29
    then some jews would have would have
  • 00:15:30
    would have heard what jesus said and
  • 00:15:33
    understood jesus to be saying that
  • 00:15:35
    abraham
  • 00:15:36
    in seeing the day of the messiah
  • 00:15:38
    rejoiced to see his day and they would
  • 00:15:40
    understand that jesus was acquitting
  • 00:15:41
    himself with the with the messiah
  • 00:15:44
    another way of looking at this and this
  • 00:15:47
    is from gregory the great who says
  • 00:15:49
    abraham saw the day of the lord when he
  • 00:15:51
    hospitably received three angels as a
  • 00:15:54
    prefiguration of the most holy trinity
  • 00:15:57
    so you might be familiar with the icon
  • 00:15:59
    the old testament trinity which
  • 00:16:01
    describes these three which depicts
  • 00:16:02
    these three visitors who came to visit
  • 00:16:05
    abram
  • 00:16:07
    a lot of of of uh theologians and
  • 00:16:10
    teachers in the church understood this
  • 00:16:12
    to be sort of a presentation of of the
  • 00:16:15
    trinity i don't go that route myself but
  • 00:16:17
    this is what gregory's argued that that
  • 00:16:19
    was the day that
  • 00:16:21
    that abraham saw the the coming of the
  • 00:16:24
    messiah i think that that occasion is
  • 00:16:27
    the son of god coming that he's there
  • 00:16:29
    but he's there with two true angels so
  • 00:16:32
    it's the son of god and two angels who
  • 00:16:33
    visit abraham
  • 00:16:35
    next another way to understand this
  • 00:16:37
    that abraham's laughter at the birth of
  • 00:16:40
    isaac whose name remember means laughter
  • 00:16:42
    so abraham's laughter at the birth of
  • 00:16:44
    isaac was his rejoicing over the seed to
  • 00:16:48
    come
  • 00:16:48
    so the idea here is that abraham
  • 00:16:50
    rejoiced to see the day of christ in
  • 00:16:52
    this way he rejoiced at the birth of the
  • 00:16:54
    promised seed his son but that rejoicing
  • 00:16:57
    was kind of a twofold rejoicing because
  • 00:17:00
    he laughed in a very joyful sort of way
  • 00:17:02
    not only about the birth of this son but
  • 00:17:04
    also about the birth of that seed who
  • 00:17:07
    was to come
  • 00:17:09
    the true isaac we we might say
  • 00:17:12
    and then finally and this is actually
  • 00:17:13
    where i tend to to lean myself with
  • 00:17:16
    regard to understanding what jesus means
  • 00:17:18
    by abraham rejoicing to see my day it's
  • 00:17:20
    this
  • 00:17:22
    the ram and the thicket sacrificed in
  • 00:17:24
    the stead of his son
  • 00:17:26
    was the the ram which typified christ
  • 00:17:28
    that that was the occasion when abraham
  • 00:17:31
    saw the day of christ and that
  • 00:17:33
    particular interpretation is echoed by a
  • 00:17:35
    theodore of mob swatsia cyril of
  • 00:17:37
    alexandria ephraim the syrian
  • 00:17:39
    syrian and others
  • 00:17:41
    so
  • 00:17:42
    in this in this way
  • 00:17:44
    what's being communicated is this jesus
  • 00:17:46
    is saying
  • 00:17:47
    on the day genesis 22 on the day that
  • 00:17:49
    abraham
  • 00:17:50
    took isaac up on that mountain and was
  • 00:17:52
    about to sacrifice him but was stopped
  • 00:17:54
    by the messenger of yahweh and then
  • 00:17:58
    sacrificed in the stead of isaac the ram
  • 00:18:01
    caught in the thicket
  • 00:18:03
    during that act that that was a
  • 00:18:05
    revelation to him
  • 00:18:07
    of who was to come that there would be a
  • 00:18:09
    ram
  • 00:18:10
    a replacement and this would be the true
  • 00:18:13
    seed who was to come so in that day
  • 00:18:16
    abraham who did not have to sacrifice
  • 00:18:18
    his son thanks be to god rejoiced
  • 00:18:20
    because he foresaw in these actions in
  • 00:18:23
    genesis 22 that there would be one who
  • 00:18:26
    would come who would be sacrificed
  • 00:18:28
    in the stead not just of a son but of
  • 00:18:31
    all all humanity
  • 00:18:34
    so that those are the various ways that
  • 00:18:36
    we can understand what jesus is is
  • 00:18:38
    saying
  • 00:18:39
    to his opponents now let's wrap this up
  • 00:18:42
    with these closing verses 57-59
  • 00:18:46
    the jews said to him
  • 00:18:48
    you're not yet 50 years old and have you
  • 00:18:51
    seen abraham
  • 00:18:53
    jesus said to them
  • 00:18:54
    truly truly i say to you before abraham
  • 00:18:57
    was
  • 00:18:58
    i
  • 00:18:59
    am
  • 00:19:01
    so they picked up stones to throw at him
  • 00:19:03
    but jesus hid himself and went out of
  • 00:19:06
    the temple
  • 00:19:07
    by the way
  • 00:19:09
    their reaction
  • 00:19:10
    is
  • 00:19:11
    is the the definitive
  • 00:19:14
    indication of what jesus means by those
  • 00:19:17
    words
  • 00:19:18
    so they did they needed no clarification
  • 00:19:20
    they didn't say
  • 00:19:21
    what exactly do you mean before abraham
  • 00:19:23
    was i am they knew exactly what jesus
  • 00:19:26
    was saying they knew exactly what he was
  • 00:19:28
    claiming he was claiming to be yahweh in
  • 00:19:32
    the flesh he didn't say before abraham
  • 00:19:34
    was i was he didn't even claim to
  • 00:19:37
    predate abraham he uses this this
  • 00:19:40
    eternal way of speaking before abraham
  • 00:19:42
    was
  • 00:19:43
    i am
  • 00:19:45
    now where does this statement come from
  • 00:19:47
    the whole i am business
  • 00:19:49
    well
  • 00:19:50
    mainly from exodus chapter 3 there's
  • 00:19:52
    also one of the verses i want to look at
  • 00:19:54
    in the book of genesis but first of all
  • 00:19:56
    here in exodus chapter 3
  • 00:19:58
    what's going on well of course this is
  • 00:19:59
    when god appears i believe the son of
  • 00:20:02
    god appears i believe the son of god is
  • 00:20:04
    that messenger of yahweh in the burning
  • 00:20:06
    bush
  • 00:20:06
    appears to moses and of course there's
  • 00:20:08
    this long back and forth between moses
  • 00:20:11
    and the messenger but early in this this
  • 00:20:14
    dialogue in exodus 3 moses says what
  • 00:20:17
    name am i supposed to tell the
  • 00:20:18
    israelites when i go back moses says to
  • 00:20:20
    god they will ask me what what's his
  • 00:20:22
    name what's the name of this god what am
  • 00:20:23
    i going to say to them
  • 00:20:25
    now this is from
  • 00:20:26
    what i've quoted there is not from the
  • 00:20:28
    hebrew this is from the septuagint of
  • 00:20:30
    course the greek translation of the old
  • 00:20:31
    testament
  • 00:20:33
    spoke to moses
  • 00:20:35
    saying
  • 00:20:36
    i am the one who exists that's one way
  • 00:20:39
    that we can we can translate that greek
  • 00:20:41
    phrase in greek it's ego ami
  • 00:20:44
    i am the one who is being i'm the one
  • 00:20:47
    who exists
  • 00:20:48
    now i've got the hebrew below that which
  • 00:20:50
    is
  • 00:20:52
    which is translated different ways i am
  • 00:20:54
    who i am or i will be who i will be
  • 00:20:56
    something like that but in the greek
  • 00:20:58
    it's ego me i am the one who exists
  • 00:21:03
    so that ego a me
  • 00:21:05
    that we find throughout john's gospel
  • 00:21:08
    it's difficult not to hear with
  • 00:21:10
    septuagint ears with with the greek old
  • 00:21:13
    testament ears where jesus is saying
  • 00:21:15
    i'm the light of the world or i'm the
  • 00:21:17
    bread of life all these i am statements
  • 00:21:20
    but the clearest in the gospel of john
  • 00:21:22
    the clearest connection between what
  • 00:21:25
    jesus says
  • 00:21:26
    and exodus 3 is here at the end of john
  • 00:21:29
    8 where he says before abraham was
  • 00:21:31
    ego amy i
  • 00:21:33
    am
  • 00:21:34
    and so this is jesus saying
  • 00:21:36
    to his opponents
  • 00:21:38
    you know
  • 00:21:39
    the one in the burning bush the one to
  • 00:21:42
    whom moses was speaking the one of whom
  • 00:21:44
    moses asked what am i supposed to say
  • 00:21:46
    god's name is and that one who said
  • 00:21:49
    i am ego a me i am the one who exists
  • 00:21:52
    you know who that was
  • 00:21:54
    me
  • 00:21:55
    that's who was there
  • 00:21:56
    i am yahweh i'm the one in the burning
  • 00:21:59
    bush i am the everlasting one i
  • 00:22:02
    am
  • 00:22:03
    the one who exists
  • 00:22:05
    so i am yahweh in the flesh that is
  • 00:22:08
    jesus claim so
  • 00:22:10
    as has a
  • 00:22:11
    as happens very often if anyone ever
  • 00:22:13
    says to you well jesus never claimed to
  • 00:22:15
    be god will this point to john chapter
  • 00:22:17
    8. there's a clear indication that he is
  • 00:22:19
    identifying himself with yahweh saying
  • 00:22:22
    that the one that you're looking at this
  • 00:22:24
    flesh and blood man i am yahweh that's
  • 00:22:26
    who i am there's one other possible echo
  • 00:22:29
    here and this is from genesis 17.
  • 00:22:32
    and i like this one because it's
  • 00:22:34
    connected directly to abraham so when
  • 00:22:36
    abram is 99 years old the lord was seen
  • 00:22:39
    by abram and he said to him ego amy i am
  • 00:22:44
    the su i am your god be pleasing in my
  • 00:22:48
    presence be blameless i will establish
  • 00:22:50
    my covenant between me and between you
  • 00:22:52
    and i will increase you
  • 00:22:54
    exceedingly so also there we have and i
  • 00:22:58
    like this because the same greek phrase
  • 00:23:00
    is used i go a me and in this case god
  • 00:23:02
    is talking directly to abraham so the
  • 00:23:04
    one who speaks abraham the one who who
  • 00:23:07
    is the eternally existent one that is
  • 00:23:10
    that is christ himself that is the that
  • 00:23:12
    is the son of god
  • 00:23:13
    and of course you can understand then
  • 00:23:15
    why his opponents did what they did
  • 00:23:18
    the the debate was over jesus had some
  • 00:23:21
    had said something which in their eyes
  • 00:23:22
    was inexcusable and so what do they do
  • 00:23:24
    they pick up stones to stone him because
  • 00:23:26
    he had just in their eyes blasphemed by
  • 00:23:28
    claiming to be none other than
  • 00:23:31
    god
  • 00:23:32
    which he is which we celebrate on
  • 00:23:35
    trinity sunday
  • 00:23:36
    that the the god is father son and holy
  • 00:23:39
    spirit that the father has sent his son
  • 00:23:41
    into our world to take on our nature to
  • 00:23:44
    live to die to rise again to a sin and
  • 00:23:46
    then to send the holy spirit which we
  • 00:23:49
    just celebrated
  • 00:23:50
    yesterday at least yesterday from the
  • 00:23:52
    day that i'm recording this on the day
  • 00:23:55
    of pentecost
  • 00:23:56
    so i hope this has been helpful to you
  • 00:23:58
    as you think your way through john
  • 00:23:59
    chapter 8 prepare for trinity sunday i
  • 00:24:03
    hope that you're all doing well and i
  • 00:24:04
    pray the richest blessings upon you in
  • 00:24:07
    the name of the father and of the son
  • 00:24:08
    and of the holy spirit
  • 00:24:10
    amen
  • 00:24:13
    [Music]
  • 00:24:22
    you
Tag
  • Gospel of John
  • Jesus
  • Abraham
  • Trinity Sunday
  • Feast of Tabernacles
  • Divine Identity
  • Blasphemy
  • Exodus 3