John 8:21-5921Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. 22Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. 23And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. 25Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. 26I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. 27They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. 28Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 29And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. 30As he spake these words, many believed on him. 31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. 36If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 37I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. 38I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. 39They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. 46Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? 47He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 48Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honor my Father, and ye do dishonor me. 50And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. 51Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. 52Then 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. 53Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54Jesus answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing: it is my Father that honoreth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55Yet 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. 56Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59Then 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. (John 8:21‑59)
The Jewish men to whom Jesus talked spoke much of Abraham, a man who had lived over a thousand years before in that country, and was the first of the Hebrew nation, so called “the father” of that nation.
The Jews were descendants of his grandson Jacob (called Israel) and boasted they were from Abraham. But they forgot God had made Abraham the first of the great nation because he believed God’s words to him.
He had first lived in a land of great buildings, but where idols were worshiped instead of God. When God told him to leave that land and go to a land He would show him, Abraham obeyed, and was lead to Canaan, (later called Palcstine), and lived there with his family, though they had no home but tents. He believed God when it would seem hard to believe, as he believed His promise of a great nation when he had not even one child, and he believed God would raise his son from death.
He believed God for what he could not see or understand, and that is called, faith. He also obeyed God. Put the Jewish men who called themselves “children of Abraham,” had not believed God’s promise of the One He would send to bless all nations; they would not believe the words of Jesus or His great miracles which should have proved to them that lie was the Son of God. They hated Him for His true words. Then Jesus said to them what is true of us all:
“Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.”
If we do what is wrong we are a servant for the wrong act: we unless we stop and turn from the wrong thing we will keep on more and more, and be as a slave to do the wrong.
Those men would not believe the Lord Jesus, but kept on of speaking Abraham. Then Jesus told them, “Abraham rejoiced to see My, day: he saw it and was glad.”
The men could not understand those words: they knew Jesus was not even fifty years of age, and Abraham, who lived so very long before, could not have seen Him. But Abraham had believed God’s promise to send One to bless, he rejoiced to think of such One, so by faith Abraham looked ahead to the “day” or time of a Saviour to come to reign as King, and was happy for that promise.
The Lord Jesus then told those men a more wonderful fact and as wonderful to us: He said,
“Before Abraham was, I Am.”
That meant the Lord Jesus Christ lived before Abraham lived, and even more than that, those words meant He had always lived.
The Son of God Left His glory to be the Saviour for every nation. We can only wonder at this truth and speak His name with reverence.
ML 09/22/1946