The Great I AM

John 8:57 So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" 58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

57 εἶπον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι πρὸς αὐτόν· πεντήκοντα ἔτη οὔπω ἔχεις καὶ Ἀβραὰμ ἑώρακας; 58  εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Ἰησοῦς· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί. 59  ἦραν οὖν λίθους ἵνα βάλωσιν ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν. Ἰησοῦς δὲ ἐκρύβη καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ.

This is one of Jesus' clearest identifications with His divinity.  This is the end of a rather contentious discussion with some Pharisees.  They thought they had Him in verse 57.  Then He hit them with an incredible statement in verse 58.  I love the phrase πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί.  There are two different verbs here, though the English doesn't bring this out very well.  You could be very wooden here and say something like, "...before Abraham came into being, I am."  Of course, when the Jews hear ἐγὼ εἰμί it takes them straight to Exodus 3:14.  Since this was blasphemous they decided to stone Him.

The New World Translation used by the Jehovah's Witnesses renders this as "I have been."  This is a terrible translation because that is not what the phrase ἐγὼ εἰμί means.  In fact, that puts this phrase in a tense that doesn't exist.  However, it is vital to translate it this way so as to sever the link with Exodus 3:14.  It is also interesting to note that all other uses of ἐγὼ εἰμί in John are translated as "I am."  But here they feel liberty to change it to suit their theological purposes.

This may seem unnecessarily harsh, but it is vital that we understand who Jesus is.  If you get Jesus wrong you get the gospel wrong.  I rejoice in both Jesus' divinity and His humanity.  He can relate to me as a man, but He is also worthy of worship as divine.

Self-Testifying

 John 8:14 Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

14 ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· κἂν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἀληθής ἐστιν ἡ μαρτυρία μου, ὅτι οἶδα πόθεν ἦλθον καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγω· ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ οἴδατε πόθεν ἔρχομαι ἢ ποῦ ὑπάγω.

This is a very bold statement, though it may not seem that way at first glance.  Jesus was teaching in the temple and the Pharisees challenged His testimony.  After all, it doesn't make sense for anyone to testify about himself.  Of course he is going to validate what he is doing.  That's what men do.

But what if the one testifying is not just a man?  What if He is fully God and fully man?  That changes everything. Then we can trust ἀληθής ἐστιν ἡ μαρτυρία μου.  His testimony is true because He is God.  God cannot lie.  This is of course still self-affirming.  However, as we put it together with everything else we see about Jesus in Scripture, we see this as yet another reference to His divinity.

There are many who say that Jesus never claimed to be God.  Those folks have to spend more time reading what He actually said.  We can confidently worship Him knowing that He is indeed divine.

Sure of What We Know

John 7:47 The Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived? 48 Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."

47 ἀπεκρίθησαν οὖν αὐτοῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι· μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς πεπλάνησθε; 48  μή τις ἐκ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν ἢ ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων; 49  ἀλλὰ ὁ ὄχλος οὗτος ὁ μὴ γινώσκων τὸν νόμον ἐπάρατοί εἰσιν.

There were folks in charge who started to believe in Jesus.  At least they were giving Him the benefit of the doubt considering what He taught.  Yet the Pharisees were resolute.  They refused to believe no matter what.  Their authority was in themselves and their knowledge of the Law.  It was clear to them that there was no way for the crowd to have an insight that they did not have.

I have one year to go before I finish seminary.  As I finish this year I see the need to guard against having the mindset of the Pharisees.  If I become a pastor I will have a much better theological education than most of the folks in my congregation.  It is easy to get into the mentality that they are mere sheep and I am a shepherd with a form of magisterial authority.  That is true to a degree, but it walks dangerously close to a line that is normally reserved for Roman Catholics.

While I think that ordination is a fine thing, I also have a problem with the title.  "Reverend" is short for "revered one."  If there is one thing that I want to communicate through this post it is that I am just a guy like anyone else.  I am a sinner who desperately needs God's grace.  The only thing separating me from some others is that I have a better education in languages, history, and theology.  That does not give me magisterial authority.  It is possible that they would understand something that I do not.  The last thing I want is to be like the proud Pharisees who were sure of their own righteousness and the crowd's sinfulness.

Hated

John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.


7 οὐ δύναται ὁ κόσμος μισεῖν ὑμᾶς, ἐμὲ δὲ μισεῖ, ὅτι ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πονηρά ἐστιν.

I've always found this verse to be a bit convicting.  I don't really enjoy being hated.  Jesus didn't seem to mind.  He loved the world and knew that it hated Him.  Why did it hate Him?  He testified about it that τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πονηρά ἐστιν.  No one likes to hear that his works are evil.

This is the lot of the preacher.  He is going to have times where he ruffles some feathers because he stands behind the truth of God's Word.  In fact, this is really what should happen to every professing Christian, but it will certainly happen to the preacher as he unpacks God's Word for his congregation.

This passage also explains why someone walking in holiness upsets those walking in evil.  He doesn't have to say or do anything.  His very presence will upset folks.  Take someone who used to drink to excess and bring him back to the bar.  His old friends likely will have a hard time with him because he silently convicts them of what they're doing in their drunkenness.  The same goes for the man who repents of gluttony and then hangs around his old friends.  His newfound fitness silently convicts them.

Yet we are to be witnesses.  Let us not shy away from our stories if God has transformed our lives.  However, let us also be careful because of the truth of this verse.  Whether we say anything or not we are going to get some hatred from the world.

Being Rational

I haven't posted any Tozer in a while, so here you go. We should get back to John tomorrow. This fits in so well with that I thought I'd just post it up here. Enjoy!

And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your
faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
--1 Corinthians 2:4-5

There is today an evangelical rationalism not unlike the rationalism
taught by the scribes and Pharisees. They said the truth is in the
word, and if you want to know the truth, go to the rabbi and learn
the word. If you get the word, you have the truth....

But revelation is not enough! There must be illumination before
revelation can get to a person's soul. It is not enough that I hold
an inspired book in my hands. I must have an inspired heart. There is
the difference, in spite of the evangelical rationalist who insists
that revelation is enough....

In His days Christ's conflict was with the theological rationalist.
It revealed itself in the Sermon on the Mount and in the whole book
of John. Just as Colossians argues against Manichaeism and Galatians
argues against Jewish legalism, so the book of John is a long,
inspired, passionately outpoured book trying to save us from
evangelical rationalism--the doctrine that says the text is enough.
Textualism is as deadly as liberalism. Faith Beyond Reason, 23-24.

"Lord, I believe strongly in the inspiration and authority of the
Scriptures; I am committed to expository preaching. So I see the
danger and pray that You might keep me from this error of
textualism. Amen."