"Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." John 8:58
Notice how the 'I AM' is all capitalized? Go all the way back to the book of Exodus and you will notice in 3:14 'I AM who I AM'. God is known to the Hebrew people as I AM. Here in John, over and over again Jesus refers to himself as I AM. The author of John specifically wrote their gospel in order that people may believe that Jesus was in fact God. You probably already knew that, didn't you?
For a moment though, let's pretend that you didn't. Let us pretend that you are hearing Jesus say one of his I AM statements for the first time. As a Hebrew, you would want to stone Jesus. As a Hebrew there is no worse thing that a person can do or say. You shall have no other gods before me, the law starts right there. NO OTHER GODS. And here Jesus comes walking around saying that he is God.
There are, in fact, only two options when it comes to Jesus in the Gospel of John, he either is one with God or he is a madman. If I'm honest with you, this is why John is my least favorite Gospel, and why I consider to really be an extended sermon as opposed to a Gospel. A Gospel tells the good news whereas John writes in order to convince. Mark, Matthew and Luke tell you the story, John shoves it down your throat. Which goes to show you that it takes all kinds to share the Gospel, some of us tell you and let you make your own decision, some of us crash Jesus into you and hope you are left standing at the end.
I believe that Jesus was I Am, which would get me stoned back in Jesus's time or killed today in some countries, by God's grace I live somewhere where it most likely won't. Praise be to God.
+ Do you believe Jesus was God?
For a moment though, let's pretend that you didn't. Let us pretend that you are hearing Jesus say one of his I AM statements for the first time. As a Hebrew, you would want to stone Jesus. As a Hebrew there is no worse thing that a person can do or say. You shall have no other gods before me, the law starts right there. NO OTHER GODS. And here Jesus comes walking around saying that he is God.
There are, in fact, only two options when it comes to Jesus in the Gospel of John, he either is one with God or he is a madman. If I'm honest with you, this is why John is my least favorite Gospel, and why I consider to really be an extended sermon as opposed to a Gospel. A Gospel tells the good news whereas John writes in order to convince. Mark, Matthew and Luke tell you the story, John shoves it down your throat. Which goes to show you that it takes all kinds to share the Gospel, some of us tell you and let you make your own decision, some of us crash Jesus into you and hope you are left standing at the end.
I believe that Jesus was I Am, which would get me stoned back in Jesus's time or killed today in some countries, by God's grace I live somewhere where it most likely won't. Praise be to God.
+ Do you believe Jesus was God?
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