The Eternal Jesus

Jim Bucklew
Written By Jeff Rybacki
 

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (ESV) “...before Abraham was, I am.”

John 8:48-59 (ESV)

For some reason, I find that statement to be extremely comforting. It’s one of those verses that just seems to jump off the page and look you square in the eyes. It commands your attention. For one thing, it proceeds directly from the mouth of Jesus. We know that all of Scripture “is breathed out by God” (2Ti 3:16), and is therefore His word to us, but there’s something extra special in the words that Jesus spoke directly; and this verse is no exception. 

Perhaps it’s because Jesus is stating very clearly that He is not simply just another man/human; He is eternal. In fact, He is the eternal God. If you have any doubt about that being what He was saying, just look at how the Jews reacted. They immediately tried to stone Him for blasphemy. (See Lev 24:16.) Not only was He claiming to be eternal, He used the name for Himself that the Jews would have been very familiar with as the name God used to describe Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Ex 3:13-14). Just a few verses earlier, He points out that He does not lie. In fact, He can’t lie. If He had ever lied, even just once, He would not have been sinless, and therefore could not have paid the penalty for our sins. His resurrection proved that He was sinless, and that He was/is who He said He was/is. Maybe that’s why I find it so comforting; I can trust Him.

That one sentence is so powerful. “...before Abraham was, I am.” He uses past tense in referring to Abraham, but uses present tense of Himself – even when referring to the past! He’s pointing out His eternal nature. He had no beginning. He’s not locked in a time “box” like we are. Eternity past, He is I am. Today, He is I am. Eternity future, He is I am. 

Sometimes I think we naturally (albeit unintentionally) tend to put Jesus in the time box. We think of Him as a New Testament personality. We probably, hopefully, also think of Him as our soon coming King. We know Him as “Gentle Jesus of the New testament”. We tend to think of God the Father as the more transcendent, fearsome, willing-to-smite God of the Old testament. Perhaps that’s why this verse is so comforting. Jesus is saying, “That God is Me!” “What you see in Me is God!” He further tries to tell His disciples this in John 10:30, when He said, “I and the Father are one.” (They also tried to stone Him for that one.) Just prior to His death, he met with His closest disciples and tried to explain it to them. [Jesus] “If you had known me, you would have known my father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (Jn 14:7-9a)

 It’s also comforting, because it means that we can absolutely trust what He says. And He says He wants to be with us forever, and enjoy fellowship with us. The God who created the universe, the God who holds life in His hands, loves us deeply, and wants us to abide in Him and enjoy sweet fellowship with Him every moment of every day. This is quite evident in the prayer Jesus prayed just before heading out to the garden where He was arrested. The beginning of the prayer is for His disciples who were with Him at the time, but He then begins to pray for those who will ultimately come to believe in Him and be saved, namely, you and me. 

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (ESV)  

John 17:20-26

Jeff Rybacki
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