"I AM he"

Scripture:

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58)

Observation:

Jesus is making one of the most shocking statements in all the Bible. He is telling the Jews, who consider themselves to be children of Abraham, that he existed before Abraham was born. Now Abraham is from the Old Testament, about 2,000 years earlier. Jesus is claiming to be greater than Abraham, the father of all the nations. But to make it even worse, Jesus is not just claiming to have existed more than 2,000 years before. He is identifying himself as the same I AM who spoke to Moses at the burning bush. Jesus is saying that he is eternal, and that he dwells outside of time. Jesus is claiming to be equal with God, which pretty much makes him God, because the only one who is equal with God, is God. It's pretty much like he is saying, "I am God".

When Jesus says "I am", he is using a greek phrase Ego eimi. This is the same term used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament(Septuagint), when God reveals his name to Moses, at the burning bush. God said to Moses, "I am who I am, This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM(Ego eimi) has sent me to you." (Exodus 3:14) There are other Scriptures where Jesus used Ego eimi "I am" to identify himself:

John 8:24

"I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins."

John 8:28

So Jesus said to them, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he..."

John 18:5

Jesus said to them, "I am he."

Application:

Now I'm not a theologian, or a pastor, or a scholar, but I think I know the significance of these Scriptures. Jesus is God in the flesh! He is the second member of the GodHead, but equal with the Father, and one with the father. Just as the Holy Spirit is equal with the Son and the father. And this is one of the foundations of our faith; that God himself died on the cross for our sins. Jesus wasn't just a prophet, because if he was, his death would not be able to pay for the sins his people. I'm so glad that God didn't send a prophet, or even an angel to die for our sins. I mean even if he sent a perfect angel that became flesh, how many people could God purchase with the blood of an angel. No... God himself became flesh, he became a man, so that puts mankind above angels. Because Jesus is God and man, we can dwell in heaven with him for eternity! The Bible says that even the angels long to look into the things Jesus has done for us:

1 Peter 1:12b

... those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Prayer:

Dear God, Thank you for purchasing my salvation with your blood. Thank you for loving me, even though I gave you no reason to love me. Thank you for taking my sin in exchange for your righteousness. I love you so much Jesus! Please give me the strength I need to follow your commands. Keep me on the right path, and forgive me for the times that I have strayed away. In Jesus name, Amen!