Before Abraham Was
“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”John 8:56–58 (KJV)
Jesus told the crowd in the temple something that sounded impossible: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.”
They heard it as nonsense. “Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?” Abraham had been dead for centuries. Then Jesus answered: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”
He didn’t say, I was. He said, I am. Those listeners knew where that name came from. At the burning bush, God told Moses, “I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” They picked up stones, because they understood exactly what he was claiming.
Abraham waited his whole life on a promise. Jesus says Abraham saw that promise from far off, and was glad. The one Abraham looked for was standing in the temple. He is the same today. The God who was there before Abraham is not new to your problem either.
Read it yourself
Read John 8:51–59. What did the crowd do after Jesus said, Before Abraham was, I am?
What does it mean for you that Jesus is the I AM, not the I was?
Lord Jesus, you were before Abraham, and you are with me now. I trust the one who always is. Amen.