RBWords

     The last question in the quotation today is the question that the Gospel of John is entirely concerned about!  Who does Jesus make himself out to be? 

 

      It seems at first that the question is couched in terms that we might be familiar with in political or entertainment matters.  A major figure will attempt to create a "narrative" or "persona" that they present to the public in order to gain popularity (and votes!).  A political figure might even commission a "campaign biography" and build a kind of "mythology" about him- or herself.  This is all the stuff of electioneering!  Jesus' adversaries are thinking in terms of how a teacher might engage in "marketing" himself.  However, if it is so, then he is making a remarkable claim!  How could he be older than Abraham or the prophets?  They are thinking in terms of one human lifetime.  Jesus is speaking of a life that never dies!  When he says, finally, "Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM..." stones start to fly!

 

     Perhaps we might be tempted to say, "Well, of course, Jesus "pre-existed" Abraham!" but we would be coming from a smug two thousand years of tradition and a church that has reflected on it that long.  Suppose someone says, "Well, what does this mean to YOU?"  Have we ever reflected on what it means to have "eternal life" NOW and not just beyond the event we call "death?"  Notice that Jesus said, "Whoever KEEPS my word will never see death."  That verb is in the present tense!  In short, we are not witnessing today an argument that happened two thousand years ago.  Who do we believe Jesus is making himself out to be?  Why would Abraham rejoice to see Jesus' day?  This requires a careful reading and a profound consideration!  AMEN