Jesus claims that he is much more than just really old. What did he say that was so offensive?
This is Scripture for Students. I’m Steve Whitacre, president of Trinity College and a pastor at Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville. I want to help students build a daily habit for life-long Bible reading. Today is March 18, 2025 and this episode of Scripture for Students is called A Shocking Claim. Grab your Bible and let’s get started.
Our readings for today are Exodus 29, John 8, and Proverbs 5.
Please open your Bibles to John 8.
My great grandmother almost made it to 100 years old, she died just a few months shy. Everyone in the family said that the key to her longevity was that every day, she would eat a vidalia onion the way you or I might eat an apple. I’ll be the first to admit: it doesn’t sound that appetizing. Vidalia onions are on the sweet side, but still. But the fact is, I never actually saw her eat an onion like that and I’m not totally sure anyone else did either. I come from a family that’s been known to pull your leg every now and again. But no one could deny that she was old, and almost made it to the century mark.
In today’s Scripture for students, Jesus makes one particular comment that makes it sound like he could be really old. But if that was all he was saying, you would have to wonder why the Jews wanted to kill him.
John 8:48–59
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
49 Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
50 Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.
51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
52 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.’
53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”
54 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.’
55 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.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
May the Lord bless the reading and the hearing and the keeping of his Word.
So do you see the part that makes it sound like Jesus is really old, when he says before Abraham was, I am? If that was what Jesus was saying, then he would be claiming to be over 2000 years old. But that isn’t what he is saying. What is he saying?
The first thing we need to know here is that by the time we get to this part of the chapter, Jesus has been going at it with the Pharisees and the Jews. Way back in verse 12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” The Pharisees immediately come at him: “You’re lying!” they say.
Throughout John’s gospel, the Jews in general and the Pharisees in particular don’t understand Jesus and his teaching. They are willfully blind. Their sin prevents them from understanding Jesus and coming to faith in him.
In verse 48, the Jews are starting to get dirty, and they’re just trotting out insults. They accuse Jesus of being a Samaritan and having a demon. These are both cheap shots. The Samaritans were like religious half-breeds, sort of Jewish and sort of pagan. And of course having a demon would make you unclean. So either way, they are accusing Jesus of being disqualified from teaching anyone anything. These are fighting words.
So Jesus comes out fighting. In verse 49, he insists that he honors the Father, but that the Jews are dishonoring him. And then he ratchets up the fight another notch by saying in verse 51, “If anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Of course the Jews misunderstand him and they start asking, What about Abraham? What about the prophets? They all died. Do you think you are better than them? And Jesus comes back in verse 54 and 55, “My father glorifies me, and if I said I didn’t know the Father I would be a liar like you.” And then he makes the jump to Abraham: “Abraham rejoiced to see my day.”
The Jews totally don’t get it. Jesus means that Abraham saw him by faith but they think he’s claiming to be older than Abarham? In verse 57, they say, “You’re not even 50 years old! What are you talking about?” And in verse 58, the big moment: Jesus drops a bomb on them. He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Whoa. Notice what Jesus doesn’t say here. He doesn’t say: before Abraham was, I was. That would be saying that he is older than Abraham. But Jesus reaches even higher, and he says, “I am.” Do you recognize this phrase? Yes, it occurs a number of times in John’s gospel, including earlier in this chapter when Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” But here he isn’t saying “I am something.” He’s just saying, “I am.” If you’ve been keeping up on our reading, you might recognize the phrase from Exodus 3:14, when God revealed himself to Moses. Moses said to God, Who should I say sent me? And God said, “Say this to the people of Israel, I am has sent me to you.”
It is no accident that Jesus is using the exact same phrase to describe himself. Jesus isn’t claiming to be old, he’s claiming to be God. And the Jews know it because the penalty for blasphemy—or claiming to be God—was death by stoning. They immediately start picking up rocks.
This passage leaves no doubt that Jesus knew he was fully God and thought of himself as being on a divine rescue mission. If you’ve read John’s gospel before, you’ve probably come across this and it would be easy to read this without being shocked by it. But in its context, this is a shocking claim. Jesus is not afraid to say this about himself.
We need to try to feel some of the significance of what Jesus is saying here. Reading this 2000 years later, we might not feel the tension that John did, but let what he is saying here sink in: God himself has come to earth to live and die in the place of sinners. Jesus was fully man, which he had to be in order to take our place as sinners. But he also had to be fully God, in order to satisfy the wrath of God that our sins deserved. So this is such an amazing chapter that teaches us so much about who Jesus is and what he has come to do.
As we read it, let’s rejoice that Jesus died to pay for our sins and make us his own.
That’s all for today. If you enjoyed this episode please share it with a friend and follow us on Apple Podcasts.
This content is sponsored by Trinity College of Louisville. We shape young men and young women for Christ and for the church. Learn more at TrinityCollegeLou.com. Until next time, keep growing!