rejoiced when he saw it.”The Jews then said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old  and  you  have  seen  Abraham?”  And  Jesus  said, “Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” They then picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and left the temple.

Reflections

“Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”Whatever Jesus says is met with resistance from the Jews. Hardened unbelievers can never be convinced of whatever he says or does. They will always misinterpret it or give a different color. They are bent on eliminating Jesus. The authorities, like the spiritual leaders in the Temple, cannot reconcile their teachings with Jesus’ claims as the Son of God, existing before the time of Abraham. It is actually a hard claim, difficult to prove or to demonstrate, but Jesus speaks on a different level.Again, faith matters. Faith is taking as true whatever Jesus says. It goes beyond reasoning or calculating. They should not be considered lies or something that is harmful to the soul.Jesus assures anyone in his speech that those who will keep his word will not die. To die here is not the same as dying of old age or from a disease. To die here means to be completely separated from God and from the community. Those who believe in Jesus understand also his language and they will be privileged to see God and supposedly their father Abraham who has gone much ahead of them.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2019