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Some names carry serious authority: a principal's signature on a letter, a judge's name on a court order, a police badge. What would happen if you signed the principal's name on a note to get out of class? You'd be claiming authority that isn't yours, and you'd be in big trouble.
Using someone's name can be a huge claim. In John 8, Jesus uses the most important name in the whole Bible, and he uses it about himself. The crowd's reaction tells you exactly what they thought he meant: they pick up stones.
What you'll learn
- What God's name "I AM" means
- Why Jesus' words in John 8:58 made people pick up stones
- Why "just a good teacher" is a hard thing to say about Jesus
The burning bush
Go back to Exodus 3. God speaks to Moses from a burning bush and sends him to rescue Israel from slavery in Egypt. Moses asks what he should say if the Israelites want to know God's name. God answers:
"God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’’" (Exodus 3:14)
I AM means God simply is. He has no beginning and no end. He doesn't depend on anything or anyone. He is always present. In the next verse God gives his personal name, which in Hebrew sounds like "he is". Many English Bibles print it as LORD, in capital letters. God's people treated this name as so holy that many wouldn't even say it out loud.
Older than Abraham
In John 8, Jesus is in the temple courts, in a heated argument with religious leaders. They're proud to be children of Abraham, the great ancestor of Israel. The argument goes like this:
- Jesus says that whoever keeps his word will never see death.
- The crowd scoffs. Abraham died, and so did the prophets. Do you think you're greater than Abraham?
- Jesus says Abraham rejoiced to see his day.
- The crowd laughs. You're not even fifty, and you've seen Abraham? (Abraham lived about 2,000 years earlier.)
Then Jesus says:
"‘Truly, truly, I tell you,’ Jesus declared, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area." (John 8:58–59)
Listen to the grammar. If Jesus only meant he was very old, he'd say, "Before Abraham was born, I was." Instead he says "I am": the timeless name of God from the burning bush.
The crowd understood. In the law, stoning was the punishment for blasphemy, dishonouring God's name. They didn't think Jesus was being vague. They thought he was claiming to be God.
It happens again. In John 10, Jesus says he and the Father are one, and they reach for stones again:
"‘We are not stoning You for any good work,’ said the Jews, ‘but for blasphemy, because You, who are a man, make Yourself out to be God.’" (John 10:33)
Now think back over the "I am" sayings: bread, light, shepherd, resurrection, way. Every time Jesus says "I am", he is echoing God's own name.
Lying, deluded, legend or Lord?
Lots of people today say, "Jesus was a great moral teacher, but he wasn't God." The trouble is, a man who claims to be God isn't just a good teacher. The writer C. S. Lewis (who wrote the Narnia books) made this line of thinking famous. If Jesus made this claim, there are only a few options:
| Option | What it would mean |
|---|---|
| Lying | He knew it wasn't true and said it anyway. |
| Deluded | He sincerely believed it, but he was badly wrong. |
| Legend | He never said it. His followers made it up later. |
| Lord | It's true. He is who he says he is. |
To weigh them up, ask questions like these. Would a liar die for something he knew was false? Does Jesus seem unbalanced, or calm, wise and kind? John claims to be an eyewitness, and the crowd's stones show they heard the claim too. Does that fit a legend invented later?
Christians believe the evidence points to "Lord". But you have to weigh it for yourself, and your questions and objections are welcome. The one option that doesn't really work is "a nice teacher and nothing more".
Key words
- I AM: the name God gave himself at the burning bush; it means he is eternal and always present.
- LORD: how many English Bibles print God's personal name.
- Blasphemy: dishonouring God, including claiming to be God when you're not.
- Abraham: the ancestor of Israel, who lived about 2,000 years before Jesus.
How this points to Jesus
At the burning bush, the great I AM came down to rescue his people from slavery. In John 8, the same I AM stands in the temple as a man, about to rescue his people from something even bigger. The God who told Moses his name has now come close enough to be argued with, threatened and, in the end, killed, so that he could set people free.
Think about it
Why do you think Jesus said "I am" and not "I was" in John 8:58?Show answer
"I was" would only mean he was very old. "I am" is God's own timeless name, so Jesus was claiming to be God.
Why do you think people today like to say Jesus was "just a good teacher"?Show answer
It lets them admire him without having to decide whether he is God. It feels safe and polite, but it doesn't fit what he actually claimed.
If Jesus really is who he says he is, what should a person do about it?Show answer
If he is God, he deserves to be listened to, trusted and followed. That's why the question matters so much.
Take it further
Which option do you think the evidence points to most, and why? Talk about it with someone at home this week. Your worksheet helps you weigh up each option.
If you'd like to, you could pray:
God, you are the great I AM, with no beginning and no end. Thank you that you came close to us in Jesus. Help me to think honestly about who he is, and to follow the truth wherever it leads. Amen.