I Am

John 8 - I Am

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV)

What is the big deal about darkness and light?  

See John 1 and Plato's allegory of the cave for a refresher: http://stuffyoumissedinsundayschool.blogspot.com/2013/09/john-1-part-1.html?m=1

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31, 32 ESV)

Have you ever heard this quotes before?  In what context - what did the speaker mean?  

What is truth?  

What is the opposite of truth?  

Why does it matter what is truth and what is a lie?  

What does Jesus mean when he talks about truth?  

Flip over to John 14:

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. (John 14:1-11 ESV)

What does Jesus say the truth is?  

God is truth and Jesus is God - he is in the father and the father is in him.  You get to God through me, Jesus says, and if you get to me you have found God!  

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.  - C.S. Lewis

If truth is truth, it must be real and absolute, right?  By Lewis's definition, a light bulb wouldn't be a very good source of truth.  It would light up one room in one house, but the rest of the world would be in darkness.  But if you had a mega-huge light bulb, like the sun, everyone would have all the light they needed.  

So when explaining truth, the best approach is not screwing in our own light bulb to light up out little rooms.  Nothing wrong with that, but if we step out into the sunshine we realize how insignificant our little 60-watt bulb is!  If we seek truth inside ourselves or our own wisdom, we may come up with a small nugget of knowledge.  But if we look to God, we see the creator of truth himself - He invented the universe, he invented right and wrong, and only in our maker can we begin to understand what truth really is.  

So knowing the truth is knowing Jesus. What does knowing Jesus has to do with being free?  

They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:33-36 ESV)

What is strange about the Pharisees' response?  

When had they been enslaved?  

Jewish history is pretty much the story of being enslaved and oppressed.  First Egypt until Moses came and told Pharoah to let his people go.  Then the Babylonian exile, the Israeli version of the trail of tears.  Then at the current time the people are under Roman control and not one bit happy about it.  

But Jesus is not talking about politics, what is the freedom and slavery he is talking about?  

Sin.  

How do you know if you are a slave?  

Try to not sin.  Just for a day, or even 5 minutes.  Remember sin is not just doing bad things it is also not doing good that you ought to.  Sins of omission and commission.  Commission is the old lady standing by the side of the road, and you push her in front of a bus.  Omission is you see an old lady step in front of a bus and you don't stop her.  Both ways you're sinning.  And the way you know you are a slave to sin: try to stop committing or try not omitting!  

How do you know if you are an alcoholic?  How do you know if you're addicted to cigarettes?  Try to stop and see what happens.  If you start twitching and cursing an punching things if you don't have a smoke or a drink - you might be addicted.  The same with sin - if you are powerless to stop, you are a slave!  

The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:35, 36 ESV).  

What house is Jesus talking about?  

God's house - sinners and slaves may stop by for a visit, but only those freed by the Son may live there.  

They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (John 8:39-47 ESV)

Who does sin and lies come from?  

The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 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.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” (John 8:48-53 ESV)

C.S. Lewis has a great passage about Jesus called Lord, Lunatic, Liar - "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg--or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God."  

What would the Pharisees think of this?  They think that Jesus is crazy Samaritan or demonic madman.  Both make sense in their minds.  But they do not in a million years consider the third option.  Someone who can live forever?  Someone greater than Abraham?  Who do you make yourself out to be?  

Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. (John 8:56-59 ESV)

Imagine your friend told you he just had lunch with Christopher Columbus? . .not some guy named Chris, but the Christopher Columbus who sailed the ocean blue in 1492!  What would you think?  Jesus is just as crazy, only it's true.  

Remember the transfiguration when Jesus is up on the mountain having a chat with Moses and Elijah.  Or Saul being raised by the witch of Endor.  Or Lazarus coming out of the tomb.  In our minds and way of thinking, death is truth and the ultimate end, but from God's point of view death is not true at all.  It is more like moving houses, and Moses, Abraham, Elijah, and all those who believe in Jesus as the Christ will move into God's house.  If you have a friend who moved to Huntsville, would you assume they didn't exist anymore?  Of course not, they are just in a different place.  So it is with us!    

Have you ever thought that something was absolutely true only to find out you were completely wrong?  

Santa Claus

Why do the Pharisees go from incredulous to murderous so quickly?  

Do you know God's real name?  

Here's a hint, it comes from the story of the burning bush.  

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “ I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘ I am has sent me to you.’  God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. "(Exodus 3:13-15 ESV)

Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh in Hebrew

Tell them I Am sent you.  What in the world does that mean?  

God, the I am, is the creator.  If God was not, the world would not be.  If God was not, there would be no Hebrews, no Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, no Moses, no Pharisees.  The fundamental element of truth is existence.  And everything in existence is because God is!  As Descartes says, I think, therefore I am.  But there would be no Rene Descartes to write long philosophical diatribes if there was not a God who created the world and everything in it and Descarte's brain that thinks.  We are because He is.  

So what is Jesus saying with all this I am stuff?

I am The I Am.  When I say I am the light of the world, I decided the distance the earth needed to be from the sun (part of a homework assignment from my dad).  I am the way and the truth and the life.  I invented the central nervous system. . .there would be no life without me, so it might be wise to listen when i speak of eternal life.  I am the bread of life - only I can actually satisfy your hunger.  I am the I am.  Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh!  

No much of a surprise that the Pharisees picked up stones, for this is blasphemy. . .unless of course it is true!  

Jewish translations/explanations of Exodus 3:14

"The one who said and the world came into existence from the beginning and is to say again; Be, and it will be."  Neofiti 

"He who said and the world was, said and everything was."  Pseudo-Jonathan

"Who is not past and will not pass away because he is first and last."  

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8 ESV)