Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad... before Abraham was, I am.
John 8:56-59
In the context of John’s Gospel, chapters 7-10 describe the encounters Jesus has with the religious leaders and the conflicts that arose because of His teaching and His claims. Jesus’ authority as God is recorded by eye-witness accounts in this Gospel as forgiving sins (the adulterous woman), His equality with God, His being sent by God, and here, in this passage, His pre-existence and His use of God’s Holy Name “I AM” from Exodus 3:14. For the sake of clarity, Jesus made sure His claims were understood by the Jewish leaders in His audience.
And so it is for us. When I first heard these claims clearly I was left in no doubt that, as C.S. Lewis would write, “I had three choices as to how I should regard Jesus, either as liar, a lunatic or Lord.” The notion that Jesus was just a “good man” is not an option because His claims do not allow for that. So we are forced to make the biggest decision of our lives—to decide for ourselves who Jesus is. If He is Lord of All, then we must surrender our independence completely and follow Him. And our freedom comes from our surrender.
Dean Lewis
