John 8:51-59 NRSVue

⁵¹Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” ⁵²The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets, yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ ⁵³Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” ⁵⁴Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ ⁵⁵though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I keep his word. ⁵⁶Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷Then the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” ⁵⁹So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

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Reflection on John 8:51-59

Inspiration from 2027-03-18 Daily Prayer

The ‘I am’ statements of Jesus in the Gospel are central to the unfolding mystery of Jesus’s identity. When he says, ‘Before Abraham was, I am’, he is identifying himself as the Son of God who reveals the God who is. This echoes the language of Exodus, when God was revealed to Moses in the burning bush as ‘I am’ or ‘I am who I am’ (Ex 3:14). This bold saying causes the crowd to attempt to stone him for blasphemy.

Jesus promises eternal life to those who keep his word. His challengers in today’s gospel struggle with this. They are thinking in human terms and not in God’s terms. To God, all things are possible. God loves us with a deep and everlasting love, a love that is stronger than death.

Further reflection

Again the evangelist portrays Jesus as belonging to a higher world than his hearers. Death is the human condition, but Jesus lives beyond the borders of death. He is simply different. In my prayer I need not try to puzzle these things out. Instead I simply accept in faith the wonderful mystery of Jesus.

Jesus is saying: ‘If you want to see God, here I am!’ What should be a wonderful moment of revelation becomes horribly negative. Execution by stoning was the punishment for asserting that one is equal to God. Lord, I find you in some safe place and try to comfort you. What more can you do to show people who you are?