Not the Right Time
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” “You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” “I tell you the truth,” answered Jesus, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds John 8:54-59
Jesus’ Feast of Tabernacles discourse covers almost all of chapters 7 and 8 of John’s gospel. It is September. In another six months Jesus will again be in Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover when He will fulfil the true meaning of the Feast. He will become the Passover Lamb.
The crowd has become an angry mob. They’ve just accused Jesus of being a Samaritan (a despised ‘half-breed’) and demon-possessed (8:48). Thinking He claims to be greater than Abraham they revile Him with “Who do you think you are?” (8:53).
‘Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing.”’ Seeking glory for Himself meant nothing to Jesus. “My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.” Why should He ever glorify Himself when the Father lavished glory on Him? (12:28; 13:31,32; 17:1,5). This same Father His opponents claimed as their God but Jesus knew the truth, “Though you do not know him, I know him.” But there was something Jesus could not deny, “If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word.” They were liars because they claimed to know God when they didn’t. Jesus would have been a liar if He claimed He didn’t know God when He did. He knew Him and kept His word.
“Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” Abraham, in trusting God’s promises that through his family all the peoples of the earth would be blessed, was actually looking ahead to the day when God would bring that promise into reality. Jesus was claiming then that He was “how” the goal would come to pass. There might also be an allusion to Genesis 17:17 when Abraham laughed to himself at the promise that he and Sarah would have a child in their old age as the first step in the promise of blessing to the nations being fulfilled.
The crowd was incredulous, “You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” They took Jesus words literally. Responding to their misunderstanding Jesus made this extraordinary statement, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!” ‘I am’ was the name by which the Jews knew their God (Exodus 3:14). Jesus is identifying Himself with God. Abraham, great though he was, lived and died, but Jesus, because He was one with God, would live forever.
No wonder the Jews were incensed. ‘At this, they picked up stones to stone him.’ Stoning was the penalty for blasphemy (Leviticus 24:14-16,23) and Jesus’ claim was so incredulous that to them it was His death warrant. ‘But Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.’ His time had not yet come. It lay a few months up ahead. Until then He must not bring on a premature death.
Our times are in His hands. Some Christians think they are invincible until their “time” has come, but notice that even Jesus took steps to protect Himself. He knew when His “time” would be but we don’t know ours; and because we don’t, we need to do all we can to glorify God as much as we can for as long as we can while we can.
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