Who is Jesus?

As I read John chapter 8, I see an amazing exchange between Jesus and the Jews in the temple.  Jesus directly tells the Jews that they are not of God, but of the devil.  It's an amazing statement, because the Jews being devout were clearly seen as God's people.  But here we see Jesus condemning them, "You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.  He was murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.  Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (Jn 8:44) 

 

This statement speaks volumes, the Jews would have been enraged by this statement, but isn't it true.  They were trying to seek to kill Him (or at least find a way to condemn Him), and Jesus tells them that they are of the devil.  They claimed to be of Abraham (vs 39), yet their actions were ones of death and seeking death. 

 

On a side note, we have all done things that are evil and sinful; does this not make us a descendent of the devil?  Maybe that is a little harsh, but that is what Jesus is saying.  When Adam and Eve sinned they chose the way of sin, instead of the way of God, and the Bible clearly teaches that because of that first sin, sin entered into the human race, and continues in each person to this day.  That is why we need a Savior, One that can rescue us from the life of sin.

 

Anyway, the Jews did not like to hear this, and could not accept the fact the Jesus was in fact from God, and was God.  He went on to reason with them about why they don't believe (vs 45-47).  They responded by accusing Him of being possessed by a demon (vs 48).  Jesus response by telling them that He is the one that honors God (His Father), and that He does not seek His own glory, the glory of the Father.

 

Then He makes a profound statement, that "if anyone keeps M word he will never see death" (vs 52).  The Jews questioned Him on this statement; they could not understand what He meant for they did not understand that eternal life was not necessarily in this life, but in the life to come.  So they questioned Him by telling him that even Abraham had tasted death, but yet He was promising eternal life.  So how could Jesus (who they did not see has greater then Abraham), promise eternal life, when Abraham saw death.

 

Jesus then answered by saying that He knows God and honors God, and that even Abraham longed to see the days of Jesus (vs 54-56).  They said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seem Abraham?" (vs 57).

 

At this point Jesus made a statement that struck a chord in them and made crystal clear, who Jesus claimed to be, He said, "before Abraham was born, I Am." (vs 58)  This was clearly a statement of divinity because in the book of Genesis, God identified Himself, as "I Am". And this is what Jesus claimed, they sought to kill Him right there, but He escaped, because it was not His time.

 

If anyone claims that Jesus never said He was God, they are wrong, because it's clear in this passage that He claimed to be God.  And while the Jews could not accept this fact, we must in order to be saved.