48 The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?"49 "I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."
52 At this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"
54 Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 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. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
57 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"
58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
The Jews, intimately familiar with the Scriptures of the Old Testament, knew exactly what Jesus was saying here. More than simply saying, "I am God", Jesus knew that using the term that Yahweh used for Himself would have much more impact on his audience. When someone tells you that Jesus never said He was God, point them to this verse. In fact, there are many places in the Bible where the Father and Jesus are equated. Take a look.
DESCRIPTION | FATHER | JESUS |
| Yahweh (“I AM”) | Exodus 3:14 Deuteronomy 32:39 Isaiah 43:10 | John 8:24 John 8:58 John 18:4–6 |
| God | Genesis 1:1 Deuteronomy 6:4 Psalm 45:6,7 | Isaiah 7:14 Isaiah 9:6 John 1:1,14 John 20:28 Titus 2:13 Hebrews 1:8 2 Peter 1:1 Matthew 1:23 1 John 5:20 |
| Alpha and Omega (First and Last) | Isaiah 41:4 Isaiah 48:12 Revelation 1:8 | Revelation 1:17,18 Revelation 2:8 Revelation 22:12–16 |
| Lord | Isaiah 45:23 | Matthew 12:8 Acts 7:59,60 Acts 10:36 Romans 10:12 1 Corinthians 2:8 1 Corinthians 12:3 Philippians 2:10,11 |
| Savior | Isaiah 43:3 Isaiah 43:11 Isaiah 49:26 Isaiah 63:8 Luke 1:47 1 Timothy 4:10 | Matthew 1:21 Luke 2:11 John 1:29 John 4:42 2 Timothy 1:10 Titus 2:13 Hebrews 5:9 |
| King | Psalm 95:3 Isaiah 43:15 1 Timothy 6:14–16 | Revelation 17:14 Revelation 19:16 |
| Judge | Genesis 18:25 Deuteronomy 32:36 Psalm 50:4,6 Psalm 58:11 Psalm 75:7 Psalm 96:13 | John 5:22 2 Corinthians 5:10 2 Timothy 4:1 |
| Light | 2 Samuel 22:29 Psalm 27:1 | John 1:4,9 John 3:19 John 8:12 John 9:5 |
| Rock | Deuteronomy 32:3,4 2 Samuel 22:32 Psalm 89:26 | Romans 9:33 1 Corinthians 10:3,4 1 Peter 2:4–8 |
| Redeemer | Psalm 130:7,8 Isaiah 43:1 Isaiah 48:17 Isaiah 49:26 Isaiah 54:5 | Acts 20:28 Ephesians 1:7 Hebrews 9:12 |
| Our Righteousness | Isaiah 45:24 | Jeremiah 23:6 Romans 3:21,22 |
| Husband | Isaiah 54:5 Hosea 2:16 | Matthew 25:1 Mark 2:18,19 2 Corinthians 11:2 Ephesians 5:25–32 Revelation 21:2,9 |
| Shepherd | Genesis 49:24 Psalm 23:1 Psalm 80:1 | John 10:11,16 Hebrews 13:20 1 Peter 2:25 1 Peter 5:4 |
| Creator | Genesis 1:1 Job 33:4 Psalm 95:5,6 Psalm 102:24,25 Isaiah 40:28 Isaiah 43:1 Acts 4:24 | John 1:2,3,10 Colossians 1:15–18 Hebrews 1:1–3,10 |
| Giver of Life | Genesis 2:7 Deuteronomy 32:39 1 Samuel 2:6 Psalm 36:9 | John 5:21 John 10:28 John 11:25 |
| Forgiver of Sin | Exodus 34:6,7 Nehemiah 9:17 Daniel 9:9 Jonah 4:2 | Matthew 9:2 Mark 2:1–12 Acts 26:18 Colossians 2:13 Colossians 3:13 |
| Lord our Healer | Exodus 15:26 | Acts 9:34 |
| Omnipresent | Psalm 139:7–12 Proverbs 15:3 | Matthew 18:20 Matthew 28:20 Ephesians 3:17 Ephesians 4:10 |
| Omniscient | 1 Kings 8:39 Jeremiah 17:10,16 | Matthew 9:4 Matthew 11:27 Luke 5:4–6 John 2:25 John 16:30 John 21:17 Acts 1:24 |
| Omnipotent | Isaiah 40:10–31 Isaiah 45:5–13 Revelation 19:6 | Matthew 28:18 Mark 1:29–34 John 10:18 Jude 24 |
| Preexistent | Genesis 1:1 | John 1:15,30 John 3:13,31,32 John 6:62 John 16:28 John 17:5 |
| Eternal | Psalm 102:26,27 Habakkuk 3:6 | Isaiah 9:6 Micah 5:2 John 8:58 |
| Immutable | Malachi 3:6 James 1:17 | Hebrews 13:8 |
| Receiver of worship | Matthew 4:10 John 4:24 Revelation 5:14 Revelation 7:11 Revelation 11:16 Revelation 19:4,10 | Matthew 2:8,11 Matthew 14:33 Matthew 28:9 John 9:38 Philippians 2:10,11 Hebrews 1:6 |
| Hope | Jeremiah 17:7 | 1 Timothy 1:1 |
| Speaker with divine authority | “Thus saith the Lord . . .” —used hundreds of times | Matthew 23:34–37 John 3:5 John 7:46 “Truly, truly, I say . . .” |
| Who raised Jesus from the dead? | Acts 2:24,32 Romans 8:11 1 Corinthians 6:14 | John 2:19–22 John 10:17,18 Matthew 27:40 |
| Who gets the glory? | Isaiah 42:8 Isaiah 48:11 | Hebrews 13:21 John 17:5 |
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 a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.--C.S. Lewis
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