“Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’” (John 8:58).
I have been thinking about the death of Christ – but more than His death – I have been thinking about what led to it.
Yes, I know that He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. And yes, I know that Pontius Pilate washed his hands of Christ and handed Him over to be scourged. But what I have been thinking about today is actually, why Christ was targeted in the first place.
You see, Christ was a good Man. He said and did good things. He genuinely helped people. He healed the sick and gave food to the hungry, He calmed the storms and He cast out demons and rose the dead from their graves…
So, really, why did people – particularly people who were prominent in the religious community – wish to see Him dead…
And as I was reflecting on this, I stumbled upon something very interesting… I stumbled upon the words of Christ, who said, “‘Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing My day; he saw it and was glad.’ ‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ they said to Him, ‘and You have seen Abraham!’ ‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘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 8:56-58).
You see, those words “I AM” were very significant words for Jewish people. The first time they had ever heard those words used in that way was when God had revealed Himself to Moses on Mount Sinai. And now – they were hearing them again, not only being used in reference to God, but being used by GOD HIMSELF about Himself…
And He suffered greatly for that revelation. The Saints and martyrs have suffered greatly too. Saint Justin, who was beheaded in the first century, willingly died with four others for his belief in the divinity of Christ…
And yet still, Christ – and the Saints and the martyrs have continued in their work of revealing the Divinity of God Made Man to the world.
I have only to think of the response of Christ to that threat of stoning… Did He stop speaking? Was He silenced? No.. He continued to speak, calmly and clearly, making further revelations… “The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?’… Jesus answered them... ‘do you say of Him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe Me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father.” (John 10:31-42).
And I have been thinking about this today as I go about my business, because the Father sent the Son out into the world to do good works, and that causes me to wonder, whether I have done any good works for God myself?
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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