Who Do You Think You Are?

ByJim Stephens

Scripture:  John 8:48-59 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me. You say, ‘He is our God,’ 55 but you don’t even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know him and obey him. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.” 57 The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!” 59 At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple. (John 8:53–59 NLT)

When Jesus truthfully answered the question “Who do you think you are?” in their opinion he confirmed himself as a blasphemer, and they were ready to kill him.  Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I AM!” Jesus used the Hebrew name of God for himself. This is the name God gave Moses to validate his mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. God said, “Tell them I AM has sent you!” So when Jesus said, “I AM!” they pretty much lost it.

We’ve all thought about this question before: “Who is Jesus?” or as they asked him there in the Temple, “Who do you think you are?” It’s appropriate that we’ve addressed the question and it’s appropriate that we continue to do so. Everything in heaven and on earth hinges on the answer to this question!

  • The Gospel isn’t the Gospel unless Jesus is God in the flesh.
  • We don’t really know God unless we know him in and through Jesus. Jesus said, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”
  • Jesus said, “I speak the Father’s words and I do the Father’s works.”
  • Jesus said, “It’s my Father’s will that all who believe in his Son will have eternal life.”
  • Peter got it right when he said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”
  • And Paul declares that Christ is the most complete representation of who God is and what God is like. (Colossians 1:15-21)
  • That’s who Jesus thinks he is, and that’s who we know he is, and that’s the truth that sets us free!

Prayer:

Father, Thank you for sending your Son into the world to show us who you are and who we are and how we can be redeemed! Jesus, Thank you for perfectly representing the Father to the world and bringing us into your family! You truly are the “I AM!”