One of the most important questions you can ask in life is “Who is this man named Jesus?” Grasping His identity is actually a revelation of your own heart condition. Jesus believed that He had made it extremely clear who He was.

He said to them, You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world (of this earthly order); I am not of this world. That is why I told you that you will die in (under the curse of) your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He [Whom I claim to be--if you do not adhere to, trust in, and rely on Me], you will die in your sins. Then they said to Him, Who are You anyway? Jesus replied, [Why do I even speak to you!] I am exactly what I have been telling you from the first.

(John 8:23-25 AMPC)

Notice that Jesus told them that they would die in their sins, but Why? “If you do not believe that I am He.” In John 8, Jesus makes it abundantly clear who He is. Yes, Jesus was a human being born of woman. But He was also completely divine, begotten by the Spirit of God. Jesus claimed to exist prior to His human birth. When Jesus was teaching them how they could know the truth if they continued to abide in His word, He said that the Truth with set you free. Later, with the disciples He would tell them “I am the way, the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him.” The Jews had a hard time hearing that they needed to be set free from anything. Their pride was getting in the way of humble learning from the Messiah. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.

They tell Jesus “Abraham is our Father and we have never been a slave to anything.” Did they forgot the story of Exodus? Jesus said “If you were Abraham’s children, then you would do the works of Abraham. He said “If God were your Father, you would love and respect me and welcome me gladly.” Seeing Jesus accurately is a reflection of our heart’s posture towards God.

The shocking conclusion of this long dialog with the Jews is captured ever so vividly in the next video from John 8.

The Great Confrontation (4:42)

The reason this passage is so significant and why the Jews picked up stones to stone Jesus was because they believed He had just committed blasphemy. Blasphemy was when a human being claimed to be God. This was punishable by death. But why did they believe so strongly that Jesus had committed blasphemy? Compare Exodus 3 to John 8.

Jesus replied, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I AM. [Exo_3:14]

(John 8:58 AMPC)

And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!

(Exodus 3:14 AMPC)

The Jews knew exactly what Jesus was claiming when He said that “Abraham rejoiced to see MY day.” They knew exactly what He was claiming when He said “Before Abraham was born, I AM.” He was saying that He was the God that appeared to Moses in the burning bush. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Holy One of Israel. But they did not recognize Him in the flesh.