John 7-8

I AM!

Jesus could not be any clearer.  “Before Abraham was born, I am.”  With these words, Jesus calls himself God.  Is it no wonder that the leaders tried to kill him? This is blasphemy.  Jesus came to create opportunities.  His presence long ago created tension between those who believed and those who didn’t.  He acknowledged that his ministry would divide families.  He wasn’t trying to be divisive, but it would the natural outcome of those who had faith and those who did not.  One cannot be neutral about Jesus.  One can be searching.  One can reject him.  One can believe and follow.  To be passive about Jesus is to be against him because Jesus isn’t passive about his mission or his Father.  We constantly try to provide opportunities for all to come to faith.  We want harmony but know that disharmony takes place when the name Jesus is spoken.  What he claims about himself is too significant to ignore.