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 Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” 52 At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word 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 obey 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,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” 58 “Very truly I tell you,” 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. ~ John 8:48-59
Socrates once said, “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.” In v.47, the Lord Jesus had told these men, "the reason why you do not hear my words is that you are not of God." Then, in v.48, the religious leaders call Him a Samaritan. Samaritans were Jewish half breeds who intermarried with the Gentiles, formed their own Bible and decided to worship differently than the Jews. As a result, the Jews hated the Samaritans. The Lord Jesus had exposed the religious leaders' to be not of God. So they stoop to name-calling. That is always the last resort of someone who is losing an argument.
The response of the Lord Jesus is simple, "I am not possessed by a demon." Then He reveals the secret to real life: “but I honor my Father." The key to it all is who defines us. And, how do we know we are being defined by the God of the Bible? When we are obeying His word, He is defining us. We do this not because we have to, but because we want to, recognizing it is not about reaching perfection.
The Lord Jesus refused to respond on His own behalf, but leaves vengeance to the Father. Thus, He was defined by His Father. In fact, in v.50, the Lord Jesus says, "I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge."
Then, in v.51, the Lord Jesus goes on to make an even greater claim: "Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
The One who has conquered sin and death says, "whoever obeys my word will never see death." When the believer dies, he will not see death, rather he will see life like never before. Those who are truly Jesus' followers will pass from life to instant perfection, not to death.
In v.52-53, the religious leaders respond with, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word 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?”
In v.54-56, the Lord Jesus response is classic: "“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 obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
The Lord Jesus lived for the glory of the Father. This means the Lord Jesus did what the Father said, He obeyed His word. This is so important because the life He lived has been credited to His follower's account. The Lord Jesus' knowledge of the Father translated into obedience to the Father. This, coupled with His cross, is what has enabled the believer to be perfect in the eyes of the Father. When the Father looks at the believer, He views us through the lens of His Son.
In v.57, the religious leaders respond, "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!" These experts in the Bible did not understand the eternality of the Messiah. The fact that the Lord Jesus was Messiah, He had to therefore be God, because only God can forgive and atone for sin.
In v.58, the Lord Jesus declares, "before Abraham was born, I am!” The Lord Jesus is here claiming to be God. He uses two distinct verbs that are very different forms of the verb "to be." The Lord Jesus is literally saying, "Abraham became, but I was already there."
In v.59, we read, "At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds." The religious leaders picked up stones to kill the Lord Jesus because they concluded He was guilty of blasphemy.
Then the Lord Jesus "hid himself." Once again, the invisible hand of God is protecting the Lord Jesus until His time had come. This is comforting to us because just as the Lord had a specific time for the cross of the Lord Jesus, He has specific times for our lives. He is sovereign and there are no coincidences. We can trust Him with everything pertaining to our existence.
