The Unbelieving People Warned
21Later Jesus said to them again, “I am going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going.”
22The people asked, “Is he planning to commit suicide? What does he mean, ‘You cannot come where I am going’?”
23Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not.24That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”
25“Who are you?” they demanded.
Jesus replied, “The one I have always claimed to be.26I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won’t. For I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is completely truthful.”27But they still didn’t understand that he was talking about his Father.
28So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will understand that I AM he. I do nothing on my own but say only what the Father taught me.29And the one who sent me is with me—he has not deserted me. For I always do what pleases him.”30Then many who heard him say these things fbelieved in him.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God. Every Jew who heard him say this knew exactly what he meant. The “I AM” is the same phrase used by God when Moses asked him what he was to tell the Israelites his name was and God answered Moses “I AM WHO AM”. Jesus clearly claimed to be the Son of God, which puts everyone today in the same position the people in that crowd were in. There are only 2 logical options. Either Jesus was the Son of God, or he was a raving lunatic!
We all know the truth, and really, anyone with an open mind knows the truth too. Jesus knew who he was and what his purpose was. He was at home in his own skin. He was accepting of his present, his past and his future – the cross. He wasn’t shrugging back and he didn’t hide the truth about himself from anyone who wanted to know him. He is still exactly like that.
Wouldn’t we all like to be like that? I know I would. We can be when we rest in Jesus. He is our past, our present and our future. We are his and he is ours. He guides us, blesses us, and calls us. He may bring us to a cross and to a green pasture and they may both be the same place.
Lord, help me to find all of myself and all of my life in all of you. *obbs*
