Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent - March 29, 2012
John 8:58
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
In many ancient cultures -- and in some contemporary cultures -- antiquity trumps the contemporary. That which is oldest, most historic or traditional is most highly prized, and often assumed to be most true.
For those who traced their lineage to Abraham, the Patriarch at the source-point of Jewish faith and practice, Jesus was a newcomer who had nothing to offer greater than their ancestor Abraham.
Jesus' dialed up a reference to the Infinite, Boundlessness, Essence which we call "God" when he said, "I am." His response refers back to the self-revelation of God to Moses in Exodus 3 at the burning bush. "I AM WHO I AM," spoke the voice from the bush. "I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE." God is self-described not by function, that is, by what God does; rather, God is self-revealed as Being, Essence, by All-That-Is. I AM.
Jesus, then, not only claimed to pre-date Abraham. He claimed for himself the Essence or Being which is God.
The Jews who heard Jesus' response would have picked up his identification with the God-of-the-burning-bush. It was this kind of speech that eventually led to his crucifixion.
For today . . . I believe that at least a part of what it means that humans are created in the image of God is that we, too, can claim, "I am who I am." What is most central to the human person is not what we do or how we produce or what we believe. What is most important about you and me is our being, our essence, the self that exists apart from our many functions.
If someone asked you today, "Who are you?" how would you answer? Try to think of yourself, not just in terms of functions or titles or roles, but in ways that are more central to your existence. Think about your essence, about your most authentic self. Who are you beneath all the layers of roles and function? Who are you at your very core?
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
In many ancient cultures -- and in some contemporary cultures -- antiquity trumps the contemporary. That which is oldest, most historic or traditional is most highly prized, and often assumed to be most true.
For those who traced their lineage to Abraham, the Patriarch at the source-point of Jewish faith and practice, Jesus was a newcomer who had nothing to offer greater than their ancestor Abraham.
Jesus' dialed up a reference to the Infinite, Boundlessness, Essence which we call "God" when he said, "I am." His response refers back to the self-revelation of God to Moses in Exodus 3 at the burning bush. "I AM WHO I AM," spoke the voice from the bush. "I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE." God is self-described not by function, that is, by what God does; rather, God is self-revealed as Being, Essence, by All-That-Is. I AM.
Jesus, then, not only claimed to pre-date Abraham. He claimed for himself the Essence or Being which is God.
The Jews who heard Jesus' response would have picked up his identification with the God-of-the-burning-bush. It was this kind of speech that eventually led to his crucifixion.
For today . . . I believe that at least a part of what it means that humans are created in the image of God is that we, too, can claim, "I am who I am." What is most central to the human person is not what we do or how we produce or what we believe. What is most important about you and me is our being, our essence, the self that exists apart from our many functions.
If someone asked you today, "Who are you?" how would you answer? Try to think of yourself, not just in terms of functions or titles or roles, but in ways that are more central to your existence. Think about your essence, about your most authentic self. Who are you beneath all the layers of roles and function? Who are you at your very core?
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