John 8:57-59 Timelessness

So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

John 8:57-59

Timelessness. Bringing a past and future reality to the present. When Jesus was born of Mary, a seed of God, as a little boy was talking with his heavenly daddy and experienced His timeless love for him. Being connected to the Holy Spirit is not a time-oriented activity, it happens in this moment. Now. There is not past or future — it is outside of time. There is not less love at one point, and more love at another point because of some perceived qualification that he brings. It is the state of simply being. There is no pretense, posturing, or identity that one brands himself with — like most humans do in order to market their self-perception to others. In this state of being Jesus could see, know, and experience what is in God’s heart. It was a place of utter peace, joy, and love — and a stream of life. And that life flowed through an essential characteristic of God that Jesus would recognize: the desire for man’s redemption.

At some point in his consciousness and awareness with hid Daddy, the conversation would have navigated to the dilemma that only a choice — in time— could resolve: “Son, you know I live outside of the space and time in which you and your body currently exist. I knew everything that would happen when I created time, then placed my sons in it with a free will. I understood the failure that would occur, starting with Adam, and already determined that within this realm of time, my redemption would be woven into every expression of my creation. I recognized that you would understand as I do the gravity of the predicament, and that you would do just what I would do — offer up yourself to settle the matter. Not only did I contemplate the payment required but also the sort of man that it would take to make that payment. Because you love and value me above all, and I knew you would respond as I would — you were on my mind and heart from the beginning. I saw you and this day.”

As Jesus was facing the cross and praying in the garden of Gethsemane he said:

… you loved me before the creation of the world.

John 17:24 NIV

It’s difficult to imagine this kind of anticipation, if it was anticipation at all — probably because I am wrapped in time. Jesus had just finished saying that Abraham rejoiced to see his day. God unfolded it to Abraham well in advance, in a lesson, or shadow, or type, or possibly a dream or vision, and we see it clearly in the stories about Abraham written in Genesis. God showed men and women his beloved son in everything and in every physical earthly expression he could, to all who would listen and have a heart to see. When I read the Old Testament, Jesus is infused in every detail — the tabernacle, the lamb sacrifice, the feast of the Passover, the story of Joseph, David’s anointing as king… everything! When I look at creation I see the sun (in contrast with the stars), white blood cells, the head on the body, the act of marriage, foliage, fruitfulness, biology, physics — he’s embedded his story in it all! Our Father wanted to make it absolutely clear that Jesus, when he was born and ministered on earth, was the fulfillment of all that was written. If your heart was listening, if your spirit was attentive, if you valued what God valued, then His son would cause your heart to burn with expectation and your mind to spin with the connection of it all — and you would recognize family when you saw him.

Anna the prophetess and the Simeon both saw him as a baby when he was dedicated in the temple. They recognized him by the Spirit.

“Simeon… was waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God.

Luke 2:25-28 NKJV

Those first disciples also recognized who he was. The crowds who followed had hearts that aligned with his message. “Is this the Christ?” was the way they started public discussion.  After he was raised from the dead and on the road to Emmaus, other disciples recognized him too in Spirit, even though their eyes didn’t “see” him as the man who was crucified. In the season Jesus appeared to Israel, there was a national fervor over the coming Messiah — the time was ripe. You felt it. Sensed it. Knew it was close, but not for any perceivable reason. And yes, Jesus was popular for many reasons when he was among the people. But it was with those whose hearts and values were aligned, or willing to align with God’s, whose eyes recognized his identity — and the incredible value to God. The son!

Then Jesus said some explosive, controversial words. “Before Abraham was — I AM.” Why did Jesus say this and what does it mean?

Although Abraham is an integral part of our history and redemption’s story and serves as an example on so many levels — he is not the foundation of our faith.The foundation is that which God has laid in Christ, not Abraham. So, when the Jews who God loves dearly, claim affirmation and validation because of their lineage to Abraham when God’s son is standing before them, something is off. How do you demonstrate the purest colors, the brightest whites, the most spectacular views, to those who cannot see? Men tend to see what they are looking for — and are often blind to everything else. Looking back, ruminating on previous days, prior victories, a nostalgic past — is not where they were heading. The Messiah was coming, and is; Abraham is history. They were driving the car while staring into the rear-view mirror. Time is not going that way.

I can imagine Jesus breathing in his spirit, “Abraham, huh?”

Before Abraham was (before he existed, before him in position and predominance, before him in planning, before him, before time) I am! Yahweh!* The statement of being. Not past tense, “has been.” Not future, “will be.” Not a fleshly point in time. Timelessness. Jesus stepped into a realm of timelessness then used his Father’s name as his own. Something unutterable to the Jews. There is a good chance he breathed his words in Hebrew, “Eh-yah.” “I am,” is the present. Presence. Now. Our “now” quickly eclipses yesterday and gives us a promise and trajectory for tomorrow. But all I really have at any moment in time is my “now.”

In context, Jesus was at the end of his dialogue with the Jews. There was no more to say. He who dwelt in the eternal “now” moment along with his Father was finished trying to yank men into the now when they were unwilling to leave the past. Their time travel fundamentally put them in a head space where they could not understand who Jesus was now, or ever. The Jews were also done with the conversation. They had heard enough. Although some began to be persuaded, they quickly reverted to their old position. What more could Jesus say that would matter to the dialogue? He was the son. The Father fully lived in him and expressed Himself through him. Whether Jesus was uttering the sense of timelessness that all sons may enjoy, or showing himself as the real Tabernacle, or as God’s son he was displaying the conduit for God’s name and identity — there was no mistaking his intent — he was claiming a familiarity that the Jews considered blasphemous.

And it’s the same identity as a son and beloved of the Father that he offers me — which is guaranteed to ruffle modern day religious sensibilities.

* In Exodus when Moses met God, he asked Him His name. God responded, “Ehyah asher Ehyah” which is first person for “I am that I am.” It is the expression of being, here and now. The third person expression is “he is” or in Hebrew, “yahweh.” Jesus was speaking in Aramaic and the Gospel writers used Greek, but the link is absolutely clear: Jesus is making the same expression of being that God used with Moses.