Who do you think you are?

"Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?" Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 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 keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. John 8:53-59

REFLECTION
Who do you think you are? The Jews who are questioning Jesus know exactly who he is claiming to be, but they demand an answer and they get an answer! “Before Abraham was born, I am!” Here Jesus identifies himself as the I AM revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14 – in other words, Jesus clearly states that he is the ageless, eternal God!
If his listeners had paid good attention, they would have heard Jesus saying just moments before, “If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins” (v. 24). From the reaction his I AM words provoke, it is clear that Jesus’ opponents got the point and didn’t like his answer at all. They picked up stones to stone him, because they thought this was a clear case of blasphemy. But Jesus knew that his time had not yet come and that this was not the moment to give his life. So he hid himself and slipped away unnoticed.

PRAYER
Lord, your opponents didn’t know where you were coming from and they couldn’t see where you went. You came and left the temple unnoticed, like an agent on a secret mission. But you revealed yourself clearly, and told your opponents nothing but the truth. And when you left the temple, truth left the temple. As a matter of fact, the great I AM left the temple on that very day!
Thank you for this authoritative self-revelation, Lord Jesus. You clearly show us that you are in complete control of every situation. You alone decided when and where you wanted to lay down your life for us. You appeared and disappeared whenever and wherever you liked. And we know and confess that you came from the Father and went back to be reunited with the great I AM. And now we, your children, eagerly wait for you to return. Come, Lord Jesus, reveal yourself again!