Lesson Four: Jesus Is God
Devotion 2: Exodus 3:14 + John 8:58
Pastor Josh Combs
After shepherding for forty years in absolute obscurity in the Arabian wilderness, God appeared and spoke to Moses. Forty years earlier, Moses had fled Egypt as a murderer and fugitive from Egyptian justice. He now stood with a bush burning before Him, ablaze with the holy glory of God. In this literal Holy Ground moment, God reveals to Moses that He, the Lord, is going to finally free His people from Egyptian bondage and bring them to the long Promised Land. God invites Moses to be His voice to the Pharaoh and the entire nation of Israel. We know from the book of Acts, that Moses while growing up and living like a prince of Egypt, “was mighty in his words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). But that was four decades ago and in Moses’ mind, must have felt like a distant dream. Yet, here was God, calling this fugitive shepherd to return to the place of his upbringing and crime, to, through the mighty power of God, deliver the people of God from slavery. Moses trembled before the glory of God and God’s call, and asked,“If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God answered him, ‘I AM WHO I AM…Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you’’” (Exodus 3:13-14). And what followed this conversation was truly one of the most extraordinary sequences of events the world has ever experienced.
Centuries later, Jesus was approached by the Pharisees while He was teaching in the temple. With a great amount of bitterness and venom, they hurled insults at Jesus, even questioning the moral standing and legitimacy of His birth. As the vicious attacks built to a crescendo, Jesus speaks of Abraham. The Jewish leaders were particularly protective (and possessive) of Abraham, Moses, and King David. Jesus tells them, “Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day…He saw it and was glad.” Puzzled, the Jewish leaders responded, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Here’s the final exchange: “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple” (Acts 8:56-59).
Jesus definitively at this moment declares that He is God, referring back to Exodus chapter 3 and claiming for Himself the name of God. Jesus leaves no doubt for His listeners by saying, “I AM.” They knew precisely what Jesus was saying. This is proven by the fact that they were so enraged by what they viewed as a blasphemous claim that they instantly went from seething anger to a willingness to commit murder.
This event, among many others in the ministry of Christ, proves that Jesus did not simply claim to be a man deeply in tune with spiritual things, a prophet, or a moral teacher. He claimed to be the God of the Old Testament, the burning bush come in the flesh. At the risk of overstating the point, this is a major of the highest order. Followers of Jesus can never back down from this doctrine which Christ taught. Jesus Christ is God. He was not part of a group of gods nor did He become a God because of His extraordinary life. He was God, is God, and will return one day to earth to visibly demonstrate His authority as God.