A little boy prayed at the supper table, saying, "Thank you for the baby brother, but I prayed for a puppy." Our God is always present even when He gives unexpected answeres to our prayers.

Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58). The next verse says that the Jews picked up stones to throw at Him. They understood very well what Jesus was claiming by making this statement, and thus they reacted the way that they did. Notice again in John 10:31-33 that they again desired to stone Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." This is indeed what Jesus was claiming, but it wasn't blasphemy as they charged, but the absolute truth.

Abraham lived about two thousand years before the earthly ministry of Christ, yet Jesus claims to have existed before him. There was much more to Him than what they were seeing. Also consider John 17:5, where Jesus prays, saying, "And now, glorify thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was." Back before Abraham and back before the world. Jesus is actually referring back to the words heard by Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3:13-14. Moses had asked God what he should say when asked by His people in Egypt the name of the one who sent him. God answered and said, "I Am who I Am; and He said, Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I Am has sent me to you." Thus Jesus is claiming the name of God, Jehovah, for Himself.

Jesus was not merely another prophet, or an angel from heaven, but God in the flesh (John 1:1-3, 14).

For a free non-denominational Bible correspondence course call 830-833-4884 or email bcc102@gmail.com – no personal contact will be made unless requested.