This can formally\/literally translated as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore Jesus said; \u201cwhen you shall have lifted up the son of man, then you will know that I AM (HE)<\/mark>,\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In John 8:29 the Lord reiterates that what he is doing and saying pleases the Father because these things are what the he has been given authority to say and do. Apparently, as verse 30 states, many did believe in him as he was saying these things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, the phrase \u03b5\u03b3\u03ce \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9 used here as an emphatic expression would have the English equivalent of saying: \u201cI am truly He!\u201d The verbs used all indicate 2nd<\/sup> person plural subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the use of \u03b5\u03b3\u03ce \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9 (\u201cI AM HE\u201d), the Lord alludes again to Exodus 3:14 as we have seen before. But now, two (2) other Old Testament (OT) scriptures are hinted at. The first one comes from the aorist subjunctive verb \u1f51<\/em>\u03c8\u03ce\u03c3\u03b7\u03c4\u03b5<\/em> (\u201chupsosete\u201d from \u1f51\u03c8\u03cc\u03c9 \u201chupsoo\u201d meaning lift\/raise up or exalt). The second one is about the Lord\u2019s use of \u03c4<\/em>\u1f78<\/em>\u03bd \u03c5<\/em>\u1f31\u1f78<\/em>\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf<\/em>\u1fe6<\/em> <\/em>\u1f00<\/em>\u03bd\u03b8\u03c1\u03ce\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5<\/em> (\u201ctov huion tou anthropou\u201d meaning the Son of Man with the definite article) as the object of the lifting\/raising up or exalting. When these 2 things are accomplished (as per subjunctive mood), the \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9 and all will really know that he is the \u201cI AM\u201d he is claiming to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My ESV Global Study Bible says that in the Gospel of John the Lord uses the verb \u1f51\u03c8\u03cc\u03c9 in three (3) different occasions in the context of lifting\/raising up and even exalting. These are found in John 3:14, 8:28 and 12:32 in their respective contexts. John 3:14 (and verse 15) is perhaps the most informative as it gives the OT reference that as Moses (\u1f55\u03c8\u03c9\u03c3\u03b5\u03bd) lifted up the (bronze) serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be (\u1f51\u03c8\u03c9\u03b8\u1fc6\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9) lifted\/raised up so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. The Lord Jesus spoke these words to Nicodemus during their night time discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second time is right here in John 8:28. And the third one in John 12:32 comes after the Lord Jesus makes his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and as the prelude to the Last Supper in the Upper Room with his disciples. After hearing the Father\u2019s voice, the Lord Jesus concludes that the time of judgment of the world has come, and the ruler\/prince of this world will be cast out. Then the Lord says that if he is (\u1f51\u03c8\u03c9\u03b8\u1ff6) lifted\/raised up, from the earth, he will draw all to himself. The context also includes the Messiah and the \u201cSon of Man\u201d being lifted\/raised up. In John 12:33 the apostle John comments that this was to show the kind of death the Lord Jesus would face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Notice that in these 3 different occasions, given the different inflections, the verb used is the same. In fact, a search in the New Testament (NT) shows that the verb \u1f51\u03c8\u03cc\u03c9 is used 20 times; in the Gospels (Matthew, Luke and John), Acts and in the Epistles. All are used with the meaning being exalted in their respective contexts (with the possible exception in James 4:10). The most prominent exception is John\u2019s Gospel where the contexts point to the meaning of to be lifted\/raised up. But it is possible that John was using the verb with a double meaning as the ESV Global Study Bible says (as lifted\/raised up can have the alternate meaning of being exalted).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The primary source of the saying of the Lord in these 3 occasions is given by John 3:14. It is from Numbers 21:8-9 (ESV):<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the LORD said to Moses, \u201cmake a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.\u201d So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a fiery serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The context of this bronze fiery serpent on a pole is Numbers 21:4-9. This narrative speaks of the Israelites\u2019 impatience, their loathing of their food and their speaking against the LORD God and Moses. As a result the punishment was death after being bitten by \u201cfiery serpents.\u201d The word fiery in most translations comes from the word \u05e9\u05b8\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05e3, or plural, \u05e9\u05b0\u05c2\u05e8\u05b8\u05e4\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd. This word is transliterated as \u201cseraph\u201d (singular), and \u201cseraphim\u201d (plural). This Hebrew word is only used 7 times in the OT; twice in Numbers, once in Deuteronomy; and 4 times in Isaiah, where the transliteration \u201cseraphim\u201d is used. In Isaiah (6:2 and 6:6) seraphim denotes heavenly throne room attendants with 6 wings. They most probably may not be the same \u201cfiery serpents\u201d encountered in the desert by the Israelites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The object lesson in the Numbers context is that God provides the healing to the Israelites; in fact, saving them from death. All they had to do was have faith, obey the instruction, look at the bronze serpent on the pole, be healed and live. Perhaps the Lord Jesus was saying something similar to his audience when he alluded to this OT event: simply believe, have faith, look up at the Son of Man when he is lifted\/raised up and have eternal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next point to discuss is of course, who is this Son of Man?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contrary to popular belief, the term \u201cSon of Man\u201d does not speak of the humanity of the Lord Jesus. Rather it points to his divinity. The reason is that it directly comes from another part of OT scripture. Daniel 7:13-14 (NASB) narrates the prophet\u2019s account of the Ancient of Days (God) in the heavenly throne room giving dominion to this Son of Man:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man<\/mark> was coming, and he came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom; that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and his kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the OT, it is usually the LORD God who comes with the clouds of heaven. So, clearly, this Son of Man is a divine being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then going back to John\u2019s Gospel, the Lord Jesus identifies himself as this Son of Man and more in chapter 5. The context includes the healing of the invalid\/cripple at the Pool of Bethesda on a Sabbath. I had visited the Pool of Bethesda archaeological remains beside the Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem, during my past trips to Israel (see my photos below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Note: A couple of years ago, I came across 2 different views on this Pool of Bethesda. The first is the standard view that it was a Jewish \u05de\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05d5\u05b6\u05d4 \u201cmikveh\u201d (from an article I accessed last Dec. 3, 2015 from this website: http:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/biblical-sites-places\/jerusalem\/the-bethesda-pool-site-of-one-of-jesus%E2%80%99-miracles\/?mqsc=E3823823<\/a>). The other view is that it was a Greco-Roman pagan healing site of the god Asclepius (from an article I accessed last Dec. 1, 2014 from this website: http:\/\/jewishstudies.eteacherbiblical.com\/bethesda-pool-jewish-facility-pagan-healing-center-jerusalem\/)<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continuing with John chapter 5; in the aftermath of the Sabbath healing controversy, the \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9 correctly perceived that the Lord Jesus, by calling God his own Father, was making himself equal to God. And the Lord also mentions the title of \u201cSon of God\u201d (John 5:25). Then came his statements in John 5:26-27: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u1f65\u03c3\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1 \u03b3\u1f70\u03c1 \u1f41 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c4\u1f74\u03c1 \u1f14\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9 \u03b6\u03c9\u1f74\u03bd \u1f10\u03bd \u1f11\u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u1ff7, \u03bf\u1f55\u03c4\u03c9\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u03c4\u1ff7 \u03c5\u1f31\u1ff7 \u1f14\u03b4\u03c9\u03ba\u03b5\u03bd \u03b6\u03c9\u1f74\u03bd \u1f14\u03c7\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd \u1f10\u03bd \u1f11\u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u1ff7\u00b7 \u03ba\u03b1\u1f76 \u1f10\u03be\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03af\u03b1\u03bd \u1f14\u03b4\u03c9\u03ba\u03b5\u03bd \u03b1\u1f50\u03c4\u1ff7 \u03ba\u03c1\u03af\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u03c0\u03bf\u03b9\u03b5\u1fd6\u03bd, \u1f45\u03c4\u03b9 \u03c5\u1f31\u1f78\u03c2 \u1f00\u03bd\u03b8\u03c1\u03ce\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5<\/mark> \u1f10\u03c3\u03c4\u03af\u03bd.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/em>This can be formally\/literally translated as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For just as the Father has life in himself, so also to the son he gave life to have in himself. And he gave to him authority to make judgment because he is son of man<\/mark>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Gospels, the favorite title that the Lord Jesus used for himself was \u201cson of man.\u201d And so in John 8:28 there it is: the claim to deity as \u201cSon of Man\u201d to be lifted up (or exalted) and self-identification with the \u201cI AM\u201d of the OT. As John 8:30 says, many did believe in him then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Note: The Lord Jesus also discusses about witnesses and being sent in the rest of John 5. Thus, what he said in John 8:18 was not the first time he claimed the Father as the One who sent him and testifies about him.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n We will continue next week with another \u03b5\u03b3\u03ce \u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9 declaration which may be the most shocking claim to deity for all to hear in the Gospel of John.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God bless us all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Ptr. Art Calaguas Shalom. We are still in the midst of the tense dialogue between our Lord Jesus and the \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9 (Jewish authorities opposed to him) and all the people there at the Temple grounds in the vicinity of the treasury as the Gospel of John chapter 8 narrates. The Lord had already told…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[6,7,16,18,17,9,8,5],"class_list":["post-156","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ptr-art-calaguas","tag-church-of-the-risen-lord","tag-crl","tag-i-am","tag-jesus","tag-john","tag-spiritual-refreshment-of-the-day","tag-upcemi","tag-upcrl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":157,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156\/revisions\/157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/yQ7UVRX97UUfCc8ZP-U649-YXcFqVKolaNwvI7hrb4Nx1Ip37UQbPYS3RN4HKbhhq18wHsqdb4-qfOQCVt4vayNlf4OIQgy1ky0TSbprrMMgpmRRqPEjgTlqvg_rJCIfkd1HgarU\")
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