Before Abraham Was, I AM

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear, that we may learn Your Word together as a family. We give You all praise and honor and glory, in Jesus’ holy Name. Amen.

Good morning again, Encouragers. Welcome to Passion Sunday, or better yet, the season of Passiontide … the two-week period before Resurrection Sunday.

In our Collect this morning, we pray for something very simple, but also something very serious.

“We beseech thee, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon thy people; that by thy great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul.”

Notice what we’re asking Almighty God to do. We’re asking Him to look upon us with mercy. But it’s not a one-time action we’re requesting here. We’re asking to be governed and preserved forevermore … for all time.

This prayer tells us something important about ourselves. We’re a people who need mercy continually.

We need God’s help for our physical presence here on earth (our bodies), but we also need His help for our souls … our spiritual presence for both the here and now, and for eternity.

And that’s exactly where Passiontide begins.

Today, the Church turns a corner in the season of Lent. From this Sunday forward, we enter the final stretch that leads us to the Cross. The crosses are veiled. The tone of the Church becomes more solemn.

Our eyes are fixed steadily on Jerusalem and on the sacrifice Christ will soon make.

The readings appointed for today help us understand why that sacrifice is necessary.

Let’s begin with the St. John’s Gospel.

In chapter eight, we hear one of the most intense confrontations in Jesus’ ministry. He’s speaking in the temple in Jerusalem. The religious leaders are listening carefully, and they are not pleased with what they hear.

Jesus asks them a question. “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” Think about that question for a moment.

No ordinary human being could ask such a thing. Every one of us knows our own faults. Every one of us knows the ways we fall short.

Yet Jesus looks at His enemies and says, in effect, “Show me my sin.” And they can’t. So instead, they insult Him. They accuse Him of being possessed by the devil. They mock Him. But they can’t point to a single sin.

This matters a lot. Because the One who will soon go to the Cross must be the sinless One. Only the spotless Lamb can bear the sins of the world. More on that in a minute…

In our Gospel, the conversation becomes even more dramatic. Jesus says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.”

That shocks them, and they immediately protest. “Abraham is dead,” they say. “The prophets are dead. Just who do you think you are?”

Jesus answers them in a way that leaves no doubt. “Before Abraham was, I AM.”

The Priests and religious leaders would have understood those words perfectly.

When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He revealed His name. “I AM THAT I AM.” It’s the name of the eternal God.

And Jesus now speaks that same name of Himself. He’s not merely claiming to be a teacher. He’s not merely claiming to be a prophet. He’s claiming to be God.

The crowd gets what He’s saying and becomes angry. That’s why they pick up stones. In their minds, this is blasphemy. But in truth, it’s the very heart of the Gospel.

The One who will go to the Cross is not simply a righteous man. He’s the eternal Son of God. The “I AM” is humanly present on earth.

Our Epistle this morning from St. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews helps us understand. St. Paul tells us that Christ has become our Great High Priest.

You can’t miss the symbolism here. Under the old Jewish covenant, the Temple high priest entered the Holy of Holies once each year with the blood of sacrifices. It was only he and only once a year that he would enter behind the curtain where the ark of the covenant was.

Those sacrifices were repeated again and again because they could never fully remove sin.

But Christ Jesus does something entirely different. He enters the true sanctuary of heaven … the real Holy of Holies. And He doesn’t bring the blood of animals. He brings His own blood and offers it once for all.

His sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary obtains what St. Paul calls eternal redemption. Jesus ransomed Himself, not for temporary forgiveness or a covering that must be repeated next year.

But for our redemption, that’s complete.

This is why the Cross stands at the center of our faith. And it’s why Passiontide matters so much.

The prophet Isaiah gives us another piece of the picture. In Isaiah chapter one, God speaks some strong words to His people. They’re continuing their religious life. They’re offering sacrifices. They’re observing the feasts.

But their hearts are far from Him. God says their worship has become empty. Their prayers are many, yet their lives are unchanged.

Then comes one of the great invitations of Scripture. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow.”

This is the mercy of God.

He doesn’t call sinners to despair. He calls them to repentance. And when repentance is real, forgiveness follows.

Psalm 51, a Psalm we recite several times during Lent, gives us the language of that repentance. “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”

That prayer should sound familiar to us. It’s the cry of someone who knows that sin can’t simply be managed or hidden. The heart itself must be changed.

And that’s exactly what Christ came to accomplish.

Hebrews tells us His blood does something remarkable. It purges the conscience. Not just the outward life. The conscience.

The place where guilt lingers. The place where shame hides. Christ cleanses even there.

So, what does Passion Sunday ask of us?

First, it asks us to take sin seriously. Isaiah doesn’t pretend sin is small, Psalm 51 doesn’t excuse it, and the Cross doesn’t ignore it. Sin required nothing less than the death of the Son of God.

But Passion Sunday also asks us to take grace seriously.

The same God who exposes our sin also offers forgiveness. The same Christ who declares Himself the “I AM” also offers Himself for us.

Second, Passion Sunday asks us to trust in the finished work of Christ.

Our Lenten disciplines are important. Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving help turn our hearts toward God. But they’re not the source of our salvation.

Christ is … He has entered the heavenly sanctuary for us … His sacrifice is sufficient.

Third, Passion Sunday asks us to follow Christ more closely.

The road now leads toward Holy Week. Toward Gethsemane. Toward Calvary, and the Church walks that road slowly for a reason.

We’re meant to see what our salvation cost.

Soon we will stand at the foot of the Cross. And when we do, we must remember who is hanging there. Jesus was not merely a martyr. He was not merely a teacher.

Christ Jesus is the eternal Son of God.

“Before Abraham was, I AM.” The “I AM” takes our sin upon Himself … The “I AM” sheds His blood for our redemption … The “I AM” dies so that we might live.

And so, as we move through these final weeks of Lent, let’s keep our eyes fixed on Christ … Let’s repent honestly … Let’s trust His mercy fully.

And let’s walk with Him toward the Cross, knowing that beyond it stands the empty tomb and the promise of life everlasting.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.