Those famous words were spoken to Moses on the mountain when Moses asked God’s name.
It really wasn’t a name as we think of names. It was, rather, a statement of being, and a declaration of almighty existence.
But now, when Jesus said the same words, he identified with God. He used the very words of God on that mountain.
There was no mistaking it. The Jews were horrified and felt blasphemy in the air.
Of course, the only thing to do was to pick up stones and throw them at Jesus until he would be dead. What they heard from Jesus’ mouth simply couldn’t be comprehended.
Jesus’ “I AM” was the perfect explanation for why he could say that he and the Father were one.
+ In the first reading, we have an extraordinary scene played out before our eyes and ears. It is as if we are hiding behind a big rock as God carries on this amazing conversation with Abraham.
God reveals the uncovering of a covenant. This was a contract between God and man of the highest order. This unbreakable bond was to be what changed their lives and made promises come alive to bring blessings for generation after generation.
Fertility! The promise of guaranteed land! The begetting of kings! Permanent possessions! So many descendants to become so many nations! —
“I will maintain my covenant with you and your descendants after you throughout the ages as an everlasting covenant.”
That Abraham would be faithful to God and to the covenant, there was no question. But as to whether the generations to follow could be so faithful, now that was another issue.
And so the story of our relationship beginning with Abraham begins.
And to this day, we are concerned with the relationship. God’s faithfulness, and our attempts to stay in good relationship with God, are at the core of this ongoing attempt to live the promises and blessings of the Lord.
But Jesus took us to a new place where we could call God more than “I AM.”
