Last updated on September 21, 2025
The Eternal Claims of the Lord Jesus: The Light
Some of the most profound mysteries in Scripture appear in the Gospel of John. In one heated exchange with the Jews, Jesus declared truths that still echo with power today. He not only claimed, “I am the Light of the world,” but He also revealed that Abraham saw His day and rejoiced, and that “before Abraham was, I am.” These words were not symbolic riddles or poetic phrases. They were declarations of spiritual reality that reveal the very nature of Christ.
The Light of the World: A Spiritual Reality
The Lord Jesus began this exchange by saying He was the Light of the world. This was not a metaphor or a description of His influence—it was a proclamation of His identity. The Light is not just an abstract essence but a living, spiritual reality. It is the very Spirit of God breaking into the darkness of the world.
The Light exposes sin, guides the lost, and reveals the truth of God. When The Lord Jesus identified Himself as this Light, He revealed Himself as the Son of God—the Messiah sent by the Father to save the world. To believe in Him is to step out of spiritual darkness and into the reality of God’s eternal presence.
Abraham Saw His Day and Rejoiced
When the Lord Jesus declared that “Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day; he saw it and was glad,” His listeners were baffled. How could Abraham, who lived centuries before, see Christ’s day? The answer lies in Abraham’s encounter with Melchizedek, the mysterious king-priest of Salem.
Melchizedek appears in Genesis as one without genealogy, without beginning or end, and he bears a striking resemblance to the Son of God (Hebrews 7:1–3). Abraham honored him with a tenth of the spoils of battle and received a blessing in return. In that moment, Abraham encountered a glimpse of Christ. He saw the Light of the Son breaking into his reality, and it filled him with gladness.
The Lord Jesus, speaking as the Son of God, pointed back to this encounter as evidence that Abraham had, indeed, seen His day. Through the person of Melchizedek, the Son of God manifested His priesthood long before the Son of God manifested in the person of the Lord Jesus.
Before Abraham Was, I AM
The Jews then challenged the Lord Jesus: “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” To this, the Lord Jesus responded with the most staggering claim of all: “Before Abraham was, I am.” This was not simply a claim of pre-existence. It was a revelation of His eternal nature. As the Son of God, He was before Abraham, here was there at the beginning of creation with God (John 1:1). All things were made through Him, and by His Word, everything is upheld (Hebrews 1:3–4).
In declaring “I AM,” The Lord Jesus proclaimed Himself as the eternal Light—the same Light that revealed itself to Abraham, that spoke to Moses, and that now stood in human flesh before the people.
The Eternal Priesthood of Christ
This connection becomes even clearer in Hebrews: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 5:6). Melchizedek authored a priesthood not bound by human lineage but rooted in eternity. The Lord Jesus inherited this priesthood, not by earthly descent, but by divine decree.
As both King and Priest, Christ carries the Light of truth and the authority of God. He intercedes for us, rules with righteousness, and grants peace to all who believe. Through Him, we gain access to God’s presence and forgiveness, secured not by ritual but by the eternal reality of His sacrifice.
Step Into the Light
The Jews in the Lord Jesus’ day struggled to understand these truths because they relied only on physical sight. Yet you and I have the privilege of seeing what Abraham saw—the eternal Light revealed in the Son of God. He is not just an essence or an abstract idea. He is the living spiritual reality—the King and the High Priest who reigns forever. Through His Spirit, which God placed in the hearts of believers, He shares His inheritance with them and makes them partakers of His eternal kingdom.
The question is simple yet life-changing: Will you step into the Light, or will you remain in darkness?
✨ Call to Action: Take time today to read John 8 alongside Hebrews 7. Pray for God to open your eyes to the spiritual reality of His Son. Don’t just treat His words as history—embrace the Light as the living reality of your life today.
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