John 8:56-59

[placebofactor]

John 8:56-58, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees when he said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad."

"Then said the Jews unto him, you are not yet fifty years old, and has thou seen Abraham?” The Jews thought this to be an absurd thing for Jesus to claim to have seen Abraham who had been dead for over 2000 years.

Jesus then said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.” Before Abraham was born, I am. Abraham the creature and Jesus the Creator. Jesus did not say, “I was” but he said, “I am.”
“I am” is the name of God.

Before Jesus became the Messiah of the Jews, he was Jehovah who appeared several times to Abraham as a man.

Genesis 18:1-2 and 17, “And the LORD appeared unto him (Abraham) in the plains of Mamre; --- And he (Abraham) lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground.”

Was it Jehovah Abraham saw? Verse 17, “And the LORD (Jehovah) said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;”

The Hebrew word “appeared” in Genesis 18:1 is to let oneself be seen, to show oneself.

So, what Abraham saw was a manifestation of the Lord Jesus.

Genesis 12:7, “And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, unto your seed will I give this land;”

Genesis 22:18, The angel of the LORD said to Abraham, “And in thy seed shall all the nation of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice.”

At that moment, the conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees ended abruptly, they could no longer bear his words, now considering him to be a blasphemer and as such, was to be stoned to death. But the Lord’s hour had not come, so he departed and left the temple, going through the midst of them.

[1213]

...It's obvious the Jews understood Jesus as meaning he existed before Abraham...

Ok, that I think is what the text means. And it is not the same as saying Jesus is the God.

Why would the Pharisees want to stone Jesus for saying he existed before Abraham did?

Bible doesn't say that directly. But, maybe because it annoyed them that he is greater than them. It is also possible that they thought Jesus means with it that he is the God. But as we can see, Jesus is not really saying so in the scripture.

[The Tanager]

Bible doesn't say that directly. But, maybe because it annoyed them that he is greater than them. It is also possible that they thought Jesus means with it that he is the God. But as we can see, Jesus is not really saying so in the scripture.

The Bible says directly after that action that therefore they picked up stones to stone him: I don't see how that can be read any other way without trying to protect a pre-conceived belief. Pharisees don't just stone people for annoying them or claiming they are better than them. The only stone-able offense Jesus did there would be claiming to be God.

And if Jesus wasn't claiming that, then why wouldn't he correct their misunderstanding? If not to the Pharisees in the moment, then immediately afterwards to those around him? I don't think your interpretation can be maintained with this text as is.

[placebofactor]

Bible doesn't say that directly. But, maybe because it annoyed them that he is greater than them. It is also possible that they thought Jesus means with it that he is the God. But as we can see, Jesus is not really saying so in the scripture.

The Bible says directly after that action that therefore they picked up stones to stone him: I don't see how that can be rid any other way without trying to protect a pre-conceived belief.

Pharisees don't just stone people for annoying them or claiming they are better than them. The only stoneable offense Jesus did there would be claiming to be God. If Jesus wasn't claiming that, then why wouldn't he correct their misunderstanding? If not to the Pharisees in the moment, then immediately afterwards to those around him? I don't think your interpretation can be maintained with this text as is.

When Jesus made the statement, "Before Abraham was, I am," the Pharisees understood him as meaning, "He was claiming to be equal to God." For this, they "Took up stones to cast at him"

Compare with John 5:18, "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him (Jesus), because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God."

Today, we understand things differently, but the priests and the Jews 2000 years ago understood what Jesus meant. Jesus, by claiming to be the "Son of God, was equating himself to being equal with God. This was blasphemy, and for the sin of blasphemy, death by stoning was the sentence.

Philippians 2:6, Jesus "Who being in the form of God, that it not robbery to be equal with God:"