John 8:56-59 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
‘Abraham rejoiced’ the Greek word for rejoice is agalliao which means to rejoice exceedingly; ‘to see’ the Greek word eidon implying not the mere act of seeing with the eyes, but the actual perception of the object; that which is seen, the form, shape, and figure.
Abraham saw three things clearly: The plan of God in sending the Messiah for His people to redeem them and guarantee to them the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession; and he was happy (Gen. 12:1-3; 17:1-22); He saw the plan of God in the Messiah being sent through his natural seed (Rom. 4:13-22; 9:4-7; Gal. 3:16) and rejoiced by faith (Rom. 4:1-25); He saw the second person of the Trinity in visible form (Gen. 18:1-8, 19-20; 19:24).
‘I am’ this is one of the eternal names of God, proving that He existed before Abraham (Exo. 3:14-15; Mic. 5:1-2; John 1:1-2). The Jews understood that He applied this name to Himself, thus declaring His deity. He claimed to be God, which was blasphemy to them, so to fulfil the law of Leviticus 24:16 they started to stone Him.
For a little while until their wrath cooled; Jesus hid Himself and then He went through their midst out of the temple.
Living the Word 