0318 ”I IS”

I IS

by this time, the Phar’sees is all pretty hot under the collar. They’s decidin that Jesus oughta be killt, on accounta He’s drawin some attention from the Romans. See, them Romans can get a bit testy about Jewish uprisin, n they was always lookin for an excuse to use them lethal weapons they carry round, just in case. Better that One Man get killt, than that a whole nation dies, says the high priest. 

 

course, that priest had no idea just how right he wuz. One Man shore was gonna die for a whole nation. But none of us seen it comin at the time. Don’t know why not. The evidence was all round us.

 

Jesus’d be walkin round, talking, n the Phar’sees would start up a theologizin argument. 

 

then Jesus’d say something about God bein His Father, or about His sheep knowin His voice, or about the Son settin folk free. Well, that’d get the Phar’sees’ loin cloths all up in a wad, n they’d argue til the cows come home.

 

funny how they could be so holy about some stuff, n so blind to their sin in other areas. Like, they revere God so much, they never say His name; then, when they fin’ly meet Him face to face, they plot to kill Him. Or, they’s so particular about the Ten Commandments that they don’t let nobody even do good on the Sabbath; then they plan to break the command not to kill. Yep. They loved to teach others all about God. Then they killt His Son.

 

they’s fussin with Him one day, n the Phar’sees say, “Do You think You are better than Abraham?” 

 

(now, Abe was considered the father of our faith, on accounta he obeyed God. Kinda a funny story, really. Abe was married to a woman named Sarai. That’s the name Sarah, only with one “i.” we callt her “one-eyed Sarah” when we was kids. Anyhoo, God says to Abe one day, “take your wife n leave Ur.” now, to a young boy, it sounds right peculiar to think that God would say, “take your wife n leave ‘er” like that. Then I got old nuff to read it for myself n realized that Ur weren’t the word “her.” true story. Now you know.)

 

Jesus says, “I’ll tell you what: ol’ Abe rejoiced when he looked ahead to see Me comin!  then he seen it, n he was glad.”

 

they says, “You aren’t even fifty years old!  How can you say You have seen Abraham?”

 

Jesus answers, “here’s the truth:  before Abe wuz, I is.”

 

now, that might not seem like something to get all riled over, but cha gotta unnerstand the grammar here. Grammar ain’t really my specialty; I write in koine Greek n all that. Whatever. It’s all Greek to me.  But I can tell ye this much:  when Jesus said them words that way, “I is,” it was like speakin the worst cuss words ever to them Phar’sees. If Jesus had said, “before Abe wuz, I wuz,” that woulda been bad, but because He said, “I is,” them Phar’sees all pickt up rocks to stone Him right then n there.

 

gotta explain a bit:  God’s name is so revered that the Phar’sees never use it. They never write it. They never say it. They got special ways round it, so’s they never break that commandment to never take the name a God in vain.

 

you know what God’s name is? “I is.” that’s right, God’s name is a verb. In Hebrew, it’s callt Yahweh or Jehovah. But when it’s translated, it come out, “I is.” God calls Himself “I is” cuz He’s always the Bein One. Never didn’t exist, you know.

 

back to the story:  so when Jesus says, “I is,” He’s cussin on two levels. First, He’s using The Name. Second (in case you didn’t catch this), He’s saying that The Name is Him!  to be honest, when He says them words, all a us took in a breath like we just all popped a peppermint into our mouths at the same time. We was lookin at each other, lack, “He just went there, didnt He?” or “did He just say them words?”

 

so, the Phar’sees all pick up rocks. N us boys get to runnin before the rocks start flyin. But Jesus, He just stands there in another one a them show-downs. Nobody throws a rock. N Jesus walks out right through the group.

 

later, when He finds us hidin, we ask Him why they didn’t throw nothin at Him. He just says it ain’t His time yit.

 

i just hope I ain’t standin directly behind Him when His time does come.

 

now, that claim wuz a doozy, but it werent the only time Jesus pronounced a bodacious “I is” claim.  believe it or not, over the course a three year, He made lots of em, n all of them claims got Jesus in hot water.

 

first, He sez, “I is the bread of life.”  sez He’s lack the daily manna in the wilderness from Moses, providin daily wisdom and power and sustenance.  sez we gotta eat His flesh and drink His blood, and we’ll get life in Him.  n a bunch a folk wuz offended n left Him then.

 

then He sez “I is the light a the world,” the light a life, n whoever fallers Him’ll never walk in darkness.  sez His word is a lamp, providin light for everbuddy, shinin in the dark.  sez He’s frum above, n He’s dun seed the Father’s presence.  n the Pharsees got ready to kill Him.

 

what’s more, He sez “I is the gate for the sheep,” n whoever enters thru Him’ll be saved.  only thru Him kin we cum in n go out, n find pasture.  He sez “I is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.”  sez all others wuz thieves n robbers, but that He knows His sheep n His sheep know Him n faller His voice.  that really burns the religious leaders, to be callt thieves n robbers.

sed “I is the resurrection and the life,” n that whoever believes in Him will live, even tho he dies.  sez He’s got menny rooms in His Father’s house, n He’s a-gonna prepare rooms for everbuddy, then cum n get us.  sez “I is the way, the truth, and the life.”  sez nobuddy cums to the Father ‘xceptin thru Him.  sez He’s in the Father and the Father in Him.  Sez “I is the true vine,” n we’s the branches.  that we can’t bear no fruit ‘xceptin’ we remain in Him.  sez apart from Him we caint do nothin.

i hear all them “I is” claims frum Jesus, n i think aint nobuddy ever made such bodacious claims bout Hisseff, ever.  not even Caesar makes all them claims.  now, THAT’S bodacious!

but then again: enny man that walks outa His own grave i reckon is exactly whoever He sez He is.