A reading from the book of Genesis (17:3-9)
Abram bowed to the ground. God spoke to him as follows, ‘For my part, this is my covenant with you: you will become the father of many nations. And you are no longer to be called Abram; your name is Abraham, for I have made you father of many nations. I shall make you very fertile. I shall make you into nations, and kings will issue from you. And I shall maintain my covenant between myself and you, and your descendants after you, generation after generation, as an everlasting covenant, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And to you and to your descendants after you, I give the country where you are now immigrants, the entire land of Canaan, to own in perpetuity. And I will be their God.’
And God said to Abraham, ‘You for your part must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation.’
The covenant (berit) with Abram was first reported in Genesis 15. In this reading, from a later text, the covenant is reiterated, and Abram’s change of name to ‘Abraham’ is announced. The new name, ‘Abraham’, is traditionally interpreted to mean ‘father of a multitude’. The covenant sets up a relationship in which God is the giver and Abraham the receiver. The repeated promise of God is of numerous descendants and of land. In the following verses it will be laid down that all males should undergo circumcision as the ‘sign of the covenant’ (17:11).
Psalm 105 (104) The psalm refers to the three patriarchs of the covenant, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
A reading from the holy gospel according to John (8:51-59)
Jesus said to the Jews:
‘Amen, Amen I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.’
The Jews said, ‘Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets too, and yet you say, “Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.” Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too. Who do you claim to be?’
Jesus answered:
‘If I were to seek my own glory
my glory would be worth nothing;
in fact, my glory is conferred by the Father,
by the one of whom you say, “He is our God,”
although you do not know him.
But I know him, and if I were to say,
“I do not know him,”
I should be a liar, like you.
But I do know him, and I keep his word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced
that he should see my day;
he saw it and was glad.’
Then the Jews said, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham!’ Jesus replied:
‘Amen, Amen I say to you,
before Abraham ever was,
I am.’
And they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple.
The question raised in this continuing dispute at the Feast of Tabernacles is the relationship of Jesus to Abraham. The Jews ask Jesus directly whether he is ‘greater than Abraham’. His response leads to the claim that Abraham ‘rejoiced to see my day’, and the climax comes with Jesus’ words: ‘before Abraham ever was, I am’. Jesus attributes to Abraham a unique vision of the whole history of salvation. As earlier in the chapter Jesus uses the words ‘I am’, but here in an absolute sense, echoing the words of God to Moses in Exodus 3. The Jews are outraged and begin to stone him for what they consider to be blasphemy (10:33). When there is no faith insults are an easy way out.
How could Abraham rejoice to see the day of Christ?
Let us pray for those who cannot open their eyes to new vision.