The Jews said to him, "Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, as did the prophets; and you say, 'If any one keeps my word, he will never taste death.' Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you claim to be?" Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say that he is your God. But you have not known him; I know him. If I said, 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 was to see my day; he saw it and was glad." The Jews then said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple. John 8:52–59 (RSV)
The Jews who were angry with Jesus kept escalating their accusations. People do when they either don't understand or are losing confidence in what they used to believe. Jesus answers their questions, not the answers they want to hear.
In their defense, Jesus is speaking of God in ways they could not have imagined. Jesus taught them about God, who has acted in the past, whose past actions are now fulfilled promises. The Jews suffer from a widespread disease among religious folk. The faith that once was a vibrant living faith has become nearly fossilized.
We are all subject to this danger. We believe and trust God, but over time our faith becomes so static that it will not tolerate anything that would cast doubt on its tightly-held ideas. The more we feel challenged, the tighter we hold on, even if we know we are wrong.
The Jews struggled to see that Jesus is the focus of all things. We share that struggle as well. We know how the Gospel ends, yet we struggle with who Jesus is. Each generation must learn for itself the wonder of Jesus' words: Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."
What seems odd to our ears, 'before Abraham was, I am,' affirms the truth that Jesus is the focus of all things throughout all the ages.
Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' " Exodus 3:13–14 (RSV)
Each generation must learn this lesson; Jesus is the eternal God. All things have come into being through Him, and it is His will that sustains creation. Jesus answered the Jews who could not begin to imagine that I AM is before them.
Whatever we may think we know of God, all our questions are answered in Jesus.