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Abraham

March 30, 2023

Genesis 17:1–8  |  Psalm 105:4–11  |  John 8:51–59

Today’s readings from Genesis, Psalm 105, and John have a common focus: Abraham. Abraham is the patriarch of the Jewish people who Yahweh chose for a special relationship.  “…this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations…I will make you exceedingly fruitful…I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant” (Genesis). Abraham’s first son is Ishmael who was the son of Hagar, the slave of Abraham’s wife Sarah. Ishmael is considered a prophet in Islam. Abraham is also the father of Isaac by his wife Sarah. God made a covenant with Isaac as well as with Isaac’s son Jacob. “O offspring of Abraham his servant, O children of Jacob his chosen…the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath that he swore to Isaac (Psalm 105). 

Our reading from John speaks to who Abraham is in relation to Jesus. The Jews challenged Jesus for saying “whoever keeps my word will never see death” pointing out that the great patriarch Abraham had seen death. They further challenge Jesus saying, “are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?” Jesus responds, horrifying his interrogators, by saying, “Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” Jesus asserts that he is the son of God his father, that he existed before Abraham and that Abraham knew him. The Jews, ever on the lookout for blasphemies, “picked up stones and threw them at him.”

I appreciate this set of readings tying together old and new testaments by showing the relationship of the Jewish patriarch to Jesus, the son of God. It is noteworthy that both Abraham and Jesus are prophets in Islam. We are blessed to have a faith with heritage in the monotheistic religions of the world.

Patricia Morokoff