NOTES for Joh 8:25
The passage from the Gospel of John that we read today is perceived as the quintessence of dogmatic theology. How could anyone pass by and fail to understand such clear words of Christ? This is, it appears, a feature of human perception: the things that are difficult for us, we simply fail to notice. The Lord Jesus says plainly and openly that He is the One who exists from the beginning. But the Incarnation of the Son of God is such an incredible thing that these words go right past the ears of His listeners; they do not notice them (otherwise they would have tried to stone Jesus).
The Lord says that He is the very God who revealed Himself to the ancestors of the Jews, and He applies to Himself the name of God revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai. He also says that the Father has not left Him and abides with Him. But we will be able to know, accept, and experience these incredible and incomprehensible things only when the Son of Man is lifted up on the Cross. And perhaps the issue here is not only the stubbornness of the ancient Jews, but also the fact that the mystery of God truly cannot be understood except through the Cross.