Ketika orang-orang Yahudi keheranan bahwa Yesus telah melihat Abraham dan menyatakannya dalam argumentasi bahwa umur Yesus belum juga lebih dari 50 tahun, Yesus menjawab:
“Kata Yesus kepada mereka: “Aku berkata kepadamu, sesungguhnya sebelum Abraham jadi, Aku telah ada.” (Yohanes 8:58)
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58 NIV)
“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58, KJV)
Saya sengaja menyertakan dua versi bahasa Inggris dari Yohanes 8:28 ini, sebab terjemahan bahasa Indonesia telah menghilangkan satu hal penting dari ayat ini.
Di dalam ketiga versi dari Yohanes 8:58 ini, Yesus menyatakan bahwa “Ia sudah ada sebelum Abraham ada.” Hal ini sendiri sudah mencengangkan orang banyak yang belum menyadari siapa Dia yang berbicara saat itu. Tetapi pernyataan ini saja rasanya belum cukup untuk membuat orang-orang Yahudi berang dan hendal melempari Dia dengan batu. Alasan kemarahan orang-orang Yahudi ini tidak nampak di dalam Yohanes 8:58 berbahasa Indonesia.
Sekarang perhatikan kedua versi Inggris-nya. Yang sudah belajar sedikit bahasa Inggris pasti tahu bahwa, menurut kaidah bahasa Inggris yang bentul, Yesus seharusnya menjawab: “Before Abraham was, I was.” Tetapi Yesus menjawab: “Before Abraham was, I am!” Yesus menggunakan waktu sekarang (present tense) untuk diri-Nya. Kita mungkin berkata, yah..sudah…memang apa istimewanya?
Coba perhatikan percakapan Allah dengan Musa ketika Allah memperkenalkan diri-Nya:
“Kata Allah, “Aku adalah AKU ADA. Inilah yang harus kaukatakan kepada bangsa Israel, Dia yang disebut AKU ADA, sudah mengutus saya kepada kamu.” (Keluaran 3:14)
“God said to Moses, “I am who I am . [a] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14, NIV)
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (Exodus 3:14, KJV)
Kesimpulan pertama, Alkitab berbahasa Indonesia seharusnya menulis ucapan yesus di dalam Yohanes 8:58 ini sebagai, “Sebelum Abraham ada, Aku ada.”
Yang kedua, Yesus bukan sekedar ingin menggunakan waktu sekarang (present tense) tetapi Dia sedang menyatakan bahwa “Yesus berhak menggunakan nama “I AM”
Jadi, menurut Anda, siapakah Yesus, Sang Anak Manusia sebenarnya?
When the Jews who were confused to hear that Jesus has seen Abraham and then argued that His age did not yet exceed 50 years, Jesus reply:
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58 NIV)
“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58, KJV)
We have a tiny problem with Indonesian Bible but there is not so in English Bibles. Still, let us use two versions of them just to be sure. Jesus’ statement that He exists before Abraham did surely astounded the Jews. But it was not enough to raise their anger that they wanted to stone Him. If Jesus simply claimed that, “Before Abraham was, I was.” the Jews would not get so angry. They were so because Jesus said that, “Before Abraham was, I am.” This is not a matter of style or grammar that Jesus used ‘present tense.’ This is related back to Exodus when God proclaimed His Name to Moses and so related to what the Jews believe about God’s name. Look at this:
“God said to Moses, “I am who I am . [a] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14, NIV)
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (Exodus 3:14, KJV)
It can be concluded that Jesus wanted to convey two points of truth about Him to the Jews. The first point is that ‘He exists before Abraham did,’ and this astounds the Jews.
The second one that may have been repeatedly slipped away from our attention is that “Jesus reserves the right to use the name I AM, and this makes the Jews really angry.
So, who do you think Jesus, the Son of Man really is?
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