John 8:57

The Jews therefore said unto him, Thou art not fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am.

Hast thou seen Abraham ... Certainly, Jesus had seen Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:1ff); and there is more than a possibility that he had similarly seen Abraham during his personal ministry, but Jesus answered by an affirmation even more wonderful than that, declaring that he existed before Abraham was born.

The majestic "I AM" with which Jesus concluded this confrontation suggests God's "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14), and there can be no reasonable denial that Jesus here claimed equality with God. See my Commentary on Romans, p. 315. A check of the teachings in this chapter reveals that Jesus presented himself as one with Almighty God no less than a dozen times. Fittingly, it should be concluded with the greatest of John's "I am's," but which, for some incredible reason, is never listed in the "seven"!