John 8:42, (32-45) Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I came from God and I am here. For I didn't come on My own, but He sent Me.”
 
In response to Jesus' statement concerning truth's impact on freedom, (vs 32) the Jews launch into a self-defense patterned around paternity. In verse 33 they make a blatantly false claim, "We are descendants of Abraham,... and we have never been enslaved to anyone.” Can anyone say … Babylon? In response to Jesus' assertion that the Jews were following after their father, the Jews' re-assert Abrahamic patrimony and up the ante claiming, “We have one Father—God.” (vs 41) Jesus surrounds their bogus claim with rebuttals. (vs 42, 40) He replies that such patrimony would necessarily imply that they'd love Him and obviously they did not. And here's where our story takes up today.

One can easily and without stretching the point much write the script of Jesus' thoughts.

“Since the Garden of Eden when Elohim spoke of Adam's seed, my arrival was promised by the prophets, who spake the Words of YHWH, and now I'm here, at His bidding. You claim that you are Children of Abraham (vs 39) and that YHWH is your Father (vs 44). So please explain how it is that you deny Me, YHWH's flesh-wrapped message to you? I am here. Now.”

What are the possible answers to the question just asked? Are they blinded by greed for power? Were the Jews of Jesus' day so focused on hatred of the Romans that all non-conquest related prophesies were invisible? Have their feet become so mired in rule-observance that they cannot break free? Is it a class thing? “He was born in Nazareth after all and he was illegitimate.” Or was is it simply an issue of ‘control or kill’? Since they couldn't control Him did it become 'necessary' to kill Him?

What do you think? Let's turn the tables. Suppose Jesus walked into your church today, maybe dressed as a street person. How would He be received? Why? Is it possible that any of us might see beneath the garb, past the poor hygiene and smell, to perceive the message, the man? He would be uneducated so when He might choose to speak, would we like the Jews ignore Him. Are there teachings which I rely on that He might challenge? Could I relent and accept His truths, sloughing my previous ones? Could I stand under the peer pressure of those 'friends' who are threatened by this street-person's arrival? Would my 'heart burn' (Luke 24:32) as He spoke? Would I, too, need to see the scars in His wrists (Luke 24 30) as we broke bread, before recognition could occur?

Basically, are the religious adherents of today any different than those of Jesus' day? Am I?

Jesus basic claim is, “I am here.” What is He saying? Why should the listeners care? They too were 'here'.

Here? The answer is likely to be as varied as those participating in the Temple session. There were those who'd come from near and far. So for them 'here' means in Jerusalem. For these & the locals, both luminaries and commoners, 'here' was in the Temple. Jesus is recorded as indicating His reluctance to travel to Jerusalem (John 7:1) yet 'here' He is again not able to stay away. I guess one might stretch out to the esoteric and ask if all these people actually were 'here' in the sense that their attention was fully focused on the present happenings.

Cosmologically one may say Jesus is 'here' on planet earth as opposed to all other planets in the vast universe.

John begins his narrative stating that Jesus not only carries a message from YHWH but IS that message wrapped in flesh. Being 'here', part of humanity, allows the infinite, pre-existent One to commune freely and in full clarity with His creation. I'm reminded of the argument concerning the dot, a single point, forever separated, attempting to comprehend the line—a series of connected dots, let alone even imagine a plane or a cube. We humans are the dot and Jesus reduced Himself to our level, shucking the unlimited dimensionality of His nature, so that Elohim's intentions might be made clear to us dots and so He, Jesus, might affect our rescue and redemption from sin. Then He drew us into a line from which, line upon line, He built the Church.

Obviously here and there are antithetical. For you and I, being 'here' precludes being 'there'. However, God has no such restrictions; He may be present at any number of 'anywheres' at will. So since Jesus is in human form, He like us may only be in one 'where' at any one time. In His case not only is Jesus is 'here' – no longer able to be in multiple places simultaneously – but all the splendor of 'there' is no longer open to Him. Instead of Heaven, Jesus is more likely to go 'away into the mountain alone' (Mark 6:42, Matthew 14:22)

Perhaps the more poignant cry is, “See me! I'm right here in front of you but you don't see Me. What more can My Father do? Will it take my public humiliation and sacrificial death for you all to see me. I'm here.”
So now, be honest with yourself. When you think of Jesus, do you see Him close like a lover or is He relegated to 'there' where He's visible but does not impact your daily life very much if at all? How do you deal with I Am? Since childhood I have heard the saying, “If you feel as though God is far away from you, guess who moved.”

However the thought is envisioned, Jesus is clearly saying: “I Am is here, now, and you have to deal with it.”