John 8:58-59: Jesus said unto them Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them and so passed by.

This name that Jesus called Himself is the equivalent of the name with which God identified Himself to Moses at the burning bush.

Just like the great I Am of the Old Testament, Jesus was claiming to be eternal, timeless, and unchanging. He had always been and He would always be. In other words, He was of the same divine essence as God the Father.

This claim of divinity was seen as blasphemy by the Jewish religious leaders, so they picked up stones to execute Jesus–the penalty for such a crime as spelled out in the Old Testament law (Leviticus 24:16). But Jesus’ escape proved the claim He was making. He easily avoided their death threat as He slipped miraculously “through the midst of them” Only when the time was right, in accordance with God’s plan, would He allow Himself to be captured and crucified.