In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven I am statements. These “I am” proclamations further our understanding of Jesus’ ministry in the world. They also link Jesus to the Old Testament revelation of God.
Imagine sitting on a mountain with thousands of people around you. Everyone is here to hear Jesus teach. We have been here a long time, and everyone is getting hungry. The nearest town is too far away to get food before dark. Then, Jesus is given some bread and fish. But there is not enough to feed all these people.
Jesus’s followers gathered baskets, and Jesus placed some of the fish and bread in each one. Then, they started handing out the food, and everyone had more than enough to eat.
The next day, we discover that Jesus and His disciples have left. We saw the miracle and ate our fill, but now we want more. Not just a one-time miracle, but something that would be there every day, just as it had been for their ancestors in the wilderness.
“I am the Bread of Life,” Jesus told them. ” No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry again, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.” John 6:35
The people didn’t understand that God had sent them their daily supply, His Son Jesus! However, if they wanted this daily Bread, they had to believe in Jesus.
Jesus is telling us about His unique, divine identity using the words I am. He is telling us that He can provide for our every need. Each morning, just like the manna in the wilderness, it is there for us to pick up and nourish us for whatever we face that day.
The second statement Jesus said is,
” I am the Light of the World. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
When we were little, we used to play pretend. Let’s pretend again! It might take a little effort, but it will be worth it!
For the next few minutes, close your eyes. Because we can see, we know what light looks like. This is where we need to pretend. If it helps, put on a pair of sunglasses and close your eyes. Make it as dark as you can. Now, pretend you have been blind from birth and sit there for a little while. How do you feel? What do you see? All you have known is darkness.
Then, one day, you are sitting alone, and a Man walks by and sees you. He comes over to you, and you hear Him talking. His words sound strange; He’s talking about doing the works of the One who sent Him.
You initially feel fear because it is hard to understand what He is talking about, but because of His voice, you feel peace. Growing up, you relied on your other senses to understand your surroundings. Hearing this Man speaking calms you, and you are not afraid.
Then he turns toward you. You feel Him place something over your eyes. It feels cold and smells of dirt and something else, but you’re not sure what it is. He says He is the Light of the World, and then to go wash your face. When you open your eyes after washing, you see Light for the first time!
We are all born in darkness and destined to die in darkness. Then, one day, Jesus comes and opens our eyes, and we are no longer blinded by our sins. With Jesus, we walk in the light of eternal life.
Our next two “I am” statements in the Book of John are “I am the Gate” and “I am the Good Shepherd.”
“Truly, I tell you, I am the Gate for the sheep. John 10:7 and “I am the Good Shepherd” John 10:16
Do you remember the poem about Mary and her little lamb? It talks about a lamb with fleece as white as snow who would follow Mary wherever she went, even to school!
This little lamb belonged to Mary. It was safe and protected when it was with Mary. Mary fed the lamb, but most importantly of all, the little lamb knew Mary’s voice.
Each of us is a little lamb, and Jesus is our Mary. When we belong to Jesus, He calls us by name, and we know His voice. He opens the door for us and protects us.
Our Shepherd protects us. We do not listen to anyone who tells us to go somewhere else because we do not know their voice. If they come over the fence, they are thieves or robbers with one thing on their minds: destruction.
Our Shepherd willingly laid down His life for us and now opens the gate to abundant life. He gives us green pastures to lie in, with still waters to walk beside. Our souls are renewed, and we walk on paths of righteousness.
When evil and death are at the door, we do not fear them because our Shepherd’s staff and rod comforts us.
He sets a table for us when our enemies are near, then pours oil on our heads. Our cups are filled to overflowing. Each day is filled with goodness and mercy; we will live in the House of the LORD forever.
The next statement concerns Jesus visiting Martha and Mary after their brother Lazarus dies.
All of us have had or will have someone close to us die. That happened to Martha and Mary, two of Jesus’s friends. Their brother Lazarus had gotten sick while Jesus was away teaching and then died.
When Jesus finally arrived, it had been four days. Word had been sent to the sisters that Jesus was coming, so Martha ran to meet Him. She knew Jesus had made the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame walk and knew that if Jesus had been there when Lazarus was sick, Jesus could have healed him.
Jesus needed to complete a greater purpose, which required death and a tiny seed of faith. Lazarus and his sisters loved and believed in Jesus. They knew God sent Him and gave Him power. Though they believed Jesus was the Messiah, they thought He would build a kingdom and overtake the Romans at that time. They didn’t understand that Jesus was doing something more significant than that. They believed in Him; that was all Jesus needed to bring Lazarus back to life.
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the Resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even though he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25
Jesus is the resurrection for those who answer, “Yes, I believe in you, Jesus.” Though our physical bodies die, we will live with Jesus for eternity. And Jesus is the life. Jesus guarantees that by believing in Him, we will have an abundant life here and the guarantee of resurrection and eternal life.
Jesus has power over life and death and the power to forgive sins. To have eternal life and our sins forgiven, we must have a relationship with Jesus.
When I got my driver’s license in 1986, we had to use paper maps for long road trips. I remember a trip we were taking from Ohio to Florida and how terrified I was to have to read the map. Still don’t know why I was so scared, but I refused to read it, and that caused some tension along the way. Then came MapQuest, and now our smartphones and vehicles all have GPS, so we get to our destinations much more easily.
Jesus is our GPS, guiding us to the Father. He knows every curve, knows where the road is open with no delays, and where all the good stuff for us is! He has prepared the way for us; all we need to do is walk with Him and let Him lead us to our eternal destination.
Have you watched cop shows on TV? After the cops get the bad guy, they go to court. The bad guy is told to tell the truth, but it takes forever to get to it because he has told so many lies. You may have heard the saying that it’s better to tell the truth because, with a lie, you have to keep making things up.
Jesus always spoke the truth. Whether He was teaching His disciples, answering the religious leader’s questions, or giving commands, He always did so in truth.
” For God so loved the world, He gave His One and Only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
Jesus is life!! He came just for us. When God created the heavens and the earth and then created man, His plan was for us to be with Him always and have eternal fellowship with Him. Everything was good and full of life.
Then came sin and death. It was no longer good, and we lost that relationship with the Father. Jesus came and took all our sins and defeated death. We are given new life when we believe in Jesus and accept that He died for us!
Jesus used word pictures when He taught. He used his last “I am” statement to encourage His disciples about what would soon take place.
“I am the True Vine, and My Father is the gardener.” John 15:1
Jesus uses the grapevine to illustrate the relationship He expects between Himself and His disciples, and for us. We now have modern equipment, but growing and caring for grapevines are still done the same way as in Jesus’s day.
Why did Jesus use the grapevine for His instruction? Here are some facts that help us answer this question.
What a beautiful picture! God tenderly cares for the grapevine, giving it water and fertilizer and then pruning off any branch that is dead or not bearing fruit. Jesus is the rooted stock that produces the strong vine. Then, when we believe in Jesus, we get grafted into the Vine and grow. Sometimes, we need pruning, but it is for our good and for the good of the entire vine.
I encourage you to study these “I am” statements found in the Book of John. There is so much to learn from them, and I only shared a small portion. My prayer is that you will use my stories as a starting point for your study of God’s stories! Thank you for taking this journey with me today!
And if no one has told you today,
YOU ARE LOVED!!
I did an Easter series and would love for you to check it out if you haven’t yet. Here is the link to the last one. From Hosanna to Crucify Him to the Resurrection.
