I AM Summary
“Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” – Jesus
Who did Jesus say He is?? Jesus is the ‘I AM’ who spoke to Moses (Exodus 3:14; Isa 48:12; Rev 1:8). He is God in the flesh. This series was written by a brother in the faith, wanting to grow deeper in His relationship with Jesus. The reality of writing this piece, was that as I grew in my knowledge of Jesus in the book of John, I grew a higher view of our Lord, which lead to a lower view of myself. I realized as a man, I had a deeper need for Jesus to be my Lord and a deeper need for Him to save me from my sins. This was a very humbling learning journey. Throughout John’s Gospel account, we see the theme of Jesus as God, the second person in the Trinity intertwined throughout this book. This is a summary of the 7 I AM statements used by Jesus to tell people who He is. Links to the full articles are hyperlinked below. Our hope is that these articles will help people who are seeking truth to dig into scripture, as well as help those who are walking this narrow path as a Christian to follow Jesus by abiding in His words, because Jesus words are truth.
I AM the bread of Life – Fresh Truth Ministries (John 6:35)
The first I AM statement where Jesus compares Himself to bread. For those who partake of this bread Jesus offers, shall have everlasting life. The bread that Jesus offers was born in Bethlehem – House of Bread according to scripture (Micah 5:2; John 6:32,33). Just like the bread from Heaven / manna that was offered to the Israelites by God during their time in the wilderness to fill their physical bellies, Jesus is the better bread as He came down from Heaven offered by God for eternal satisfaction. Just like the unleavened bread is seen as simple, humble and pure without yeast, so is Jesus humble, pure and without sin. When Jesus speaks to the hungry crowd in John 6, this is the bread He offers. He tells the crowd to not seek after what satisfies their physical belly, but to seek after what satisfies the soul.
I AM the light of the world – Fresh Truth Ministries (John 8:12)
The second I AM statement is a very bold claim by Jesus because it points out two things. Firstly it is a bold claim from Him as being the God of Israel; and secondly it is a bold claim from Him as being the Messiah of Israel. Jewish Rabbis would have taught the people that the title for the Messiah of Israel would be ‘The Light of the World’ (Isa 42:6-7; Isa 49:6). There are also examples in Scripture where it would talk about God as Light as well (1 John 1:5; Psalm 27:1; Psalm 18:28). If we follow Jesus, we will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of Life.
I AM the door of the sheep – Fresh Truth Ministries (John 10:7)
The third I AM statement; Jesus adds a metaphor of Himself as being ‘The Door (or gate in other translations) for the sheep.’ To have a better understanding we must first look at sheep farming in His time. Sheepfolds were made with high walls and only one entrance. The door for these sheepfolds would be the Shepherd Himself. It would be the shepherd who would lay down at night by the entrance. He would keep the sheep safe in the sheep fold, and his job was to keep out any predators like wolves. A good shepherd would lay down his life to protect his sheep from danger. When Jesus says, ‘I AM the door’. He is saying that if you enter His sheepfold, He will lay down His life for you and keep you as His own. His sheepfold will be your safe haven, protecting you from the predators of the night that look to steal, kill, and destroy. He is also making the claim that through this door is where salvation is found, and this is the only entrance into the Kingdom of God.
I AM the Good Shepherd – Fresh Truth Ministries (John 10:11)
The fourth I AM statement; Jesus calls Himself ‘The Good Shepherd.’ In comparison to the Pharisees, Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd / The Superior Shepherd. The word ‘good’ in the Greek is ‘kalos’ and it means excellent, beautiful, admirable. When used in this context in comparison to the spiritual leaders of Israel, He is the better shepherd, or He is the Superior Shepherd because He is here to tend to His sheep. He is superior shepherd because He is beautiful to be gazed upon as an example of what a good shepherd is to be like. And He is the superior Shepherd because He is excellent in His nature and character worthy to be admired and praised as a good shepherd.
I AM the Resurrection and the Life – Fresh Truth Ministries (John 11:25)
The fifth I AM statement Jesus says He is the Resurrection and the Life. Not only did Jesus make bold claims to be both God and the Messiah of Israel, but He authenticated His claims with miracles to prove that He is who He says He is. For example, when Jesus says, ‘I AM the bread of life,’ He proves it with the feeding of the 5000 (John 6:1-14); When Jesus says, ‘I AM the light of the world,’ he proves it by healing a man born blind (John 8-9); When He says, ‘I AM the resurrection and the life,’ He proves it by raising Lazarus from the dead. In John 11, Jesus was told three times, if only He was there when Lazarus was sick, he would not have died. We know from the text; Jesus delayed His travel to the region of Judea on purpose, because the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead was to bring greater glory to God. This resurrection of Lazarus was a preview of what was to come in terms of Jesus own resurrection from the dead. This resurrection of Lazarus was to display his divine power over death and life. It was to prove that He is the resurrection and the Life.
I AM the way, and the truth, and the life – Fresh Truth Ministries (John 14:6)
The sixth I AM statement made by Jesus. The first five statements were said to the crowd of people. The last 2 statements are only said to His disciples as Jesus prepares them for His departure. When Jesus says He is the Way, He makes claim to be the only way to God the Father. When He says He is the Truth, Jesus makes claim to be the only truth from God. And when He says He is the Life, Jesus makes claims to be the source of all life.
I AM The True Vine – Fresh Truth Ministries (John 15:1)
Jesus is The True Vine! He will remain faithful to those who are connected to Him. And only through Him will many be blessed with an eternal inheritance by being connected to Him. Just like Jesus previous metaphors, ‘The True Light’ (John 1:9) and ‘The True bread.’ (John 6:32). He alone can lead us towards the promise of eternal life, and He alone can satisfy the hungry and thirsty soul. He is the true vine because He alone can connect us and redeem us back to God.