I AM Statements of Jesus; Part 1

Introduction

As Christians it is important that we understand who Jesus is; after all we are in a relationship with Him, and we are following Him. The best way to learn who Jesus is is through the bible, where we read His teaching, and see Him engage with those around Him. In studying the parables, in digging into the encounters He as with others we can grow in our understanding of who Jesus is. This increased understanding will, if we let it, deepen our relationship with Jesus and enable us to follow Him more closely.

Throughout His time on earth Jesus made some clear declarations of who He is. These are often referred to as the “I AM” statements.

The very first time this construct appears is in Exodus:

“God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’’’

Exodus 3: 14

In Greek this phrase “I AM” is “ego eimi” and we see it throughout Jesus’ life. In using this phrase Jesus is saying “I existed, I exist, I will continue to exist” or “I be”, it is a statement of divinity to Jesus’ listeners as they remember Moses at the burning bush.

The main “I AM” statements, where Jesus reveals something of Himself are found in John.

1. I AM the bread of life: John 6

2. I AM the light of the world: John 8

3. I AM the gate of the sheepfold: John 10

4. I AM the good shepherd: John 10

5. I AM the resurrection and the life: John 11

6. I AM the way and the truth and the life: John 14

7. I AM the true vine: John 15

We are going to look at each of these passages in this two part study guide. I encourage you to read each chapter, and also as you read the Gospels look for other places where Jesus uses “I AM” or “ego eimi”, for example John 4: 16, or John 6: 20. In both cases knowing this phrase is there adds power to what Jesus is saying.

This study guide is split into two parts. We will look at the first four statements in this one, and in the next guide we will continue the study and consider the final three.

Personal Question

• Thank Jesus for revealing Himself to us in scripture.

• Ask Jesus to show you more of who He is as you read these passages.

I AM the bread of life

Motivation for following Jesus

In John 6 we see the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus walking on water, teaching on the bread of life, and the choosing of the twelve disciples. This really is a jam-packed chapter.

Our focus is really on verses 25 - 59, and there is so much to say on this passage. Let’s start with a quick recap of the story so far.

• Jesus feeds the five thousand, verse 1 - 13

• The people want to make Jesus their earthly King, verse 14 - 15

• Jesus withdraws, verse 15

• Jesus walks on water, verse 16 - 21

• Jesus, the disciples, and the crowd are in Capernaum, verse 22 - 24

The opening exchange between Jesus and the crowd in Capernaum calls into question the motive people have for seeking Jesus.

It starts with a simple question, when did you get here (verse 25). Jesus knows that the people have been searching for Him, and He knows their motives were selfish.

“I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”

John 6: 26

Jesus is calling into question the people's motive for seeking Him out. Their focus is not on knowing Jesus and following Him, it is not even on seeing miracles. Their focus is on being fed. As we’ll see they don’t see this as an issue, even after Jesus has called it out.

“Jesus ignores their question, but charges them with failure to discern the “sign” in the miraculous meal. Their bodily appetite was satisfied; hence their eagerness to see him again.”

(The Interpreter’s Bible vol 8, 1978, p563)

Jesus goes on to say that following Him is not a free meal ticket.

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

John 6: 27

In here Jesus is saying there is a greater purpose, and that is what we are to work for. The word “endures” is “menō”, a word which comes up again in John 15 and which means to stay, to dwell, to abide. We are to work towards abiding with Christ for eternity. This is what truly satisfies.

We know that Jesus can, and does, meet our practical needs. The feeding of the five thousand shows us that. What we need to be careful of is our motivation for following Jesus. As we’ll see the disciples continue to follow Jesus because of who He is, whereas the crowd are searching because they had an immediate need met. It comes down to our motivation for following Jesus.

Personal Question

• Are you following Jesus because He meets your needs, or because you love Him?

• Spend time telling Him you love Him and listening to hear His love for you.

The work and the reward

At this point the crowd is still thinking of food. Jesus has told them there is food which endures, and the people want it.

“What must we do to do the works God requires?”

John 6: 28

This may seem to be the right question. But as we read on we see the motivation hasn’t really changed. The people are still focussed on their physical needs. They want a miracle ( John 6: 30), ignoring the one they have just seen. They want food (verse 31), not content with the food they have already received. This calling for signs, for food, is much like their ancestors in the Exodus story. Jesus is using that story to teach them now.

God did give their forefathers manna in the desert. The people here seem focussed on only on the manna and are forgetting the struggles of the desert. Those in the desert were wandering with no permanent home, there were grumbling despite the miracles they had lived through.

I think sometimes we can be like this crowd. Jesus is asking us to believe in Him; we want signs and miracles, we can point out what has happened before. Much like this crowd we can, at times, view the past with rose tinted glasses, and forget the troubles God was leading us through. We can ignore the difficulties and only remember the manna.

On a personal note I have seen God’s provision for my family over many years. It was incredible, if I remember only that I can long for it once again. I could say to God “I want to see you provide like that again”. In saying that I am remembering the miracle, and not the hardship that required the miracle. I need to remember that God brought us through those times, to a better place where sudden, unexpected, inexplicable provision is not needed. The crowd, here in John 6, were focussing on the miracle, ignoring the fact they no longer need manna in the desert.

So, what is the work?

“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

John 6: 29

The work remains the same today, to believe in the one God has sent. To believe in Jesus. This is the work, this is how we find food that endures to eternal life.

“They need to see beyond the sign of multiplying bread to who he is and what he gives.”

(Galloway, I, Called to be friends, 2021, p157)

Personal Question

• Are you in love with Jesus, or simply looking for the signs and miracles?

• Ask Jesus to be with you today, helping you to simply believe Him.

Real sustenance

Having identified the real question; are you better than Moses, can you give us more food, Jesus unpacks their misunderstanding and faulty motivation. It wasn’t Moses, it was God. Not only was it God, it is God who gives you bread from Heaven.

The people were making a mistake we all can make. They were looking to what God had done before and not to what God is doing now. It is so easy to do this, to slip into this way of thinking.

We see it in verses 30-31, “what sign will you give, our forefathers…”. They were comparing their time with the past and missing what was happening in their day. It can be so easy for us to do the same. Jesus’ answer gently shifts their focus and corrects their tense.

“Jesus said to them “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the brand from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.””

John 6: 32-33 (underline added for emphasis)

Jesus is drawing people away from the miracle towards the miracle giver. He is drawing them from their dwelling on the past to the new thing that is happening in their midst. As we read and reflect on this passage Jesus is also drawing us to Himself and the Father, calling us to dwell on Him and not what has gone before.

Those listening still don’t get it, we see in verse 34 that they are still after bread. Jesus moves from hinting about this to directly telling them.

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6: 35

Jesus makes the same declaration again in verse 48:

“I am the bread of life”

John 6: 48

This comes after much grumbling from those in the crowd, verses 41-42, where the people reveal that they are only seeing what their heads know. Jesus is Joseph’s son. They know his family. But what we can see is that they know something of Jesus, just not enough. Jesus is telling them quite clearly in this exchange, and it is causing offence.

We can often respond like this crowd, with a sense of offence, a sense of not being able to believe. As Jesus has already said, here in John 6: 29, the work of God is to believe in Jesus. Will we acknowledge that it can be hard to believe sometimes and like the father in Mark 9 ask for help:

“Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe, help me in my unbelief!””

Mark 9: 24

What is it to believe? The word used in John and Mark is “pisteuô”, which conveys a sense of action in response to believing. It means to be persuaded of, place confidence in and to trust. So, the work of God the Father, the thing God asks of us, is to trust Jesus. The thing we can ask for help with is trusting in Jesus.

In declaring that He is the bread of life Jesus is saying to us is that trusting in Him is as essential to life as eating, as vital for our sustenance as food, and as foundational a staple as bread.

We are probably all familiar with being “hangry”, that sense of being grumpy and irritable when all we need is a bite to eat. But do we recognise, in the same way, when all we need is to spend time with Jesus.

“So in Christ there is that which feeds, which sustains, which restores spent vigour and exhausted energies, a strength we can appropriate and make our strength, doing and being what apart from Him we could not do and be.”

(The Interpreter’s Bible vol 8, 1978, p. 567)

Personal Question

• Ask Jesus to help you trust Him more.

• Spend time with Jesus, asking Him to feed and sustain you.

I AM the light of the world

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said “I am the light of the world. Whoever knows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””

John 8: 12

As we read this declaration we need to look at the build up; this will help us understand why Jesus says this, and what He means by it.

Jesus has been in the temple during the Feast of Tabernacles and has been teaching the people. The Pharisees have sent guards after Him, and have tried to catch Him out in matters of the law.

The Feast of Tabernacles happens at the end of the fruit harvest. People lived in tents for seven days. It was a period of thanksgiving and also of remembering their time in the wilderness. This feast has been part of the Jewish calendar since Moses; Leviticus 23: 33-36.

If we pause and think about God leading Israel out of Egypt we remember the pillar of fire.

“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel by day or night.”

Exodus 13: 21

We also see the contrast of light and dark in Exodus 14:

“...The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near each other all night long.”

Exodus 14: 19-20

Jesus is talking to the Pharisees who would be remembering their history, and remembering the pillar of fire in the desert. He is saying “I am the light of the world, I am the guiding pillar of fire”. Jesus is very clearly declaring two things here:

1. That He is the God who brings light.

2. That the Pharisees are walking in darkness.

When we consider the declaration like this it resonates with the previous “I AM” statement; “I am the bread of life” in John 6: 35. In that verse and this Jesus is saying to the Pharisees, and all who are listening, your ancestors saw the provision, protection, and guidance of God, I am the God who provides, protects, and guides. It was not Moses who did those things, but me.

In John 6: 35 the offer Jesus makes is believe me and never go hungry, I will be your provision. Here the offer is equally simple. Jesus is the light of the world, available to all who will follow. This offer is available to the Pharisees, if they were to recognise the darkness they were in. More importantly, the offer is available to us. To follow Jesus is to follow the light of the world. Following Jesus is having the light of life.

Personal Question

• Reflect on times you’ve known Jesus leading you, and give thanks.

• Commit again to following Him, the light of the world.

I AM the gate for the sheep & I AM the good shepherd

Let’s get some context

As we move to the next “I AM” statements, we’re going to look at both together as they are so closely linked, we need to read John 9 & 10. The statements are in John 10, chapter 9 provides the context for them.

In John 9 Jesus heals a man who was born blind. The Pharisees then interrogate the man, and his parents about this healing. There is a sense of curiosity and a larger sense of wanting to shut down the work of Jesus.

After interrogating the man they find Jesus, and as part of their conversation with Jesus we reach John 10, and His teaching on the good shepherd. Before we launch into this it is worth reading Ezekiel 34; a prophecy against poor shepherds and a promise for God to be Israel’s good shepherd. Take time to read Ezekiel 34.

In light of that chapter it strikes me that in this speech to come Jesus is telling the Pharisees who are present that they are like the bad shepherds of Ezekiel 34. As we think about John 9 the Pharisees were not concerned about the man's blindness, nor were they celebrating his healing. They were worried about what this might mean for their positions.

Each of us has responsibilities for, and to, other people. We need to be like the good shepherd, nurturing, caring, celebrating those we are responsible for. This may be family, co-workers, employees, friends; it is not restricted to church leadership, though that is a key example.

Personal Question

• Who are you responsible for?

• Pray for each one in turn.

• Ask God to help you shepherd well.

• Give thanks to Jesus for being your good shepherd.

I AM the gate for the sheep

The first of the two “I am” statements in this chapter comes in verse 7-10, in fact Jesus makes the declaration, “I am the gate” twice in these three verses.

“Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.””

John 10: 7-10

Often we can skip past this statement to verse 11 and “I am the good shepherd”, but it is worth considering this declaration. After all Jesus is telling us something of who He is. So what does it mean for Jesus to be the sheep gate?

The gate of the sheepfold provided access; access to the safety of the fold and the watchful protection of the shepherd. In ancient times the shepherd, having counted the sheep into the fold, would lie across the entrance of the fold. The shepherd would, in effect, be the gate. Jesus, already hinting at being the good shepherd, is talking about access to the Father, and about salvation. He is saying that those who come to Him find rescue, find protection, and find freedom.

When we come to Jesus we find the protection of the fold, the provision of pasture, and the freedom of life to the full. All of this because Jesus is the gate.

This then speaks to another “I AM” statement.

“Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.””

John 14: 6

We will look more closely in part two of this study, but we can see the similarity between this and our current “I AM” statement. Jesus is clearly the only way to the Father. This is a point Peter understood as he was brought before the high priest in Acts 4.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4: 12

The beauty of the sheepfold and gate is that the gate is the only legitimate way in. As sheep it is the only way in, sheep cannot climb the wall of the fold, they can only enter through the gateway as the shepherd leads them. Our only way to the Father is through Jesus, Jesus is the only way to be saved. This is freedom. There is one way, and only one way. This gives us the freedom to come to Jesus and be saved. It gives us the certainty and assurance that we are saved. If we could come to the Father, if we could be saved in a variety of ways, by climbing into the fold however we could, then we would not have the certainty and assurance of our salvation. We need to come through the gate. The gate, the single point of access is not restricting, it is freeing. It frees us to know life and know it to the full.

Personal Question

• Thank Jesus for being the gate.

• Come again to the Father, with praise for your salvation.

I AM the good shepherd

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

John 10: 11

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”

John 10: 14

Once again we can consider the Old testament in what Jesus is saying here. The good shepherd was prophesied about in Isaiah 40: 11, this was spoken as comfort to those in exile. We have already looked at the prophecy in Ezekiel 34, the shepherd imagery is also used in Ezekiel 37.

“My servant David will be king over them, and they will have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.”

Ezekiel 37: 24

All of this would have been familiar to the Pharisees Jesus was talking to. They would have heard Jesus’ words and been thinking about these prophecies. Jesus was saying to them “I am God”, this is what He is saying today. What will our response be?

Will it be this sort of doubting response,

“The Jews gathered around him saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.””

John 10: 24

Or the aggressive resistance of verse 31?

“Again the Jews picked up stones to stone Him.”

John 10: 31

In these reactions we see the truth of what Jesus has said - His sheep know His voice (verse 4). These are the responses of those who do not know His voice.

Or will we, like the disciples in John 6, respond by following Jesus:

““You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.””

John 6: 67 - 69

What does it mean for us that Jesus is our good shepherd?

At first glance we see a relationship, and sacrificial love from the shepherd to the sheep. From verse 14 there is a sense of knowing and being known. This is repeated in verse 27.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

John 10: 27

This is a two-way relationship. As the sheep we have the security of knowing Jesus’ voice, and being part of the flock (verse 16). We have the role of listening and following. Staying with the shepherd is good for the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life to the sheep.”

John 10: 11

We see this again in verse 15 and 18. Jesus is speaking of His coming act of sacrifice. The language used here resonates with that of Ezekiel 34, Jesus has pointed out that the Pharisees are the bad shepherds of that passage. He is now declaring that He is the good shepherd. He is, in fact, declaring that He is God. In speaking of laying His life down He is calling to mind the stories of David defending his flock and pointing towards the bigger sacrifice, the sacrifice He makes on the cross.

Jesus expands this image in verses 11-13; here He says that when trouble comes He is there for His sheep. He will never run away in the face of danger.

Not only that but the flock is expanding.

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one shepherd.”

John 10: 16

This verse, and the two that follow speak again of sheep knowing His voice, of the shepherd laying down his life. This sacrifice was always the plan, and the wider community of believers, the expanding of the flock beyond the nation Israel, was always the mission. If we go back to Genesis 1 we see this, after creating man in his own image God blessed them.

“God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number””

Genesis 1: 28

This is about making more image bearers. The call Jesus gives His disciples in Matthew 28 is the same - go and make disciples, make more image bearers. This is what Jesus is speaking of here as He talks about sheep not of this pen. He is saying to the Pharisees it’s not just you doing your thing anymore, this miracle (healing the blind man in chapter 9) was a foretaste of that, so get used to it.

Personal Question

• Thank Jesus for His sacrifice and for your salvation.

• Commit again to listening and following Him.

• Spend time listening; what is He saying to you today?