In the book of John, Jesus declares his divinity in statements that begin with I am. If you remember, in the Old Testament God tells Moses , "I am that I am." The Jewish people would have understood the phrase "I am" as a name for God.
I Am The Bread Of Life
In John 6:35, Jesus declares, "I am the bread of life." Jesus has just finished the feeding of the 5,000 and the multiplication of the loaves of bread and the fish. Jesus tells his hearers that when their ancestors ate Manna from Heaven they still died, but Jesus tells them He is the very bread of Heaven come down to earth. Those who eat of this bread will never die. This statement was hard for many of His followers. So difficult in fact that many stopped believing.
I Am The Light
In John 8:12, Jesus announces, "I am the light of the world." This announcement is made just before the miraculous healing of the man born blind. Earlier, in the first chapter of John, John tells us that "God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all." Jesus shines a light in our darkness.
Jesus Is The I Am
When Jesus speaks to the Pharisees in John 8:58, there is little doubt in their mind what He is telling them. Jesus says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." The contrast between Abraham was and I am was not lost on the Pharisees. They knew Jesus was declaring Himself to be God incarnate.
I Am The Door
In John 10:7, Jesus describes himself saying, "...“Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." There is no entry into Heaven except through Him. Just as shepherds guarded the sheepfold with their own bodies, lying in front of the gate and only allowing in the sheep, so Jesus guards the path to Heaven allowing only those sheep who hear His voice to enter in.
I Am The Good Shepherd
In John 10:11, our Lord says that, "I am the good shepherd." Jesus is the loving, caring shepherd who would give His life for the flock. This phrase the Jewish people would have recognized from Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd."
I Am The Resurrection
Continuing on, in John 11:25, Jesus states, "I am the resurrection and the life." Jesus has just proven this statement by raising Lazarus from the dead. This is foreshadowed in Psalm 16:10 when David says, "For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."
I Am The Way
In John 14:6, we hear Jesus say, "I am the way, the truth and the life." Through Jesus alone man can find eternal life. His words are THE truth and He alone offers life eternal in the presence of God. In John 17:17, we are told "...your word is truth." This affirms what John has told us in the very beginning of his book, " In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
I Am The True Vine
In John 15:1, Jesus states, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." He goes on to say that no vine branch can bear fruit unless it is attached to the vine and bearing fruit is what we as Christians are all about.
I Am He
Finally in John 18, we read of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. In verses 4 -6 Jesus speaks to those who have come to arrest Him:
"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He.” And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. "
At the mention of the words of Jesus, "I am", the crowd fell to the ground, thus displaying the fact that Jesus held the power and the arrest only took place because He allowed it to.
Jesus Is God
Anyone who tells you that Jesus never declared Himself to be God simply has not read or understood the Bible. The book of John describes the many ways that Jesus is the "I AM". He is the bread, the light, the shepherd, the resurrection, the truth, the life , the vine - He is the great and holy "I AM' in whom we breathe and have our being, as we are reminded in Acts!
Enjoy Phillips, Craig and Dean singing The Great I Am!
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