“I laid down my life so you could live. I defeated the arch-enemy of people. I’ve raised the dead, healed the sick, and fed the poor. You can read my full list @ www. HolyBible.org.” Lol.
The truth is that Jesus in the Book of John really said Who He is.
As a teacher for many years, I was trying to get my student to understand the importance to putting together the text, a good interpretation, and your point of view. In this research, The quotes are from the Gospel of John, but I have almost no words to add to this study that I found.
"The I AM sayings Of Jesus"
As we reflect on the whole
witness of the inerrant and infallible Scriptures, regarding the Person of
Jesus, we can see many elements and various passages that assert, affirm and
prove His divinity. For example, there are the Messianic prophesies, such as,
Ps.2:7,12, which speaks of Him as God's Son. Ps.110:1 declares Him as lord,
while Ps.45:6 and Isa.9:6 speak of Him as God. Then there are the didactic passages,
for instance, Jhn.1:1,14 speak of Jesus the Christ being the Word and the Word
also being divine (God), then becoming flesh [human]. Phil. 2:5-11 speaks of
Him being the "form of God" and Heb. 1;2-3; Col. 1:15 declare that
"He is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact representation of His
being and the image of the invisible God," while Heb. 1:8 boldly states
that He is God, and 1 Tim. 3:16 asserts that this God "appeared in a
body." We also have the narrative materials, such as, Mk. 2:27-28; Lk.
5:20; Jhn. 11:43-44, amongst many others, which testify that Jesus claimed
divine prerogatives. These include, redefining the Sabbath, forgiving sin and
raising the dead.! However, besides His own bodily resurrection, I genuinely
believe that it is in the "I am" sayings of Jesus that we are
presented with some of the clearest assertions, affirmations and proof of His
divinity. For in them we have the very words of Jesus concerning His "true
identity." Here we have the self-disclosure of the Incarnate God. It is
with the assistance of the Apostle John, who recorded the very words of Jesus
Christ as an eyewitness, along with other eminent theologians, that I seek to
present this truth.
I begin by stating that the
implicit intentions of the Apostle John, in writing his version of the Gospel
of Jesus the Christ, are to be found in Chapter 20 verses 30-31. There, John
clearly states, "Jesus did many more miraculous signs in the presence of
his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that
you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing
you may have life in his name. So, we see that John's aim is two-fold. Firstly,
it is revelatory, he seeks to reveal and demonstrate "that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God." Secondly, it is evangelistic, he wants people to
know the true identity of Jesus, so "that you may have life in his
name." Now, for the purpose of this essay, it is the initial aim of John
that I want to highlight. As we have seen, John is seeking to prove that "
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world" (4:42). And
in his attempt to do so he enlists the aid of many things. For example, the
statements of witnesses, such as John the Baptist (1:29, 32-36), the Samaritan
woman and villagers (4:39-42), Jesus (8:13-14), and God Himself (8:17;
12:28-30), accounts of the life, ministry and works of Jesus, including His
many discourses and His eventual death and resurrection. He also introduced, or
recorded, various miracles (signs) performed by Jesus, which are also recorded
in the Synoptic Gospels. However, it is he alone, of all the Gospel writers,
who that gives an account of the sermonic discourses of Jesus, which shed light
on the meaning of the message behind the miracles that took place. Hence John's
use of the Greek word `semeion` [sign], rather than simply `dunamis` [miracle].
Now, included in these sermonic statements are some of the "I am"
sayings, for example, "I am the bread of life" (6:35) and "I am
the resurrection and the life." The remainder of the sayings took place
during his verbal interactions with the people (8:12), the Pharisees (10:7, 9,
11), and His disciples (14:6; 15:1).
Another thing which I seek to
draw the readers attention to is the actual Greek words `ego eimi`, translated
(I AM). Leon Morris correctly states, "Jesus uses an emphatic "I
AM" to bring out important teaching about his person. In Greek, the
personal subject of the verb is not normally expressed: the form of the verb
makes clear what the subject is. But if it is desired to emphasize the subject,
then the appropriate pronoun may be used. What makes this so important in John
is that we find a similar usage in the Greek translation of the Old Testament.
There we find that the translators used the emphatic form of the speech when
they were rendering words spoken by God." He then goes on to say,
"When Jesus used the "I AM" construction he was speaking in the
style of deity." And, "There is general agreement among Johannine
scholars that this kind of language is a significant pointer to what John is
telling us about the person of Jesus." (1) In other words, when Jesus was
using the "I AM" construction he was indicating His divinity, and in
John recording His statements he was doing likewise.
Morris, also, correctly
observes that there are two groups within the "I AM" sayings. One
with the predicate and one without the predicate. Commenting on them he says,
"Both constructions are somewhat unusual, and the form a Johannine
distinctive." Quoting J.H.Bernard, he goes on to say, "This is
clearly the style of Deity...Its force could at once be appreciated by one
familiar with the LXX version of the Old Testament." (2) In examining both
groups of the "I AM" sayings, I would like to follow Morris's example
and present the former group first and the latter group second.
"I AM the Bread of Life"
The first of the notable
"I AM" sayings, in the book of John, is "I AM the bread of
life" (6:35). This was uttered in the discourse which followed the feeding
of the multitude. During the discourse, Jesus tells the crowd, "Do not
work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the
Son of Man will give you" (6:27). As He seeks to elicit their faith in
Himself, He is met with a challenge to "demonstrate His credentials."
(3) "What sign do you do that we may see and believe?", they ask. To
this they add, "Our forefathers ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
`He gave them bread to eat`" (v.31). They were obviously implying that
Moses gave them the manna, for Jesus goes on to correct their misunderstanding.
He states, "I tell you the truth, it was not Moses who gave you the bread
from heaven, but it was my Father" (v.32). To that He adds, "My
father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who
comes down from heaven" (v.33). By this, Jesus was not only implying that
God gave "bread from heaven" in the past and continues to do so in
the immediate present, but was also implicitly stating that He Himself is "the
bread of God come down from heaven" (v.33). "In apparent expression
of some stirring of spiritual desire they ask for this bread from heaven,
though how earth- bound their understanding remains will emerge as the
conversation continues." (4)
Now, it is in response to their
request that Jesus makes the astounding claim, "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" (v.35). This saying actually enshrines the essence of Jesus'
message. He is the answer to the needs of the human heart. "The bread of
life implies the fundamental, elemental role Jesus claims to fulfil in relation
to the yearning human spirit. For Jesus' bread was `the staff of life`, the
primary source of nourishment. But since bread is a basic food universally,
there is also the implicit claim that he fulfils this role for everyone. He is
(the Saviour of the world)" (5), and gives life to the world (v.33).
Morris, interestingly, points out that the definite article, before the word
bread, indicates the fact that Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the one who is the
bread of life. (6) While Milne states that, "the bread of life also points
to the satisfying nature of Jesus." (7) This is clearly seen in the
corollary, "never go hungry, and never be thirsty." All other bread,
like manna in the wilderness, leave a sense of dissatisfaction. The inner ache
is not assuaged: we hunger again. By contrast Jesus, once tasted, obviates the
need for further satisfaction. In conclusion, we contend that in the claim,
"I AM the bread of life," Jesus is making His heavenly origins known,
and the fact that He alone supplies the spiritual need of His hearers.
"I AM the Light of the World"
This is the second "I
AM" statement that is followed by a predicate. John has previously
informed us, in the Prologue, that the Incarnate Word was "the life,"
and "the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but
the darkness has not understood it" (vv.4- 5). He once again picks up the
light metaphor, and elaborates what he has previously said. John states that
Jesus made the claim, about being "the light of the world," and other
similar statements, on various occasions. For example, 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36, 46.
Although John does not actually identify exactly when Jesus maid the claim in
8:12, he does tell us where He made it. He gives the Feast of Tabernacles, and
the possibly the temple courts, as the backdrop to this eventful drama (7:14).
During the celebration of the
Feast of Tabernacles, two major religious, and highly symbolic, ceremonies took
place. The first was the out- pouring of water on the west side of the alter,
by the Levitical priests, as the choir sang the Great Hallel (Ps. 113-18). (8)
The second was the lighting of several large candels in the temple precint Jerusalem
So, with these verses in mind
and "in the context of such powerful ritual, Jesus' declaration must have
come with stunning force." (9) What is also stunning is the note of
universality about the claim. He is not simply the light of the Jews, but "the
light of the World." This reference to light is not just physical or moral
light. As Morris correctly points out, that when Jesus declared, "If
anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him"
(11:9-10), that the reference to the light not being in him, shows that we have
moved from physical illumination to spiritual truth. He then comments,
"Jesus is telling his hearers that those who reject him, who do not take
him into their lives are in grave danger." (10) By way of summary, we
contend that in each of the "I AM the light of the world" passages,
the main thought is that "Jesus is the only light and that people must
respond to the coming of the light by giving him a welcome and believing in
him. Apart from that they are lost eternally. That Jesus is the light of the
whole world and that people's eternal destiny depend on their reaction to him
tell us something very important about him." (10)
"I AM the Door"
The next "I AM"
saying of Jesus is found in the context of a disputive discourse with the
Pharisees. We see in chapter 9 Jesus healing the blind man, who is subsequently
excommunicated for defending Jesus and who eventually believes in Him
(vv.34-38). After this miraculous sign, and the subsequent ill treatment of the
former blind man by the Pharisees, Jesus contrasts Himself with the religious
leaders of His day, whom He terms as "thieves and robbers." This
contrast is dressed in the form of a "figure of speech" (v.6), which
consists of some very striking metaphors. For example, "sheep pen"
(10:1), "shepherd" (v.2), "watchmen" (v.3) and
"door", or, "gate" (v.3). Despite the vividness of the
metaphors, the Pharisees did not grasp Jesus' point (v.6). Therefore, Jesus,
seeking to explain His message and expand its meaning , not only elucidates,
but also amplifies and inter-relates the metaphors. For example, He now claims,
"I AM the door" (by which the sheep of the sheep pen enter) (v.7).
Previously, He spoke of Himself as "the shepherd" (v.2), which HE
will do again with a further modification (v.10).
What does Jesus mean when He
says "I AM the door."? In order to answer this, we may find it
helpful to remind ourselves that a sheep pen normally has one doorway, and that
the shepherds of the Near East often slept in
the doorway, acting as the door itself. Its is plain to see then, in order for
the sheep to enter the pen they would obviously have to enter through the
doorway, and metaphorically speaking through the shepherd. Thus in answer to
our question, we see that Jesus is saying He Himself, and no other, is the
means by which the sheep may enter into the promised fulness of life (vv.9-10).
For as Morris points out, "Jesus says He is "the door", not
"a door." There is something exclusive about "the" door. He
is saying that the way into life goes through him, and him alone. He is the
door." (11) This is further emphasized when Jesus says, "The thief
only comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life;
and have it to the full." "This is a proverbial way of insisting that
there is only one means of receiving eternal life, only one source of knowledge
of God, only one fount of spiritual nourishment, only one basis for spiritual
security-Jesus alone". (12) Jesus also said, "If anyone enters
through me, he will be saved, and go in and go out, and find pasture"
(v.9). Although He does not explain what He means exactly by "saved",
we can take it as meaning having "eternal life." For we find the two
concepts of being "saved" and having "eternal life" linked
in Jhn 3:16-17. Therefore, expositional consistency demands that we understand
a similar linkage here.
Thus in conclusion, as Morris
has so astutely observed, "once again we encounter the thought of an
exclusive salvation, exclusive in the sense that it can be entered only through
the door, Jesus Christ. If there is one door for all the race, then once more
we are reminded of something very important about Jesus. Like the other I AM
sayings, this one leads us to think of deity." (13)
"I AM the Good Shepherd"
The next I AM saying of Jesus
is closely related to the one previously discussed, in the sense that it is a
metaphor that has been used in the same "figure of speech", in which
we find "I AM the door." In chapter 10 verve 1, Jesus speaks of "the
shepherd." He now adds an adjective to the word shepherd, and makes the
claim "I AM the good shepherd" (10). Here again Jesus is contrasting
Himself with the religious leaders, whom He is speaking too, who are the
not-so-good-sheperds, or retaining the metaphor in the passage, "the hired
hand" (vv.12-13). That He is referring to the Pharisees, as the
"hired hand", is evident in verse 13. For there He speaks of the
hired hand as "not caring for the sheep." This is an obvious referal
to their harsh treatment of the former blind man.
When Jesus used the term
"the good shepherd", He is speaking of His intrinsic goodness, as
well as His moral rectitude and beauty. In His using the term
"shepherd", He is speaking of His position. He is the shepherd of the
sheep, He is the one who protects, leads, guides and nourishes the sheep. In
turn, the sheep are utterly defensive and totally dependant upon the Shepherd.
It is hard not to see an allusion to Ps 23, where the LORD is the Shepherd, who
protects, leads, guides and nourishes His sheep. Jesus is also referring to His
mission. For on no less than three occasions, He speaks of "laying
down" His life for the sheep (vv.15,17,18). The Shepherd, who protects the
sheep, now protects them to the point of death. The Shepherd now reveals that
He is also the sacrificial "lamb of God" (1:29,35), who willingly
lays down His life for the sheep. "The death of Jesus is no tragic
accident, but the divinely appointed way whereby salvation would be brought to
those who trust in Him." (14) It was not just for the "lost sheep of
the house of Israel
"I AM the Resurrection and the Life"
This particular I AM saying was
made to Martha, who's brother Lazarus had recently died. When Jesus told her
that Lazarus would rise again she took this to refer to "the resurrection
of the last day" (11:23-24). It is at this point that He makes this
explicit and astounding claim, "I AM the resurrection and the life; he who
believes in me , even if he dies, he will live, and everyone who lives, and
believes in me will certainly not die." (11:25-26). With this claim, Jesus
is not simply stating that He imparts resurrection and life, but that He Himself
is resurrection and life. As John said in his Prologue Jesus, (the Word), was
life (1:4). Morris notes, "That he is the resurrection means death, which
to us appears so final, is no obstacle, and that he is the life means that the
quality of life that he imparts to us here and now never ceases." (15)
This claim of Jesus is fully sustantiated in the following raising of Lazarus
from the dead (v.44).
In commenting on John's
recording of this incident, Morris powerfully states, "He is writing about
one who is supremely great and who has breathtaking superiority over death. It
is a comment to the human race that in the end we all face death and there is
nothing we can do about that. We may stave off death for a time, but when it
takes place it is final. John writes about a Lord for whom it is not final. He
is such a great person that even death gives place to him." (15) Surely
this claim of Jesus' has no place on the lips of an ordinary man, but can only
have place on the lips of Him who is divine.
"I AM the Way and the Truth and the
Life"
This is the next I AM saying,
to be addressed to those who have committed themselves to Jesus. On the eve of
the Lord's crucifixion, Jesus gives His `Kingly farewell speech`. He has just
instituted the Lord's Supper, (though John does not record this), and announced
His imminent departure (13:33,36;14:2-3). In conjunction to the announcement of
His departure, He adds, "You know the way to the place where I am
going" (14:4). To this, the perplexed disciple Thomas responds,
"Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the
way?". "He wants the position to be clear, and will not let our
Lord's word stand as though he understands them when he really does not. The
man's fundamental honesty stands revealed". (16) This provides Jesus with
the opportunity of expanding and elucidating what he has just said. Thus, He
replies, "I AM the way and the truth and the life". To which He adds,
"No-one comes to the Father except through me" (14:6), (italics mine).
Despite the controversy that surrounds these words, and the many forms of
translations and interpretations given, it is clear, by the the syntactical
structure of these words, that Jesus is saying three distinct things about
Himself. (The stress in the verse falls on "the way", since that is
the issue (v.5). However, the three terms, "the way", "the
truth" and "the life" are syntactically co-ordinate. Hence the
indication that Jesus is declaring three distinct things about Himself.)
First He says, "I AM the
way". Again, we see here an exclusivity which can not be denied, nor
overlooked. Since Jesus refers to going to His Fathers house (v.2), and that
"No-one comes to the Father except through me (v.6), we can see that He is
not speaking of a moral or ethical way, but the way of salvation. The way of
salvation leading to the Father. He is confidently stating that He is not one
of many ways to God, but "the" way. This astounding claim hits at the
heart of our pluralistic society and the syncristic philosophy that it dearly
subscribes and holds on to. With one fell swoop, He disintegrates mans false
notions of approaching God, and asserts His `uniqueness`. His substitutionary,
atoning death is closely linked with Him being "the way". For it is
through His death that God and sinners are reconciled.
Second, He claims to be
"the truth". This speaks of His utter veracity and reliability. All
that He has said, claimed and done can be both believed and trusted in, not
simply because He tells the truth, but because He is the truth. For He is the
Word of God that has become flesh (1:1,14). As Carson
Third, Jesus states that He is
"the life". This, as Morris correctly states, "takes us into the
same area as the saying, "I AM the resurrection and the life". (18)
Once again we observe Jesus associating very closely with life. "It is he
alone whose life is unique, self- existent like the life of the Father (5:16).
He is the life and the source of life to others (3:16)". (19)
We contend, then, that
"this comprehensive saying claims an exclusive position for Jesus. He is
the one way to God, he is thoroughly reliable, and he stands in a relation to
truth such as no one else does. The same, of course, is true of his relationship
to life". (20)
"I AM the True Vine"
Now we come to the final I AM
saying with the predicate. During the upper room discourse, Jesus twice makes
the declaration, that He is "the vine". On the first occasion He
links Himself with the Father, when He says "I AM the true vine, and my
Father is the gardener", or, "vinedresser" (15:1). On the second
occasion He links Himself with the believer, when He declares, "I AM the
vine; you are the branches", or, "vine canes" (21), and
"goes on to refer to the mutual indwelling of the Saviour and the saved
(15:5)". (22)
Many commentators have
indicated the connection between this declaration of Jesus' and the Old
Testament usage of the vine image. One of these is the noted theologian Bruce
Milne. In his commentary on the Book of John, which places the emphasis on
Jesus' mission, he states, "The image of the vine serves the `mission`
theme in two important ways. In the first place, it was the supreme symbol of Israel Rome
But the vine `is burned with
fire` (Ps. 80:16). Israel Israel Israel Israel
He then continues, "The
image of the vine has a second, less theological, pointer to mission. the vine
is an essentially utilitarian plant; it exists to bear fruit. W.
Temple eloquently portrays the fruit- bearing function of the
vine. `The vine lives to give its life-blood. Its flower is small, its fruit
abundant, and when that fruit is mature and the vine has become, for a moment,
glorious, the treasure of the grapes is torn down and the vine is cut back to
the stem`. This function is reflected in Jesus' stress on fruit-bearing
(explicitly in verses 2, 4-5, 8, 16). We should therefore beware of
interpretations of this passage which concentrate solely on our inward
relationship with the Lord. Its real thrust is the renewal of the mission of Israel
While I concur with Milne's
interpretation of Jesus being the fulfiller of God's missionary objectives,
i.e. the true vine, through His life, death and subsequent resurrection. I do
not whole-heartedly agree with his interpretation of I am the vine; you are the
branches. I would tend to agree more on the lines of Morris' argument when he
states, "the second saying emphasizes the vital contact with Christ. `He
who remains in me, and I in him`, says Jesus `this man bears much fruit, apart
from me you can do nothing` (15:5)." He continues, "it is an error to
suppose that in the energy of the flesh that we are able to do anything that
pleases God. For that we need the strength that he alone can supply. The
condition of fruitful in Christian service is vital contact with Christ...
Exactly what the "fruit" is is not explained, but usually in the New
Testament the word means qualities of Christian character (Matt. 3:8; 7:20; Rom.
6:22; Gal. 5:22 etc.) and we should see this as primary in mind here. (24)
When we consider that
"Salvation comes from God" (Jonah 2:9), and that Jesus the Christ is
appointed of God as "a light for the Gentiles", so that He may bring
God's "salvation to the ends of the earth" (Isa. 49:6), and that the
transformation of the believer is only possible by the work of the indwelling
Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9), and one's vital contact with Him (Jn 15:5). We can
see that this I AM saying, like the rest, indicates His deity.
by Adel Mohammed El Naggar (a former Muslim) also yo can read his testimony.
NOTES
1. Leon Morris, Jesus Is The
Christ (STUDIES IN THE THEOLOGY OF JOHN), pp. 107-8.
How can I pray for you?
Maria P
Awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! He is Awesome!!!
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