The Seven “I AM” Statements in the Gospel of John PART 1
A detailed analysis and examination
of Jesus’ seven “I AM” statements in the Gospel of John reveals His oneness
with the Father, incarnate nature, transcendent qualities, redemptive works,
connection to mankind, reception and rejection by the people and the Jewish
leaders.
Introduction
[“God replied to Moses, ‘I am who i am.
Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me
to you.’ God
also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your
ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent
me to you.
This is my eternal name, my name to remember
for all generations’ ” (Exodus 3:14-15).][1]
The Bible tells the story of
a man name Moses who had escaped the wrath of the Egyptian Pharaoh after
killing an Egyptian taskmaster for beating a Hebrew slave. He fled to a place
called Midian, got married and tended to his father-in-law’s flock.[2] One day, as he watched over
the flock, he saw the strange sight of a bush that was on fire but failed to
burn. Upon checking out this bizarre event, God called out to Moses from the
burning bush. Moses answered the Lord and was obedient to Him when God told him
to take off his sandals for, he was standing on Holy Ground.[3] The Lord informed Moses
that He was aware of the suffering of His children, the Israelites, and had
heard their cries for help. Therefore, God was going to respond, and Moses
would be the deliverer chosen to free God’s people to a prosperous land where
they would have plenty of milk and honey.[4]
Moses, feeling incompetent to take on such a task,
questioned God by asking, “Who am I?” He did not think of himself worthy to go
before the great Pharaoh on behalf of God to lead the Children of Israel to
freedom. But God reversed Moses’ question and instead of concurring with Moses’
self-doubt, God told Moses to tell the Children of Israel that I AM is who sent him and that He bears
that name forever.[5] So Moses’ “who am I”
question turned into God’s “that I AM”
confirmation, for just as Moses was watching over his flock, God had been
watching over the Children of Israel in Egypt. He had come to deliver them from
the Egyptian prey who sought to destroy their hope in Him being their Shepherd
as they thought that they had been abandoned by God. The Lord was about to
teach His children that He was their Deliverer, Provider, Protector, and
Redeemer – all the qualities of a Good Shepherd.
Similar
to the Moses’ story with God declaring that He was the “I Am,” the Gospel of John begins with describing Jesus as the Word,
who was with God in the beginning of creation, and exclusively records all of Jesus’
seven “I AM” statements used to
explain the divine traits of his Father being manifested through Him.[6] Just as the Children of
Israel were able to experience God’s unique care, provision and protection
while they were in the wilderness, Jesus came to show man that God has not
changed and that His love and concern for the human race is evident through His
wondrous works and sacrifice. Through Jesus seven I AM statements found in John’s Gospel, one will find that Jesus,
being identified with God, embodies the great love that man would never fully
understand of their Heavenly Father and yet, they experience it every day for
Jesus is and always will be the great I
AM.[7]
[1] Exod. 3:14-15 (New Living Translation)
[2] Exod. 2:11-23 (New International Version).
[3] Exod. 3:4-5 (New International Version).
[4] Exod. 3:7-8 (New International Version).
[5] Exod. 3:13-15 (New International Version).
[6] Jeannine K. Brown, "Creation's
Renewal in the Gospel of John," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly
72, no. 2 (April 2010): 276,
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/89161375?accountid=12085.
[7] D. A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo, An
Introduction to the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2009), 257.
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