The I Am Statements of Jesus…
and some disciple-making implications…
The “I am” statements of Jesus found in the Gospels serve as windows revealing Jesus’ identity and mission. Each declaration contains indispensable truths about who He is, what He has done for His followers, who they are in Him, and the calling and mission for His disciples. While rich in self-identification truth, they are also embedded with theological truths about Jesus from the Scripture and the existential needs of His followers.
This is a quick overview of the significance of these rich declarations and their implications for the faith and understanding of those that want to follow Him. I hope to write more extensively about each of the I AM statements in the coming months.
The Significance of the Phrase “I Am” in Biblical Context
The phrase “I am” in the Gospels echoes its Old Testament roots, perhaps most notably in Exodus 3:14 where God reveals Himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM.” The eternal God of Israel links this divine self-identification to His Son Jesus, imbuing His words with profound theological meaning. When Jesus uses “I am,” He asserts His divine authority and mission, challenging the existing religious and cultural paradigms of the first century Middle East. Each of His ensuing statements unveils distinct aspects of His identity and purpose, bridging the Old Testament to the Gospels. His declarations provide insights into His divine nature and His role in fulfilling the Father’s redemptive plan and work for mankind with implications for how His followers are invited to follow in His way.
I Am the Bread of Life – Understanding Spiritual Food
In John 6:35, Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life,” inviting us to consider how He provides for our spiritual needs. Just as bread is a staple that sustains us physically, Jesus offers Himself as our essential sustenance for spiritual well-being. This statement speaks to the deep and enduring fulfillment found in an ongoing relationship with Him, contrasted to the temporary satisfaction of sterile religious or worldly pursuits.
It’s important to remember that just like our bodies need daily bread, so do our souls. Partaking of Jesus only through a prayer of salvation or even once a week in a Sunday worship service will not suffice. He intends much more for us. He does not just call us to be Christians, He calls us to follow Him daily with Him serving as our daily, moment by moment sustenance.
Just as we rely on food for survival, we are called to rely on Jesus for our spiritual vitality. Jesus uses bread during the Last Supper to remind us of His role in nourishing and sustaining us as His followers with His body that was broken for us. This metaphor reinforces that Jesus is the true source of spiritual sustenance and God’s tangible provision for those that place their trust in Him. It’s a call to follow Him daily and look to Him for your provision in your followership.
I Am the Light of the World – Jesus Dispelling Darkness
In John 8:12, Jesus proclaims, “I am the light of the world.” This statement vividly pictures His role in bringing clarity and hope amidst the world’s chaos and brokenness. Light is a powerful illustration of truth and guidance, contrasting with the darkness of sin and ignorance. Light dispels the darkness. By identifying as the light, Jesus declares His mission to illuminate our lives, obliterating the cold deadly darkness with God’s life giving truth.
Throughout the Gospels, people’s encounters with Jesus reflect this theme. He brings truth to the confused, hope to the despondent, and direction to those lost. Jesus’ light exposes the lostness of our condition while casting light onto the path of redemption and eternal life.
And as Jesus followers, we are encouraged to take in His light and reflect it back out by serving as beacons of hope and truth in a world in dire need of the Gospel.
There are many things that falsely offer light to the world. Our call as disciple makers is to help those lost on or off the path find their way to Him. We need to stay focused on the light and help others be illuminated by placing their faith in Jesus.
I Am the Good Shepherd – Jesus’ Care and Guidance
In John 10:11, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd,” invoking a profound image of care and responsibility. The shepherd metaphor is not as familiar to most of us today. But to His first century audience it spoke clearly about a relationship marked by love, guidance, protection, and sacrifice. Jesus’ role as the good shepherd reminds us of His unwavering commitment to leading those that respond toward spiritual safety, rest and nourishment.
In first century Hebrew culture, the vocation of a shepherd was considered lowly and disdained, because sheep are dirty and make their caretakers ceremonially unclean. By identifying Himself as the Good Shepherd Jesus declares His willingness to lay down His life for His sheep, foreshadowing His imminent sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. Unlike hired hands who might abandon the flock in times of danger, Jesus the Good Shepherd remains faithful, ensuring the well-being of each of His lambs. He willingly gets “dirty” for us.
First century Shepherds had an intimate knowledge of their sheep as they rested on the same ground under the stars at night. The shepherd’s constant presence provides protection and reassurance in times of danger or uncertainty. The shepherd imagery calls us to trust and follow Jesus with confidence and devotion because He is THE GOOD SHEPHERD. And as we seek to follow Him and be like Him, it calls us to patiently care for people and go out to seek the lost ones. A good shepherd cares for His sheep with a self-sacrificing presence.
I Am the Resurrection and the Life – His Power Over Life and Death
In John 11:25-26, during family members’ grief of Lazarus’ death, Jesus proclaims, “I am the resurrection and the life,” declaring His sovereign authority over life and death. This statement shifts the focus from sorrow to a profound hope, offering followers a transformative outlook on mortality and our temporality on this planet. Jesus’ power to rise from the dead signifies not just a future promise for the follower but a present reality, declaring that eternal life begins the moment we place our faith in Jesus.
This “I am” statement challenges us to take on a new paradigm of understanding death and eternity. Rather than seeing dying as an imminent end, Jesus invites us to see it as a transition to a reunion with our heavenly Father much like the leaving of our mother’s womb was a transition into mom’s warm embrace. Jesus’ own resurrection serves as the definitive evidence of His power over death and sin, providing bedrock assurance for our hope in Him. As we navigate our failures, sickness, disappointment and other trials of life, Jesus’ words offer a steadfast assurance that He holds the keys to eternal life, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail.
As disciple makers we point people toward true life and meaning in Him. We help them experience and know Jesus as Savior, follow Him as their Lord, and then become disciple makers as co-workers and His friends (see John 15:15, I John 2:8).
I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life – One Path to Salvation
In John 14:6, Jesus makes the declaration of: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” This statement underscores His unique and unparalleled role as the one and only road to eternal salvation. As “the way,” Jesus provides the sole path to reconciliation with God, guiding us toward spiritual wholeness and eternal communion with our Father. His designation as “the truth” affirms His embodiment as God’s ultimate reality, offering clarity in a world often clouded by lies, deception and uncertainty. Finally, by proclaiming Himself as “the life,” Jesus offers not just a continuation of our mundane existence but the opportunity to experience the abundant, transformative life marked by His presence.
This declaration challenges us to recognize the preeminence and sufficiency of Jesus’ role in our redemption and in our following Him as His disciples and disciple makers. It also confronts modern relativism and nihilism by declaring a definitive answer to humanity’s deepest spiritual questions; questions such as, who am I, why am I here, and where am I going.
Jesus invites us to trust in Him and His work, and calls us to a new way of living as His followers. By embracing this “I am” statement, we gain our direction in living into the abundant life He has for us; a life of Jesus centric disciple making. It gives foundation and veracity to the call He gives us as His disciples repeated five times in the Gospel and the book of Acts, to “go and make disciples” (Matt 28:10).
