I AM: Jesus' Claim

[Announcements/Summer Schedule]

So last week I was teaching us all about names and how important names are. And at some point I realized there’s a lot of you whose names I don’t actually know yet. So for my sake, just real quick, let me see if I can start working on getting to know all of your names. So when I point at you (And only when I point at you!!) please shout your name for me, and I’m going to do my best to remember it!

Ok so now let’s jump in…Next Slide

(Pause for Slide)

You know what’s interesting? I haven’t said a word about this yet…but someone of you immediately recognize it. Some of you probably have the music in your head right now…dun dun dun duuun dun-da-dun dun-da-dun…Do you guys all know what this is from??

(Shouts Answers)

Yeah, absolutely. This is from Star Wars. It's one of those things that’s so iconic, I don’t have to explain it. You just get it. Even if you’ve only seen one movie—or just watched your older cousin obsess over it—you recognize the theme. The music, the font, the vibe—it all points to one specific thing.

Here’s why I’m bringing this up: Sometimes you don’t have to say everything explicitly for people to understand what you’re saying. You can just allude to something, and the meaning is loud and clear. That concept, that’s important for us to understand as we jump into our lesson, because Jesus is going to do this same thing. He’s going to reference something, and all the people that are hearing him are going to realize what he’s alluding to. Next slide…

So let’s recap what we learned about last week because that’s going to come back into play today. Who remembers what we talked about??

(Answers)

Yeah…we learned that the God we serve actually has a name. YHWH. He said his name is I am who I am. And we talked about what that name means for us. He’s saying: I’m not created, I’m not dependent, I just AM. He’s present, faithful, eternal. Some 1,400 years after God speaks to Moses in the burning bush, Jesus shows up on the scene. And knowing all these things about God’s name, watch what Jesus does… Next Slide…

Jesus begins making these statements that start with the exact same phrase: I AM. To us today, it might sound poetic or even kind of mysterious. We might think Jesus was using a simile or a metaphor, or we might think these are just nice statements about Jesus.

But to the people listening back then? It was unmistakable what he was saying. He was calling back to the burning bush moment—the very name of God. They knew exactly what He was saying. They would have understood that Jesus was making a bold claim. He essentially showed up and said…you know the God we all serve? That God that did all those powerful things in the Old Testament…well I’m him.

Jesus makes 7 of these statements…technically he makes even more than that…but we’re going to look at 7 of them specifically that he makes in the book of John. He Says "I am the bread of life"..."I am the light of the world"..."I am the gate/door"..."I am the good shepherd"..."I am the resurrection and the life"..."I am the way, the truth, and the life"..."I am the true vine"

So besides the fact these statements all point to Jesus being divine, let’s look at each of these and see what we can learn…Next Slide

The Bread of Life…Let’s read these scripture quick. (Read Scripture from Slide)

This statement happens right after Jesus feeds over 5,000 people with just five loaves and two fish. He performs this miracle and the crowd is amazed and follows Him, and they’re hoping for more miracles or maybe just more food. Who doesn’t love free food. So Jesus seizes the moment to shift their focus from physical needs to spiritual truth. He reminds them of how God fed the Israelites manna in the wilderness during their escape from Egypt.

Just like the Israelites needed daily bread from heaven to survive, we also need spiritual food, food that only Jesus can give. Manna kept them alive in the desert, but it couldn’t give eternal life. Jesus says, "I am the bread of life" because He’s the only one who can satisfy our deepest hunger. He is our food. Next Slide

The Light of the World…Let’s read these scripture quick. (Read Scripture from Slide)

This statement was said during the Festival of Tabernacles, which was a Jewish celebration remembering the time the Israelites spent in the wilderness. One of the key traditions of the festival was lighting giant lamps in the temple, which reminded the people of the pillar of fire that led them at night.

Jesus declares He is the Light of the World right in front of those lights. He’s saying, just like the fire led your ancestors through the dark wilderness, I am the one who guides you through spiritual darkness. Jesus is taking these physical reminders and using them to point us to spiritual matters. Jesus is telling us that He’s how we see. Next Slide

The Gate…Let’s read this scripture quick. (Read Scripture from Slide)

So to understand this one, we need to know a little bit about shepherding. In Jesus’ day, shepherds would sleep across the entrance of the sheep pen at night—literally becoming the gate. This kept the sheep safe and kept predators out. There would be this fenced in, often sort of rocked off area…the sheep pen. And the shepard would lay right at the opening and so nothing could get in our out without the shepard knowing!

Jesus is saying He is the only entrance into a safe, abundant life with God. There’s no side door. He offers both access to God and protection from evil. He’s our way in. Next Slide

The Good Shepherd…Let’s read this scripture quick. (Read Scripture from Slide)

Shepherding was a common job, we actually read about lot’s of shepherds in the bible. David was a shepard. Moses was shepherding when he encountered the burning bush in Exodus 3. People were really familiar with what it meant to be a shepherd it. But it was also a statement that specifically connects to the Old Testament. Psalm 23 says, "The Lord is my shepherd," and God is often described as the shepherd of Israel.

So what Jesus is saying is, I’m the Shepherd you’ve been waiting for. You guys remember my Star Wars reference early? “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for”....Well Jesus is doing the exact opposite. I am the shepherd you’ve been looking for! But not only that—He says the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He’s not a hired hand who bails when danger shows up. He’s the one who sacrifices Himself for His flock. He’s our protector. Next Slide

The Resurrection and The Life…Let’s read this scripture quick. (Read Scripture from Slide)

Jesus says this to Martha after her brother Lazarus dies. The people believed in a general resurrection "at the last day" So Martha is looking towards the future when “One day” she’ll see her brother again. But Jesus brings that future hope into the present. Jesus is saying, resurrection isn’t just an event that happens one day—it’s a person. If you believe in Him, death doesn’t get the last word. This ties back to how God has always been the one who gives life—from the very beginning. Jesus is our victory. Next Slide

The Way, The Truth, The Life…Let’s read this scripture quick. (Read Scripture from Slide)

Jesus says this during the Last Supper, right after telling His disciples He’s going to prepare a place for them. One of his disciples, Thomas says, “Lord, We don’t know where you’re going.” And this was how Jesus responded…by saying He Himself is the way.

In the Old Testament, the "way" was another way of talking about walking in God’s path. Truth was tied to God's Word, and life came from God alone. Jesus is claiming He embodies all of that. He’s not a messenger of truth—like some of the other prophets…but He IS truth. He doesn’t just show the way—He IS the way. He’s how we get there. Next Slide

The True Vine…our last one for tonight. Let’s read this scripture quick. (Read Scripture from Slide)

In the Old Testament, Israel is often called God’s vine. That’s another reference people would have picked up on. In the OT, it usually referred to how Israel failed to bear good fruit. Jesus flips the script.

Jesus is saying, I’m the true vine. The vine that never fails. And If we stay connected to Him, we will bear fruit that lasts. He’s the source of all growth. In this same passage he even says without him, we can do NOTHING. He’s our source. Next Slide

Now this is where it all sort of culminates. Jesus has this mic drop moment. He’s talking with the pharisees and their questioning how he could claim knowledge about Abraham, who lived centuries earlier. Then Jesus drops the bomb: “Before Abraham was, I AM.”

This is not just Jesus claiming to pre-date Abraham. He’s using the divine name—I AM—YHWH, the same name God gave to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3. His audience knew exactly what He was saying: He was claiming to be God Himself.

So They picked up stones to kill Him. Why? Because they knew exactly what He was claiming. He was calling Himself God. Not just a good teacher—not even just a miracle worker. God in the flesh. Which is what we would call blasphemy…if it weren’t true. Except it was! Next Slide

But Wait!...There’s more! Jesus makes a bunch of claims about himself. When God told Moses that his name was I AM, he was revealing part of his identity. And Jesus is doing the same with all these I am statements. He’s telling us exactly who he is. All of these statement point us to Jesus’s divinity. From the very beginning, Jesus has been and still is God. And that should give us confidence in him. So we’re gonna talk about all of this connects with us in Small groups…Next Slide