Jesus and “I AM”

It has often been said that if you don’t at least have a basic understanding of the Old Testament you won’t understand the New Testament. In our text this morning we have one of those moments. Jesus throughout the Gospel of John has made statements not only making Himself equal with God, but actually making Him God.

This of course was anathema to the scribes and Pharisees as we’ve seen. When we read in the Gospels that Jesus says, “I AM…” He is echoing God’s name signifying God’s eternal existence.

More specifically it expresses God’s self-sufficient being; while creation depends on Him, He depends on nothing and no one for His existence. The name carries with it a dynamic meaning literally translatable as “I will be” - indicating God becomes whatever His people need in any given moment, refusing to be confined to predetermined roles.

Jesus appropriated this divine identity throughout the Gospel of John. He used the same phrase, echoing God’s self revelation to Moses claiming the same eternal and self-existent nature. His “I am” sayings — describing himself as bread, light, gate, shepherd, resurrection, way, truth, life, and vine — reveal His character and mission while directly connecting to God’s divine name.

So that’s the “I AM” statements. Let’s dive into this chapter and look at when Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd.”

This passage gives us four distinct imperatives from Jesus, so are you ready? Here we go:

1. Recognize

Our first distinct imperative here is to recognize the distinct voice that is speaking to us. We can think all the way back to when Adam and Eve were hiding because they heard the sound of God walking in the garden and they were ashamed.

Adam and Eve not only recognized God’s voice, they recognized the sound of his walk in the garden! Think about that. I remember in the house I grew up in we learned to recognize who it was by the sound of their walk, or the way they came down the stairs. When you know people well, you can often identify them from a distance just by the way you see them move.

Jesus reminds us that His sheep know His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name.

John 10:3–4 ESV

The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

You and I need to learn to recognize God’s voice.

How do we do that?

Spend time with Him. Spend time in His Word. Spend time watching Him. Spend time thinking about HIm. Spend time talking to with Him.

As you do this, you’ll learn to be attentive and discerning His voice of truth from other voices of deception. This discernment leads to spiritual growth and security.

Once we’ve recognized Jesus’ distinct voice speaking to us, we can rejoice.

2. Rejoice

Rejoice in Jesus’ Provision.

Jesus speaks of Himself as the door for the sheep. In the days of Jesus, shepherding was a well known though not highly esteemed vocation.

John 10:7–10 ESV

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

In the hills and sometimes just outside cities there would be pens either natural in rock formations or man made. These pens were used to protect the sheep from wandering and from predators. Jesus uses this as an illustration of what He does for those who follow HIm.

If you can imagine a pen with just one small opening. What would happen then is that the shepherd would herd his sheep into the pen, and then he or she would literally be the gate, lying in that opening. Thus, physically becoming the door to the pen protecting the sheep and keeping them safe.

Then in the morning, the shepherd would call to His sheep and lead them to pastures to graze, and safe still water to drink.

Just as the shepherd provides nourishment and protection for his flock, our Lord Jesus provides spiritual nourishment and protection in our lives.

This is very different than the worldly distractions. They pull us away from what God would have for us. Jesus says it so clearly in verse 10, when he says, John 10:10

John 10:10 ESV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

So, we RECOGNIZE Jesus Voice, REJOICE in Jesus’ provision, then we

3. Rest

We REST in His sacrifice.

Remember that image of the shepherd lying in the door of the pen enclosing the sheep. This is not a place of comfort, it is a sacrifice to lay there during the night. It’s not a restful place of rest for the shepherd, but knowing the shepherd is watching the sheep rest peacefully.

If you think about your roles as parents taking your kids out camping or travelling you were protective.

I remember well sleeping under the stars on a starlit night at Lake Chelan. The day had been filled with inner-tubing, waterskiing, swimming, and water fights. All the good fun that can be had on a lake.

Finally getting into bed about 11pm, the kids were already down for the night. All of us, adults and kids, were exhausted from a great day on the water and easily drifted to sleep.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!” the scream cut through the night and echoed over the lake. Every shepherd leader was instantly wide awake and ready to take on whatever it was that had Joe who was sitting bolt upright in his sleeping bag. “Joe, Joe! Are you alright?” Joe was apparently still sound asleep, he sleepily turned toward the voice asking the question. “Huh? Yeah.” And quietly laid back down and instantly went back to sleep.

Needless to say the leaders didn’t fall asleep quite so quickly. Our hearts were racing 90 miles per hour from the jolt of adrenaline that instinctively injected itself into our systems.

Why? We were protective, we’d made a commitment to God, to ourselves, and to their parents to protect these kids. We loved them — but not near as much as Jesus loves us.

Those kids, including Joe, were able to sleep peacefully and trustfully because of their trust in us. We too can trust in Jesus unwavering devotion to His flock, and that should motivate us in following Him.

So, when we RECOGNIZE Jesus distinctive voice, REJOICE in Jesus’ bountiful provision, and REST in Jesus sacrifice, then we are prepared to fully RESPOND.

4. Respond

RESPOND to His call. We are not called by some distant and ethereal God way out there somewhere.

No, we are called to the personal and intimate relationship with Jesus who knows each of us by name. There is a unique bond between Jesus and His sheep (His followers). There is a bond of love there.

Do you remember in High School, perhaps you were in a math class or a history class and you asked, “Why do we have to know this? What difference does it make?”

Perhaps you ask the same thing about these lessons from the Gospel of John, so first let me say, “Good for you.” We should ask what difference it makes.

Jesus makes all the difference in the world. Unless you believe, as some do, that this life is all there is and then we just become worm food and dust never to pass this way again.

That is the antithesis of what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that you, each one of you is valuable, and valuable beyond measure. You are so valuable in God’s eyes that He would die for you. That Jesus would lay down His life for you and do so voluntarily, not because He was coerced he does so on his own accord.

John 10:14–16 ESV

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

One of the things I love about going to Christian conferences like the Men’s conference is great teaching and it is meeting other Christians living their lives in their own contexts. There is a thing we do as people that can be a huge negative in our lives but it can also be an incentive. We tend to compare ourselves to others. When we meet other Christians who are seeking to live their life out in relationship with Jesus it is an encouragement and a challenge for us to try and do the same.

As Jesus invites us into that relationship. The question throughout the Gospel of John to us is right here. Are we responding to Jesus invitation to that life abundant?

As Christians we are called to cultivate our ability to

RECOGNIZE hear the voice of Jesus in our everyday lives.

REJOICE the provision and protection that Jesus gives to us.

REST in the sacrifice Jesus has made for each of us so that we do not have to earn our relationship with God.

RESPOND to Jesus call of love to love Him and to love others in our lives.

In our passage today we see the contrast between Jesus as the Good Shepherd and those who come to the sheepfold for their own gain. He emphasizes our need for discernment and to be able to recognize the difference between his guiding voice and the competing voices in this world.

We are called actively pursue intimacy with Christ through prayer, Scripture, and community, so that we may respond to Jesus call with trust and obedience.

This process transforms our thinking and our lives as we seek out Jesus and directs us into the life abundant that Jesus promises. As we live these lives we will attract others into the fold as well as we bear witness to the goodness of God.