Jesus-I AM
By Micky Galloway

In John's gospel, during an exchange with the Jews, Jesus said, "For except ye believe that I am (He), ye shall die in your sins." (John 8:24) The terms by which Jesus is called are important with reference to His person. In John 8:24, the word "He" is placed in parenthesis or italicized, meaning it was supplied by the translators. If we leave out what the translators inserted, Jesus literally said, "For except ye believe that I AM, ye shall die in your sins." This is in keeping with the overall context, for in verse 58 Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was born, I AM." Jesus affirmed the eternity of His being, just as His Father did in Exodus 3 when He commissioned Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. John records many such "I AM" statements to identify the person of Jesus.

In John 6:35, we read, "Jesus said unto them I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst." Evidently, many of the Jews to whom He spoke did not understand or appreciate what Jesus said. In fact, according to verse 41, they "murmured against him" because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." They had difficulty understanding for at least three reasons:

  1. They were prejudiced;
  2. They were carnal-minded; and
  3. They insisted on giving a literal interpretation to figurative statements.

Earlier in the chapter, we note that Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 with five barley loaves and two small fishes. Afterward, many sought Him, but He knew what was in their hearts and said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, 'Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled.'" (John 6:26) They were concerned about physical food for their bodies, but Jesus sought to show the greater value of spiritual food for their souls; of this food, they could eat without hungering again. Jesus is that life-giving and life-sustaining bread to whom we must go in order to have life. Just how do we come to Him who is the bread of life? The rest of the chapter explains this figurative expression. In verse 45, we learn that in order to come to Him we must be taught. In verse 63, He said, "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life." In verse 68, we learn that Peter understood, for he said to Jesus, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." His words and His truths constitute the spiritual food He offered as meat to sustain us. Christ is the bread of life who gives and sustains life; we approach the bread of life through learning and heeding His inspired words of life.

John 8:12 says, "Again therefore Jesus spake unto them, saying, 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.'" Then once again in John 9:5, just prior to healing the blind man, Jesus said, "When I am in the world, I am the light of the world." In John 1:4-5, the apostle said of Jesus, "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not." What did Jesus imply when He said, "I am the light of the world"? In one sense, He occupies the same place in the moral and spiritual realm that the sun occupies in the natural and physical realm. If the sun were suddenly darkened, leaving the earth deprived of its light and heat, life on earth would cease to be.

In the same way, there can be no spiritual life outside of Christ who is light and in whom there is life. Light enables us to see clearly. In the Scriptures, light indicates knowledge. Thus, the Psalmist could say, "The opening of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." (Psalm 119:130) This is the reason 1 John 1:7 exhorts us to "walk in the light." He who walks in the light conducts himself according to our Lord's teaching, as set forth in the New Testament.

For a world in the darkness of ignorance, Christ is the light. His word can remove the darkness of ignorance and provide the light of knowledge. For a world in the darkness of sin, Christ is the light. Through His blood, sinners can be redeemed. For a world in the darkness of death, Christ is the light. In Him, those who are dead in trespasses and sins can be made alive. But in each case, one must learn and obey the will of Him who is the author of eternal salvation to those who obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).

In John 10:7-9, John wrote, "Jesus therefore said unto them again, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture.'" This very simple metaphor is full of meaning. In verses 1-5 of the chapter, Jesus told the parable of the sheepfold; even in these verses, we see the door's importance. In verse 1, we learn that the door is the means of entrance into the sheepfold, and he who strives to enter by another way is a thief and a robber.

This parable seems simple enough to understand; however, according to verse 6, the Pharisees to whom Jesus spoke, did not understand what He said. Their problem was not a lack of intelligence. They lacked sincerity. They were prejudiced, probably one of the worst diseases that afflicts souls. In verse 7, Jesus further explained, "I am the door of the sheep." A door presumes a within-and-without relationship. Those who have not entered by the door--through Christ--are outside the sheepfold--the realm of salvation. Jesus said, "I am the door." Abraham, Moses, John, or any of the righteous prophets never made such a profound claim. There is only one door that accesses the Father; Jesus is that door. He placed Himself between the whole human race and true blessedness. The esteem associated with being "the door of the sheep" belongs only to Christ. He is the door through which the spiritual sheep are admitted to divine pasture, divine security, and to a divine society. No other figure of speech more vividly portrays man's need for Christ, and consequently the necessity of obeying the Lord so we can be admitted into God's family.

In John 10:11 Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep." In verse 14, He said, "I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me." In these verses, Jesus gave and then explained the parable of the sheepfold. This presents a shepherd-flock relationship, and in the metaphor used here, Jesus portrayed Himself as the shepherd of the flock. In our society, it is hard for us to appreciate the role of an eastern shepherd. Their work was demanding. They were exposed to the elements--heat and cold. At times, they encountered wild beasts, such as wolves, lions, panthers, and bears; occasionally, their lives were endangered by robbers. Shepherding was not a job for a hireling whose sole interest in it was how much he could earn for himself.

As Jesus called Himself the "good shepherd," He intended for us to learn more than just eastern shepherding customs. He was speaking of His own death during which He would lay down His life for the sheep. In John 10:16-18, He said, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and they shall become one flock, one shepherd. Therefore doth the Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one taketh it away from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment received I from my Father." There would be one fold and one shepherd. Furthermore, this one fold would include other sheep, in addition to those of Jewish nationality. This one fold would consist of both Jews and Gentiles, united together and heeding the voice of the good shepherd.

John's gospel serves as an introduction to the book of Acts, where we see these promises fulfilled. In John 19, we read of the crucifixion of Christ, the good shepherd, as He literally gave His life for the sheep. In Acts 2, we read of the establishment of Christ's church, which at first consisted of Jews only and was later extended (in Acts 10) to include Gentiles. In Acts 20:28, Paul referred to the "church of the Lord" as "the flock, ... which He purchased with his own blood." In the New Testament, there is indeed one fold, consisting of Jews and other sheep--Gentiles. There is one shepherd, Jesus Christ. Those who make up the sheepfold are they who have heard the shepherd's voice through gospel preaching, and followed through in humble obedience to His will.

In John 11:25, Jesus said, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live." The context of this particular "I am" statement is John 11:1-24. Two sisters, Mary and Martha, and their brother, Lazarus, lived in Bethany. They sustained a close friendship with Jesus. On one occasion, while Jesus was away, Lazarus became critically ill, and his sisters sent for Jesus. Jesus did not arrive until after Lazarus died, and was buried. As Jesus drew near to Bethany, Martha and Mary received news that He was coming. Martha went out to meet Him, and Jesus said to her, "Thy brother shall rise again." (verse 23) Much faith was evident in Martha's reply; she said, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life" (John 11:24-25).

In identifying Himself as "the resurrection and the life," Jesus declared that He is the giver of life. In John 5:28-29, we learn that in the last day, when Jesus returns, all the dead will hear His voice and come forth, some to the "resurrection of life," and others to the "resurrection of judgment." Though Jesus raised Lazarus from physical death declaring, "Lazarus, come forth," (John 11:43), in verse 25, He was referring to His power over spiritual death. This is evident from His statement, "He that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die." (John 11:25-26) Those who are spiritually dead, or "dead through your trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1), can be made "alive together with Christ" (Ephesians 2:5).

In John 14:6, Jesus said to Thomas, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me." In the preceding verses where Jesus spoke of the many mansions in His Father's house, He said to the disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you." Then He made them a promise saying, "I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, (there) ye may be also. And whither I go, ye know the way." In John 14:5, "Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; how know we the way?" It is most likely that Thomas was wondering where on earth, or in what earthly city, existed the royal home to which the Messiah was about to depart. However, as Jesus said in John 18:36, His kingdom is not of this world. When He talked about going to His Father's house, He referred to Heaven, the place where God, His Father, was. Jesus is the way to heaven! Being "the way," He is the medium through which we access the Father. Paul vividly taught this in Ephesians 2:18, "For through Him we both have our access in one Spirit unto the Father." Being "the truth," He stands opposed to all falsehood. Being "the life," He is its author and source and has the authority to state the conditions upon which life is to be attained. Please note the sobering statement following His claim to be the way, the truth, and the life; He said, "No one comes to the Father but by Me." You will never find a statement narrower than this, and it was uttered by Jesus the Christ.


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