The seven “I AM” statements of Jesus

God appeared to Moses as “I AM“ in Exodus 3: ¹³ Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 

Jesus showed how that mysterious name for God was revealed in Him. Jesus could say I am the bread of life; I am the light of the world; I am the gate of the sheep; 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, because He is eternally the Son of God.  Jesus was sent to earth as a human to demonstrate to people of all time the attributes of God. In His resurrected body He is at the right hand of God now serving as all believers advocate [1 John 2:1-2] and High Priest. Those who believe in Him “will be like Him” in our resurrected bodies (1 John 3:2).

1. John 6: ³⁵ Jesus said to them,“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. ⁴⁰ For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” ⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life.

To come to Jesus Christ and believe on Him means to receive Him within, just as you receive food and drink.

2. John 8: ¹² Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will have a life filled with light and will never live in the dark.”

 A glory and a light far greater than the one that shone in the first temple had come into their presence. Now it shines in splendor in the church.

3. John 10: ⁷ Jesus emphasized, “I can guarantee this truth: I am the gate for the sheep.

 Jesus is the way out of dead religion into eternal life.

4. John 10: ¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. ¹² A hired hand isn’t a shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep. When he sees a wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and quickly runs away. So the wolf drags the sheep away and scatters the flock. ¹³ The hired hand is concerned about what he’s going to get paid and not about the sheep. ¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd.  I know my sheep as the Father knows me. My sheep know me as I know the Father. 

The  good shepherd gave His life for the sheep.

5. John 11: ²⁵ Jesus said to her,“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? (ESV)

 Jesus guarantees eternal life to those who believe in Him.

6. John 14: ⁶ Jesus *said to him,“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

 Jesus answers 3 questions: 1. How can I be saved? He said, “I am the way“; 2. How can I be sure? He said “I am the truth”; and 3. How can I be satisfied? He said “I am the life”. (every believer has eternal life now and is assured of resurrection life in the future)

7. John 15: ¹“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.  ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Jesus is the vine and believers are the branches. The believer “who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Picture of the seven I AM statements: I Am statements

Warren Wiersbe and John Phillips commentaries provided great insight into this post. However, any error is my responsibility.

Henry Luke June 9, 2016