Jesus the I AM

John 6:35, 41-51

Why did they kill Jesus?

Jesus was killed by crucifixion. It was a cohort of Roman soldiers who actually killed him with the permission of Pilate, the Roman governor at the time.

When Jesus was brought before Pilate by the Jewish leaders Pilate told them “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” In other words, he had broken no laws of the ruling powers but it was they that killed him.

Pilate couldn’t find anything to hold against Jesus but the Jewish authorities could. However, the Roman authorities would not let them carry out a death sentence. Instead,  they shouted out their demands to have Jesus crucified claiming that if Pilate let Jesus go then he was no friend of Caesar and that he would be a traitor to his emperor. Pilate gave them what they wanted and handed Jesus over to the chief priests with the sentence that he be crucified.

But why did they kill Jesus?

They killed Jesus because they decided he had committed the offence of blasphemy.  

The 4th Commandment is “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name”.  Despite this in our society most people couldn't care less about blasphemy.

Taking the Lord’s name in vain isn’t seen as blasphemy but just normal conversation, part of the usual vocabulary.

When I was school teaching and a child misused the name of Jesus Christ or of God there was little point in reprimanding them and asking them not to blaspheme. They had no concept of blasphemy. I took a different line. When a child misused the name of Jesus in my hearing I would respond by saying, “I’m sorry - you were praying?”

That confused them, of course so I would clarify by saying, loudly enough for those nearby to hear, “I’m sorry, I thought you were praying to Jesus.” Since they did not want anyone to get the idea that they prayed at all, this was usually enough to encourage them to be more careful.

There have been countless times I have heard people say, “O my God.” It’s pretty hopeless to try to discuss why that is blasphemy. When it’s convenient and someone says, “O my God” I ask them, “is he?” Most people just move on and repeat the blasphemy but I keep hoping others will be more thoughtful.

However, be more careful when it comes to other religions and in other countries.

According to Islam Blasphemy is the opposite of belief, just as darkness is the opposite of light. They have three types of blasphemy: (1) likening God to the creation; (2)contradicting the Qur’an or its teaching or the obligations such as prayer and fasting; and (3) denying the existence of Allah.

A court in Punjab recently sentenced Ehsan Shan, a Christian, to death accused of sharing defaced pages of the Qur’an on social media, seen as “hateful content” against Muslims.

A Nigerian atheist and outspoken critic of religion was sentenced to 24 years in jail after pleading guilty to blasphemy charges.

Over the past 14 years at least 52,000 Nigerian Christians have been brutally murdered at the hands of Islamist militants.  

In the same period 18,000 Christian churches and 2,200 Christian schools were set ablaze. Approximately 34,000 moderate Muslims also died in Islamist attacks.

In Australia if you are what Islam regards as a blasphemer the worst that will happen is that you will be labelled Islamophobic and perhaps break an Australian law which bans offending others.

To the Jews of his day Jesus said things which were regarded as blasphemy and was, under their law, deserving of death.

So what did Jesus say that was so offensive to the Jews but of no interest to the Romans?

In today’s passage we hear Jesus say, “I am the bread of life.”

When you go through John’s book you will find seven times where Jesus said “I am” like this. 

So, what’s the significance of Jesus using these words, “I am”?

Many years before Jesus the great leader and prophet called Moses was confronted by God and commissioned for the job of rescuing the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Moses was called by God when he appeared to Moses in a bush that was burning but not consumed.

Moses wondered how the people would react to him when he spoke to them claiming he was speaking on God’s behalf.

Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” Then what shall I tell them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ (Exodus 3:13-14) 

There is only one God. He is who he is. He is who he always has been. He is who he always will be. God simply is. God can say all that’s necessary when he says, “I AM”. God said to Moses tell them ‘I am’ has sent you.

In the light of the 4th Commandment Jews are very careful how they refer to God and have a number of names which are more descriptive of his nature than simple nouns or names but they would certainly avoid the name God himself gave himself: “I am”.

Under those circumstances it is extraordinary that Jesus referred to himself in the very same words God had used of himself. Yet he described himself as “I Am”, 7 times as recorded in the gospel of John. They are:

1. “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51). In this saying, Jesus establishes a pattern that continues through John’s gospel—Jesus makes a statement about who He is, and He backs it up with something He does.

He made this statement ust after He had miraculously fed the 5,000 in the wilderness. At the same time, He contrasts what He can do with what Moses had done for their ancestors: “Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.” 

The great leader and prophet, Moses, led the grumbling Israelites for 40 years as they wandered in the wilderness until they reached the promised land. God miraculously provided water and food on the way. You might remember that it was food with a very limited shelf life. I didn’t even last overnight except on the sabbath. Then the supply ceased when they reached their destination.

All the Israelites who left Egypt died before they got there, including Moses himself. 

Now God had provided another leader and prophet in Jesus, God who became a man by way of the miraculous virgin birth. Yes, they knew his mortal parents, Mary and Joseph, but now he was making clear that he was the immortal Son of God, come down from heaven to fulfil his Father’s will.

He says that he had come down from heaven with nourishment quite different to that which came with Moses. Unlike the bread that came through Moses which decayed overnight what Jesus supplies lasts eternally.  It is a special spiritual nourishment that Jesus alone can supply.

Jesus came down from heaven and brought with him the bread that gives life, eternal life. Here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.

(2) “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12; 9:5). This comes right before He heals a man born blind. Jesus not only says He is the light; He proves it. Jesus’ words and actions echo Genesis 1:3, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

(3) “I am the door” (John 10:7 and 9, ESV). This “I am” statement stresses that no one can enter the kingdom of heaven by any other means than Christ Himself. Jesus’ words in this passage are couched in the imagery of a sheepfold. He is the one and only way to enter the fold. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber” (verse 1, ESV).

(4) “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14). With this “I am” statement, Jesus portrays His great love and care. He is the One who willingly protects His flock even to the point of death (verses 11 and 15). When Jesus called Himself the good shepherd, He unmistakably took for Himself one of God’s titles in the Old Testament: “The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1).

(5) “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). Jesus made this “I am” statement immediately before raising Lazarus from the dead. Again, we see that Jesus’ teaching was not just empty talk; when He made a claim, He substantiated it with action. He holds “the keys of death and the grave” (Revelation 1:18, NLT). In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus showed how He can fulfil Yahweh’s promise to ancient Israel in Isaiah 26: “[God’s] dead shall live; their bodies shall rise”. Apart from Jesus, there is neither resurrection nor eternal life.

(6) “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). This powerful “I am” statement of Christ’s is packed with meaning. Jesus is not merely one way among many ways to God; He is the only way. Scripture said that “The very essence of [God’s] words is truth” (Psalm 119:160, NLT), and here is Jesus proclaiming that He is the truth—confirming His identity as the Word of God as we read in John 1:1, 14. Jesus alone is the source of life; He is the Creator and Sustainer of all life and the Giver of eternal life.

(7) “I am the true vine” (John 15:1, 5). This final metaphorical “I am” statement in the Gospel of John emphasizes the sustaining power of Christ. We are the branches, and He is the vine. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit unless it is joined in vital union with the vine, only those who are joined to Christ and receive their power from Him produce fruit in the Christian life.

There are two more even more startling “I am” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John. These are not metaphors; rather, they are straightforward declarations of God’s name, as applied by Jesus to Himself. 

The first instance came as Jesus responded to a complaint by the Pharisees. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus says, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58). The verbs Jesus uses are in stark contrast with each other: Abraham was, but I am. There is no doubt that the Jews understood Jesus’ claim to be the eternal God incarnate, because they took up stones to kill Him (verse 59).

The second instance of Jesus applying to Himself the name I AM comes in the Garden of Gethsemane. When the mob came to arrest Jesus, He asked them whom they sought. They said, “Jesus of Nazareth,” and Jesus replied, “I am he” (John 18:4–5). Then something strange happened: “When Jesus said, ‘I am he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground” (verse 6). Perhaps explaining the mob’s reaction is the fact that Jesus simply said, “I am.” Applying God’s covenant name to Himself, Jesus demonstrated His power over His foes and showed that His surrender to them was entirely voluntary (see John 10:17–18; 19:11).

Eventually the Jewish leaders came to the conclusion that Jesus was demon possessed and raving mad then, shortly after, as he continued to preach, Jesus said “I and the Father are one”. The Jews could take no more took up stones to kill him saying, ‘We are not stoning you for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.’

So we see the answer to my question, “why did thy kill Jesus?”

They killed him because he consistently claimed to be God and, for a mere man, this was blasphemy deserving death. 

In fact, it wasn’t blasphemy because it was true! Jesus correctly called himself “I AM”. He is, he was, always has been, always will be God who appeared in his creation for an important purpose.

Now we have answered the question, “why did they kill Jesus?” There is another question to answer, “Why was Jesus killed?” We know the reason they gave for killing Jesus but what did killing him achieve?

We know that Jesus declaration that he is God is true but yet they killed him. They killed him refusing to believe the truth that he is God. When he died he died as God himself taking away the sins of the world.

We also know that Jesus is God because he rose from the dead being the one eternal God.

We know why they killed him and we know why he was killed. He was killed for your benefit and mine.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world"

Jesus said, “I am the door” 

 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd” 

 Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life” 

 Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” 

 Jesus said, “I am the true vine” 

Jesus applied the name of God to himself

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Would you like some? Would you like to have the bread of life? Then respond to God’s invitation and come to Jesus. Believe in Jesus. Believe in Jesus means that you believe in God.

When they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’

Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’ (John 6:28-29)

Could it be more simple? What does God want you to do? The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.

Believe in the Lord Jesus.