Jesus is who He says He is (John) - 01/19/20
What do we know?
So far in the Gospel of John (1-8), we have established why Jesus is here, who he is, and the authority He has. He is God. We get to look at Jesus’ ministry and scripture in the rearview mirror. What we are reading in John has already taken place. Theologians have had many years to study through the words and cultural meanings and challenges of scripture. Archeologists have uncovered hundreds of artifacts from the time of Christ which we read about in scripture. Historians have validated names and happenings from the Bible through non-Biblical sources.
These are fantastic things! However, Jesus’ identity as God and man is crucial to the gospel narrative and no antique plate or unearthed crucified heal bone can show this. John’s gospel puts on full display, time and time again, the truth of Jesus’ identity as God and as man. He is Lord, Savior, and Redeemer.
The Big Idea: Jesus is who He says He is
Would you claim to be something you weren’t if the penalty for doing it would be death? Think about it like this. Would you walk into a police station as say, “I am a murderer and should be put to death for my crimes!” if you never even harmed anyone? I hope not. I wouldn’t. People would think something was seriously wrong with you if you did this.
What do you think was going through the minds of the people when Jesus did just this thing? Well, there wasn’t a police station, or murder, or even a crime. But what Jesus did was say He is God. There are only 2 results that can come from this - He’s telling the truth and is God or He is lying. If Jesus wasn’t God and was lying, then He was a blasphemer, which is punishable by death. This is what the Pharisees kept accusing Jesus of doing (John 10:33, Matthew 26:65, Mark 14:64, Luke 5:21).
Before Abraham was, I AM
“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ ” (John 8:58 ESV)
John’s gospel writing leaves us with no way to say Jesus never claimed to be God. Skeptics would say different. They would say, “Jesus never literally said ‘I am God’ so why do you keep claiming he is?”. Well, because He did. John 8:58 tells us “Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ ” This caps off Jesus speaking at the temple and chiding the Jewish leaders for not believing in Him. The accusations they give to Jesus and His responses about knowing the Father seem to escalate to this point in order for them to understand. Understand they don’t, but they know exactly who Jesus is talking about.
Is “I AM” sounding familiar to you. I hope so. But if you need a little help, let me jog your memory.
In Exodus 3:13–15 we read, “Then Moses said to God, 'If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?' God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’' God also said to Moses, 'Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.’ “
When Jesus tells them “before Abraham was, I am”, He is telling the Pharisees He is the living God. He’s not just saying “before Abraham was, I am” to purposely upset them. He’s making a declaration of truth! They wouldn’t listen to what He has said up to this point but He knew this statement would resonate. What the Pharisees would hear is what they already knew from what Moses experienced and wrote.
We as people like to be validated by hearing something, preferably good, about ourselves. Jesus isn’t doing this for His sake, He’s doing it for theirs (and ours). John’s gospel records Jesus claiming His deity many times. There are seven times, seven statements, Jesus uses to describe Himself that we only get from John.
I Am the Bread of Life
“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’ “ (John 6:35 ESV)
Bread was a core part of the diet in Israel, as well as other places in the world throughout history. They didn’t have the options we have today to quickly get food. When they prepared food it came from what they could grow and harvest themselves. They knew the necessity of bread to their lives.
The Jewish community would also know from scripture of what their ancestors ate while in the wilderness. God provided manna for them which they would turn into cakes and bread. They did this for forty years. Now, they did not always like eating the manna during those forty years (Numbers 11). They would get tired of it and want some meat to eat. But think about what they would have if God did not provide it? They’d have nothing.
Jesus saying He is the bread of life obviously isn’t about food. And it really isn’t about Him turning into food. In verse 33, we get His meaning when He says, “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” When God provided manna in the wilderness, it came down out of the sky, from heaven. Jesus may have been born to become man but He came from heaven. He is the one who gives life to the world.
I Am the Light of the World
“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ ” (John 8:12 ESV)
Think about a time you were in absolute darkness. Not in the metaphorical sense but in actual darkness. No light whatsoever. What could you see? Nothing. Absolute darkness is something we can be challenged to think about or picture in our minds. We have the ability to light up most any place we are. Even our phones have a flashlight on them. We have the ability to use a light to see where we are going and find things in the dark.
Jesus is telling us in John 8:12 that He is the light and can bring anyone out of the darkness. The sin we have, we are told, keeps us in the dark. We equate sin to darkness because we do not want it revealed to anyone and be seen. We can think if our sin is not known or seen then it doesn’t exist. But like a LEGO brick on the floor that your bare foot steps on in the dark, you understand sin that may be unseen does exist and is not painless.
All the things we do are known to God. A funny but not funny statement some people say is “Only God can judge me”. It is said in the context of “Who are you to judge or criticize me? You aren’t perfect. You have flaws.” It is true that we aren’t perfect, nor flawless. Only Jesus was flawless. The light He brings to our lives, and to the world, exposes all that we are.
Nothing is hidden in Jesus’ light. When we give ourselves to Him, that light makes our darkness go away. Light and darkness don’t exist together. It’s either light or darkness. Without Jesus, darkness is all you have. With Jesus, the light shows us all of our imperfections and we can see all the things, the sins, that Jesus carried onto the cross for us.
I Am the Door
“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.’ “ (John 10:7–9 ESV)
There are examples in the Bible which we don’t immediately relate to when they are used. This is one of them. Yes, we know what sheep are, and we have a good idea what shepherds do. You may be thinking, “I know what a door is. I have, like, 10 of them in my house. There are three that let us go in and out of the house.” This is where we need an understanding of what Jesus is talking about to grasp the magnitude of what He is saying.
The door Jesus is referring to here is the door into the sheepfold. A sheepfold is an area where the sheep are kept that was typically surrounded by rock walls. This kept the sheep in, but also worked to keep predators out. The people Jesus would have been speaking to during this time would know what a sheepfold is and its significance.
There was one way into the sheepfold - the door. This door was simply an opening. It wasn’t a big, thick wooden slab or metal gate you would close. The sheepfold was only protected by a person guarding this opening. The person guarding the sheepfold determined what, or who, got in. So guess what the sheepfold symbolizes? Dwelling with God in His Kingdom. This means Jesus is the one who determines who gets in and who doesn’t.
Jesus is exclusive. To say otherwise is to avoid the entirety of scripture. We hear in Luke 13:24, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Not many doors but door, Singular. “That’s not fair!” Is a common response to what Christianity says about salvation. If Jesus Himself did not say it, then it would be some made-up way for us to be exclusive. But Jesus said it. Jesus also said to love your neighbor. By this your neighbor could come to know Jesus and He can call them to Himself.
I Am the Good Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 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.” (John 10:11–15 ESV)
Shepherding could seem like a boring job compared to jobs we can have today. Engineer. Astronaut. Gamer. Instagram influencer (just kidding). If you are an animal lover though, think about spending all your time taking care of the sheep in your care. It wouldn’t be just a job. Being a shepherd would define you.
We get to see the guiding and loving nature of Jesus as the Good Shepherd in Psalm 23:1-3. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”
Listening to Jesus say He is a shepherd makes sense, doesn’t it. He is God and He wants to take care of those who have been given Him to care for. Reading the passage in John 10:11-15 gives us a sense of Jesus’ relationship to us. He knows us, we know Him. He’s not just some guy doing a job, like the hired hand, then clocking out and going home. The sheep are cared for all day, everyday, around the clock. But if a time came that the sheep were threatened, the shepherd, a true shepherd, would put Himself in the way to the point of sacrificing His life.
Jesus as the Good Shepherd defines both a true guide and a protector that would sacrifice what he has been given. Both of these roles care for people. All those the Father gave to Jesus cannot be taken from Him (John 10:29).
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.’ ” (John 11:25–27 ESV)
Lazarus is dead. Something happened to him where he got sick and died. It happens. We are saddened by death but we know it is a part of life. But what if Jesus was your friend? I don’t mean like a shirt that says “Jesus is my homeboy”. I mean you have spent time with Him. You’ve eaten meals with Him. You truly know who He is. You know His power.
We see in John 11 something incredible. “Of course we do”, you may be thinking because of the miracle Jesus does. Yes, the miracle is incredible. All miracles are incredible because they are given by God. What is incredible in John 11 is we get to see the full scope of Jesus from His humanity to His deity.
When Jesus is told that Lazarus was sick and to come quick, He stayed where He was. Sounds kinda mean, right? Like Jesus didn’t care. We know different. Jesus tells us in John 11:4 that what is going to happen will show His glory. His deity makes this known. When He arrives in Bethany and taken to Lazarus’ tomb, where others were mourning, Jesus cries. He weeps, we are told. There is His humanity.
But what about the whole “resurrection and the life” thing? Jesus brought Lazarus from a state of being fully dead to being fully alive. Fully dead to fully alive. Jesus goes from fully dead on a Friday to fully alive on a Sunday. Only the power of Jesus as God can do this. He turns death to life, physically and spiritually. Our spiritually dead hearts are given life by him when we believe and trust in Him. We give our life to Him to give us the true life void of the eternal perils of sin.
I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ “ (John 14:6 ESV)
This verse is one of the most well known of Jesus’ declarations. It summarizes so much of what Jesus taught in a mere simple statement. We talked about Jesus as “the Door” already. The door is what you walk through. When Jesus said He is the door, He didn’t say He was only one of the doors. He is the ONLY door. This statement is as critical to believing Jesus as Peter’s statement that Jesus is the Christ (Matthew 16:16).
As “the Way”, Jesus is saying He is the true way to get to the Father. There is no other way. Like “the Door” statement, He is saying the path to God is exclusive and cannot be obtained any other way. None. Being a good person? Nope. Only believing and trusting in Jesus. Keeping the law fully? Nope. Only believing and trusting in Jesus. Only believing and trusting in Jesus? Yes. I’m emphasizing only Jesus because it has to be said and reminded.
What about “the Truth”? Well, the truth from God and what Jesus revealed while on earth is what we rely on as our standard. Anything that is counter to what the Father and the Son have revealed is not the truth. In our day and age, the truths we know from God can be counter to what the world calls truth. But as I just said, counter to God is not truth. Knowing God’s word is so very important for believers because it gives us the truth to stand up against false teachings and lies.
This the third “Life” Jesus says in these “I Am” statements. If we didn’t know He was life before now then we surely weren’t listening. Life, true and eternal life, is only given by Jesus. When we confess Jesus as our Savior, He makes our dead hearts come to life. And all life exists because of Him, as creator and sustainer.
I Am the True Vine
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:1–2 ESV)
I do not grow things. I’m not a gardener nor have plants that require constant care. So, I’m not an expert on vines and have to rely on common information about vines. One thing I believe that we know grows on vines are grapes. We can think of a vineyard where grapes are grown to make wine. Wine was readily available in Jesus’ time. There was probably as much wine available to them as sweet tea is to Southerners today (or pop to Northerners). Wine was common since neither running water nor water treatment was a thing back then.
Why does Jesus use this metaphor? Like all of Jesus’ comparisons, He would use what people would know. If Jesus’ ministry was today instead of when it was, He would speak to things that are common to us. A society in the 1st century would know agriculture, meaning most people would know what it takes to grow and care for food. Since we all don’t know about grapevines, there are 3 core parts for simplicity - the vine, the branches, and the fruit. Fruit grows on the branches and the branches grow on the vine.
“I am the true vine” is Jesus’ claim.
Branches with good fruit and no fruit will be attached to this vine. The branches that do not grow fruit are cut and thrown into the fire (John 15:6). Branches that grow fruit will be pruned to grow more fruit. Clear? No?
Again, Jesus is the vine. In order for the branches, us, to bear good fruit, we have to abide in (obey and depend upon) Jesus. Those who do not produce fruit, non-believers, those will be separated from Him. Jesus has all authority and sovereignty. For those of us who put our faith in Him, we are depending on Him and have a relationship. This maintains our connection with Him. Those that don’t will not stay attached.
Now what?
We don’t have Jesus physically walking among us like we read in John or the other gospel books. We don’t have Him sitting and eating with us everyday. We don’t have Him speaking to us and giving us teaching while sitting around a fire. His physical, human presence is not here. It can be challenging for us to relate to someone whom we’ve only read about. This is a reason why people who aren’t followers of Jesus sees the Bible as fiction.
Our connection to Jesus is through the Holy Spirit that He had the Father send to us. We who believe do not sit in darkness. We may wonder or be confused at times but we aren’t separated from God. Like Jesus revealed Himself as God to first century Israel, the Spirit reveals to us.