Day 209: John 8:48–59

The Jews replied, “You aren’t 50 years old yet, and You’ve seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am” (vv. 57–58).

We are going to examine seven claims Christ made in the Gospel of John about who He is. These seven titles are by no means the totality of His claims. They simply share several common denominators in John’s Gospel that we don’t want to miss. In so doing, we will find that the Gospel of John tells us more about the self-proclaimed identity of Christ than the others. Note Christ’s claims of identity in the following Scriptures. No matter how many times you’ve seen these titles, I pray you will approach them with freshness.

• “I am the bread of life. . . . No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.” (John 6:35 hcsb)

• “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 hcsb)

• “I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.” (John 10:7–9 hcsb)

• “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11 hcsb)

• “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.” (John 11:25 hcsb)

• “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6 hcsb)

• “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.” (John 15:5 hcsb).

In fairly rapid succession, Jesus made a point of defining Himself a perfect seven times. I see three basic common denominators in these seven titles. Consider each with me:

1. All seven titles are preceded by “I am.” I want you to consider the impact of these two words when emitted from the mouth of Jesus the Messiah. That’s why I wanted you to look at John 8:48–59 in its entirety, focusing on verse 58, where Jesus said to His accusers, “I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am” (hcsb). The reason they reacted so violently and wanted to stone Him for blasphemy was because they knew exactly what He meant. He was identifying Himself as God. Either Jesus came as the incarnate God, or He is a liar. He cannot be anything in between.

Notice John 18:6, for example. After Judas betrayed Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, the gathered mob asked Jesus’ identity. Christ responded, “I am He,” and the entire troop fell backward to the ground. I believe the reason they collapsed before Him is intimated in the original language, where the Greek word for “he” is conspicuously missing. The Interlinear Bible translates it like this: “When He said to them, I AM, they departed into the rear and fell to the ground.”

You see, the rest of us could say “I am,” and it would mean nothing more than a common identification. When Christ says the words “I am,” they are falling from the lips of Him who is the Great I Am!

2. The word “the” is included in each title. Go back and read each of the seven “I am” titles, and you will find in every case Jesus said “I am the” rather than “I am a.” This may seem scholastically elementary, but nothing could be more profound theologically. Just think about your own approach to Jesus Christ. Is He a light to you, or the Light? Is He a way for you to follow—perhaps here and there in life—or is He the way you want to go? Is He a means to the afterlife in your opinion? In other words, deep down inside do you think that several world religions probably offer a viable way to life after death and Jesus is but one of them? Or is He the resurrection and the life?

3. Each of Christ’s seven “I Am” statements in John’s Gospel is relational. Christ is many things. He is truly the Great I Am. He is the Savior of the world. He fulfills numerous titles in the Word of God, but I believe the spiritual implication of the seven “I am” sayings in the broad approach of John’s Gospel is this: Jesus Christ is everything we need. Every one of these titles is for us! Remember, He is the self-sufficient One! He came to be what we need—not just what we need but what we desire most in all of life. The “I Am” came to be with us.

We will never have a challenge He can’t empower us to meet. We will never have a need He can’t fill. We will never have an earthly desire He can’t exceed. When we allow Christ to be all He is to us, we find wholeness. One piece at a time. Every time you discover the reality of Christ fulfilling another realm of your needs and longings, His name is written on a different part of you, and you are that much closer to wholeness.