There has been much said about Jesus by various people. Some in false religions refer to Him as a good teacher or a prophet. Others who are secular humanists or atheists might view Him as a madman. Since there are so many different views of who Jesus is, it is important to go back to the source. Who is Jesus according to what He said about Himself? Through the seven "I am" statements in the Gospel of John, we are told who Jesus is by Jesus Himself.
"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'" - John 6:35
Jesus tells us in this passage of Scripture. He is the bread of life. This means He is the ultimate source of life. Apart from Jesus, we cannot have life. Just as the human body needs bread to survive, we need Jesus to survive. The Lord tells us whoever comes to Him will never be hungry or thirsty. This doesn't mean we won't ever be literally hungry or thirsty again, rather, it means that we won't be spiritually hungry or thirsty because we have now believed in the truth–Jesus Christ. He is our ultimate source of life; we need Him every day just as we need food and water. Through Jesus saying He is the bread of life, we know He is the only one who can offer us true and abundant life (John 10:10).
"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'" - John 8:12
In this passage of the Gospel of John, Jesus tells us that He is the light of the world. Before Jesus' entrance into the world, there was darkness. God's people had not heard a prophetic word of the Lord in several hundred years. The prophets had stopped hearing from God because God had brought famine to their land. Not a famine of food, but rather, a famine of His Word. By Jesus saying He is the light of the world, He is saying He has brought light to the dark world. The world is full of sin; without Him, we are headed to a place of complete darkness for eternity. By knowing Jesus and placing faith in Him, we are following the light of the world. No longer are we walking around in the dark? We now follow the light known to us as Jesus Christ.
"Therefore Jesus said again, 'Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.'" John 10:7-9
This third I Am statement from Jesus tells us He is the gate of the sheep. Jesus is telling us that we can be saved only by placing faith in Him. He is the gate, and we, as human beings, are the sheep. If we believe in Him, we enter through Him (the gate) and go to be with Him for all eternity. Jesus also tells us that all who have come before Him are thieves and robbers. This means that only He is the true gate and can offer salvation through His Name. We are saved if we place faith in Him and enter through Him. As the lost sheep, we must return to our Shepherd and enter the gate to eternal life. We can trust Jesus with our future because it is only through Him that we are saved, given forgiveness of sins, and blessed with the gift of eternal life.
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:11
This I Am statement is closely linked with the former, and it is only one verse after it. In addition to being the Gate of the Sheep, Jesus is our Good Shepherd. The allegory connecting Jesus to being our caring, loving, and protective Shepherd is also told to us in Psalm 23. The I Am statement found in John 10:11 tells us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He lays down His life for the sheep. Yet again, the sheep being referred to are human beings. Jesus laid down His life for us when He died on the cross for our sins. He has proven Himself to be our Good Shepherd by dying the death we all deserved. Through Jesus laying down His life for us as the Good Shepherd, we can now come to know Him as our great God and Savior. This I Am statement shows that Jesus tells us He is the Good Shepherd, who has laid down His life for His sheep.
"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.'" John 11:25
The fifth I Am statement proclaims Jesus is the resurrection and the life. The Lord says if we believe in Him, we will live even though we will die. This can be hard teaching for many people, but the answer is in Jesus' saving grace. Even though we die, we will still be alive because we will be with the Lord when we pass away. We will never technically die because our souls will live forever with the Lord. Jesus tells us directly in John 11:25 that He is the resurrection and the life. This helps us understand that Jesus wants us to understand that life is only found in Him and that we will partake in the resurrection of our bodies through Him. Jesus Himself was resurrected, and He will also resurrect all of us who have placed faith in Him and have longed for His arrival. We can have assured hope for the future through Jesus tells us He is the resurrection and the life.
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" - John 14:6
This I Am statement is my favorite, as it is one that I have memorized for years. Jesus tells us through this I Am statement He is the way, the truth, and the life. This means precisely what Jesus says–He is the way to eternal life, He is the truth, and life is only found in Him. When we place faith in Jesus, we can be assured He is the only way to salvation, He is the true God, and eternal life is only found in Him. Many other false belief systems try to claim ways to Heaven; however, from Jesus' statement in John 14:6, we know this isn't true. The only way to salvation is by placing faith in Jesus by believing He died for your sins, was buried, and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). No other religions contain the truth, as Jesus Himself is the truth. In the same way, only in Jesus are we promised eternal life. We cannot find eternal life in any other belief system because they are untrue. Only by believing in Jesus are we given eternal life.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." - John 15:1
The final I Am statement Jesus proclaims about Himself is that He is the true vine. Jesus refers to Himself as the vine, and we are His branches. This means we cannot grow or thrive without Him. Just as the branches need the vine, we need Jesus. This also tells us we cannot grow in our walk with Him unless we stay close to Him. A branch cannot grow on a vine, just as we cannot grow or mature without Jesus. Through this I Am Statement, Jesus said He is the source of our growth, and we must stay connected to Him. We do not need to stray away from Him. Rather, we need to stay close to Him just as the branches are connected to the vine and continue to grow.
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