The Statements, Signs and Significance of Jesus’ I AM proclamation
Can you imagine being the Apostle John, writing down the final eyewitness gospel? He had seen his brother James killed. Then, Andrew, his best friend from his days with John the Baptist, martyred, crucified at his request on a cross in the shape of an X, unworthy to die like Christ. John outlived and had buried the precious Mary, the mother of Jesus whom His Lord entrusted to his care. He had read the biographies penned by Matthew, Mark and Luke, pondered what they put in and more importantly what they left out.
He reflected on others (the mythical Q perhaps) had written, seen fallacies and lies about the Lord he knew personally proliferating. He had read and even received letters from Paul, then heard of his beheading in Rome, followed by Peter's crucifixion upside down in the same Babylonian-like city. Too many deaths at the hands of his fellow Jews, only to be replaced by the Romans. He was tired. He had journeyed to heaven during his exile to Patmos and he wished he could have stayed with his now white-haired, nail-scarred handed Lord in that heavenly realm.
He had been boiled in oil, served as pastor of Ephesus, seen faithful followers fall away. It appeared that his Maranatha cry of "Come quickly!" was not going to be answered by His Lord. So now what?
John truly reflected
on the life of Christ and contemplated on the significances of Jesus’ statements
and miracles. His gospel would be fiery yes, but deep and full of theology from the years of sermons he had preached, prepared in his young, tender heart while attending the best seminary in all of human history, taught by Son of God and Son of Man Himself.
That is especially true of the Seven “I AM” statements Jesus made
in signifying Who He was. It is also true of the Seven Miraculous Signs John included. Over the next several days we will look at the divine revelation of Christ in John's seven depictions.
“I AM” STATEMENTS
|
SIGNS
|
SIGNIFICANCE
|
The Bread
of Life
|
The Feeding of
The 5,000
|
|
The Light
of
the World |
Healing of
The Blind Man
|
|
The
Door of
The
Sheep
|
The Healing of
The Lame Man
|
|
The
Good
Shepherd
|
Jesus Walking
On Water
|
|
The
Resurrection
And
The Life
|
The Raising of
Lazarus From Death
|
|
The
Way, The Truth
And
The Life
|
The Healing of
The Nobleman’s Son
|
|
The
True
Vine
|
The Turning of
The Water Into Wine
|
Jesus is Our
Fruit-Bearing
Source
|
The significance of this study is that Jesus is who He says He is.
He is the physical manifestation of God in human form.
His words need to be heard and heeded.
His salvation must be believed and received.
