The 7 “I AM’s” of Jesus

As we approach Easter, I would like to use Tuesday’s to learn about Jesus. We will not necessarily talk about Easter every week, but we will focus on Christ. In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes 7 statements about himself that startled the Jews. We call these the Great “I AM” Statements because Jesus was calling himself the Great “I AM”, as God called Himself in the book of Exodus. When God appeared to Moses through a burning bush, He wanted Moses to tell the Israelites that “I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). This name of God, I AM, means the self-existent one.  When Jesus calls Himself “I AM”, the Pharisees thought this was blasphemous because Jesus was calling himself God. Unfortunately in an English translation of the Bible, you cannot tell when Jesus makes these claims. The Greek word in the New Testament for “I AM” is ego eimi. Let’s take a look at the 7 “I AM’s” of Jesus:

1. “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35 NKJV).
2. “I am the light of the world. . .” (John 8:12 NKJV).
3. “I am the door. . .” (John 10:9 NKJV).
4. “I am the good shepherd. . .” (John 10:14 NKJV).
5. “I am the resurrection and the life. . .” (John 11:25 NKJV).
6. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. . .” (John 14:6 NKJV).
7. “I am the true vine. . .” (John 15:1 NKJV).