I AM and God?

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Throughout the Gospel of John (as well as the Synoptic Gospels), Jesus is continuously showing people that He is, in fact, the Creator God. Jesus did many signs and miracles to show his close connection with the Father as well as display his deity. Generally, these sings were done in such a way as to prove to the Jews that He was God (as this was what they asked for). However, Jesus did not stop at only doing signs and miracles. He also used the phrase “I AM” to show his deity. To the modern reader, “I AM” simply seems as a phrase of explanation or possession. However, for the Jew, this phrase contains all who God is. In the book of Exodus, God commanded Moses to tell the people that “I AM” sent him to free them from the Egyptian’s bondage. Therefore, they view this simple phrase as God’s identity. When Jesus says, “I AM,” he is directly stating that He is God (if not the same as God). Jesus said this phrase multiple times throughout the Gospel of John, but He didn’t simply stop with the simple phrase. Jesus would add an ending to it (i.e., I AM the vine, I AM the door, etc.) in order to drive home a point with his audience. No matter what statement Jesus would add to the end of “I AM,” He was always pointing his audience to a certain aspect of his nature and ministry.
One of the “I AM” statements found in the Gospel of John is “I AM the light of the world.” Unlike the other “I AM” sayings, Jesus said this phrase two times (8:12; 9:5), but his usage of “I AM” happens in back-to-back narratives. The first usage of this phrase takes place during the narrative of the adulterous woman. The story actually begins a chapter previous where the Fest of Tabernacles is first mentioned. The Feast of Tabernacles is a joyous celebration where ...

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...into the dark. God showed himself countless times to Israel, yet He never sent them the one that they had been waiting for. However, God eventually sent Jesus. Jesus was sent to be the light that would shine into the darkness. Jesus would be the one to bring the spiritually blind into the marvelous light of grace. Jesus showed his deity in part by healing the blind man physically as well as saving the adulterous woman, but He showed his full deity when he saved the soul.

Works Cited

Douglas, J. D. and Merrill C. Tenney. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary,
Grand Rapids: Zondervavn, 2011.

Köstenberger, Andreas J. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.

Morris, Leon. Jesus is the Christ. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1989.

Towns, Elmer. The Gospel of John: Believe and Life. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2002.

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