The "I Am" Statements of John When thinking about The Message of the Gospels, there is one that specifically intrigued me more than the others. This Gospel is John. Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke, John is not arranged the same with the stories the other Gospels include. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "John is highly literary and symbolic (The Gospel According to John, 2014)." Interestingly enough, symbolism is what captivated me in this book. More specifically, the "I am" statements of Jesus Christ made this Gospel speak to me more than any other of the Gospels. Without a doubt, these statements that Jesus made were for the believers and the church. The "I am" statements are all meant to tell us something different, with the purpose of helping all people to believe in Jesus Christ, so that everyone may have everlasting life with our Father in Heaven.
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 makes this statement after he fed the five thousand people, and His disciples still needed clarification so they could believe. So they asked Him, "What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat' (John 6:30-31)." It is absolutely unbelievable that the disciples did not think it was Jesus who gave them the bread to eat the previous day. The disciples thought it was manna from Moses, since Moses provided manna in the desert for all of the people in Exodus. After questioning Jesus, Jesus said to them, "Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses...
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...iven me to be a better Christian and to follow His example in all aspects of my life. Also, these statements provide an amazing portrait of who Jesus is. These statements also show the undeniable love, compassion, and care that Jesus has for us. John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." This sums it all up. Jesus is my bread, my light, my gate, my good shepherd, my resurrection, my way/truth/life, and my vine. Without a doubt, Jesus is the Savior of the world, and I will follow him always.
Works Cited
Niv Life Application Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011. Print.
"The Gospel According to John." usccb.org. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. .
John focuses on the profound meaning of the life of Jesus, whom he saw as the
A follower of Yeshua understands that when God says that he will provide for you in abundance, he means that he will love you and show you mercy, not provide earthly things. Another thing a follower of Yeshua understands is that Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice, so that we will have eternal life. Therefore our job is to spread His word here on Earth. He did not die so that our life here on Earth would be perfect and we would not have any troubles.
was a tough road, he had to work in the farms and also try to
Stanton, Graham. Gospel Truth?: New Light on Jesus and the Gospels. Valley Forge, PA: Trinity Press International, 1995. Paperback.
My family taught me about Jesus at a young age, so I always knew I wanted to have a close relationship with him. Knowing that God is going to have my back no matter what was the best feeling to me. He will never leave a person or turn his back on them. The fact that the Bible guides people is one of the amazing things to me because one scripture can change a person whole life. My discourse community teaches a person about faith, love, and everything a person will ever need in life. Jesus encourages people, and supports people when they fail. Being a Christian motivates me and gives me a meaning of life. Being saved is easy, but the hard part is following his guidelines. He knows people are going to make a lot of mistakes in life, but the fact that he doesn’t judge them is amazing. Accepting Christ means a person has escaped that judgment and therefore they will have external life. Being a part of this discourse community has brought me to a new place in life, and for that I am
Baptist Publication Society, 1886). Clarke, Adam; ed. ; pp. 63-63. Clarke's Commentary (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 2003). no date. Criswell, W. A. & Co., W. A. Expository Notes on the Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids: Zondervan).
Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;
Green, Joel B. The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel of Luke. Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1997.
London: A & C Black, 1966. Charles, R.H. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John. International Critical Commentary.
Andreas J. Köstenberger, Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective. (Grand Rapids, Baker Academic, 1999), 146.
...Today as a Christ follower, we will never be satisfied if our life is not bearing lasting fruit because we are not fulfilling the purpose for which we were “grafted “into the Vine. Let’s examine the “fruit” of our lives. Is it the kind of fruit that reveals the character of Christ? Let’s not settle for fruitless Christianity. God will do the work of making us fruitful – we must only abide, surrendering our lives to His mission of making disciples of all nations through us. The whole notion of mission is to stretch out to work the work of evangelism not through hierarchy, sovereignty, rather through humbleness, hospitality, affection love for the others. That is what Jesus who portrayed as the one who we do not deserve to untie His sandals straps in the first Chapter of John, later become feet washer, intimate with humanity leaving His equality with God.
Jesus switches to the first person, using ‘I’ in place of ‘the Son’, further driving home the point that this is a discussion of his own relationship with God as the Son of God. Jesus then calls upon the witness of John the Baptist, and asserts that his witness was true. Not that Jesus needs to be validated by the testimony of a man, but he said that for the sake of the people. John was truly a light, providing truth and preparing the way for Jesus. But Jesus asserts that he has a greater witness than John: his own works.
When Jesus asked his disciples about what people thought about him, they answered that some considered Jesus to be e prophet, some - John the Baptist. But Jesus wanted his disciples to understand his mission, the reason why God brought him to Earth. That is why it was important for him to make sure that people realize who he is and that his sayings are vital for the whole mankind. Jesus was the Messiah, the anointed one, above all other prophets. He was sent to suffer for the all human beings and the reasons why his suffering was necessary are described in Mark's Gospel 8:27-9:1.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This verse - John 3:16 - is perhaps the most important in the Bible. Jesus Christ was the son of God, but he was also the son of man.
"We cannot indeed overestimate the importance of the fact that Jesus' redeeming influence on the world-all that has induced men to call Him Lord and Savior-owes to His humanity at once its individual and its social power, and is complete with the com...