The Greatest Claim
Following up on the “A Simple Request” blog post, Jesus is about to be arrested by the Roman soldiers in the garden of Gethsemane. Rome was known for their powerful military. These soldiers weren’t meek; they were strong and had to undergo years of training before becoming soldiers.
John 18:4-6
4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said.
6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
Clearly, the soldiers were shocked by Jesus’ statement; they drew back and fell to the ground. Something about that statement overwhelmed the “mighty” Roman soldiers that they had to distance themselves from Jesus.
Well, the statement is profound, and it is one of Jesus’ greatest claims. In Exodus 3:14, we come across the first “I am” statement.
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
God using “I am” implies there is no beginning, end, or cause to Him . God does not depend on anyone or anything, but everything else depends on Him. And in John 18, Jesus took that name upon Himself. This would be considered blasphemy, insulting and showing disrespect to God. But Jesus was not being blasphemous. Jesus is God, and He was explaining His glory and power to the soldiers. C.S. Lewis summarises the truth of Jesus perfectly.
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
When we are in proximity with someone better than us, we have the need to blend in; now imagine you are in the presence of God. We can’t stand in the presence of an all-powerful God. We were separated from God due to our sins. Too often, we forget the glory and greatness of God. This is the same God who led Moses and the Israelites through the desert by a pillar of clouds during the day and a pillar of fire during the night. The same God who split the Red Sea. He brought the sun and moon to a standstill, delivered Daniel from a den of lions, and performed many other miracles. This is also the same God who is just and wants to punish those who choose to live separately from Him. But God, in His mercy and goodness, sent Jesus to deliver us from our sins so that we can walk with God and stand in His presence without having to draw back.
In John, Jesus gives seven “I am” statements. These are metaphors Jesus used to explain His nature. We will briefly look at the seven “I am” statements.
I am the bread of life (John 6:35).
Food sustains life, but Jesus gives eternal life. Our spiritual hunger cannot be satisfied by earthly things. Only Jesus can satisfy us. Are we hungry to know Jesus, to have a relationship with Him?
I am the light of the world (John 9:4).
If we walk with Jesus, we won’t be in darkness. What does it mean to be light? To guide people, to sustain, how else will plants grow? Look back at Exodus, where God led the Israelites by a pillar of fire during the night (Exodus 13:21). God led the Israelites to the promised land through light. He wants to do the same for us.
I am the gate (John 10:7), and I am the good shepherd (John 10:11).
A clear picture is created by combining the following two "I am's ". Back then, there was no gate in the sheep's pen. The shepherd had to watch over the sheep at night. He had to protect the sheep from wild animals. Now, if there was a lion, that shepherd would pick the weakest sheep and throw it to the lion. Jesus is saying He is the gate. He will watch over us. He is the good shepherd. He will not sacrifice one of His sheep. No threat will enter our pen.
I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).
That is the best statement, although the others are just as powerful. But Jesus is the resurrection. On the third day, His tomb was empty. We have been resurrected with Jesus. Our old self is dead, God forgave our transgressions, and we are made new. We’re running out of that grave. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow.
I am the way, the truth and the life no one get’s to Father without me (John 14:6).
This goes against the modern way of thinking where either “everyone goes to heaven”, or “there is no heaven, so why should I care?” or “I’m a good guy, I’m sure I’ll see the pearly gates”. No. Jesus is the way. The truth. And the life. Again, Jesus is described as the only person who can sustain our lives, and only through the blood of Jesus can we go to the Father.
I am the true vine (John 15:1).
By remaining in Jesus, we will bear much fruit. God will be near us, and He will prune our branches. (See “A Simple Request” blog post.)
Unlike the Roman soldiers, we can stand in the presence of the great I am. Jesus died on the cross to make that a reality. Stand in awe in the presence of God and realise that there is none like Him, the great I am.
