Exodus 3:13-14
When Moses met the burning bush in the wilderness, the voice of God from within the bush spoke to him and sent him to carry a message to the Israelites, and Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Here we are. We’re still reading our way through the Gospel according to John, trying to figure out and understand the Jesus we meet here. SO why did we begin with a reading from Exodus? You’ll understand (I hope) as we move along today.
This is our 9th session focussed on John's Gospel. We are familiar with the Jesus we've previously met in Matthew, Mark, and Luke - he feels familiar to us – someone who seems more human, someone we can relate to from our own human reference.
John’s Jesus, however, can seem very distant at times. When he explains himself it often seems to me to be more of a lengthy abstract philosophical discussion than an actual description or conversation. When he does interact with people – as when he heals someone – there rarely is any sense of actual connection with the person healed. Jesus meets someone with a need – heals them – then moves on.
It is, somewhat ironically, when we read the “I AM” statements that John puts in Jesus’ mouth, that he is most easily understood. These statements are in the form of metaphors – words or phrases that are not literal descriptions and yet connect us clearly with an idea, a concept – archetypal images that exist deep down in our souls, that we all share to some extent. We connect with those images and we see another side of Jesus.
There are seven or eight of these “I am”s in John’s gospel depending on how you count them. They are set apart from simple sentences that describe an action or movement – such as, “I am going up the mountain to pray,” or “I am tired.”
The ones we’re talking about today are something different – times when Jesus makes statements describing himself in metaphorical language. These “I AM’ statements always come from Jesus himself.
These images give us a pathway to Jesus – the Jesus who resonates for us and gives us a personal understanding – a personal connection to who and what this Jesus is. Which one speaks most clearly to you?
And so, back to our reading from Exodus at the beginning today – John’s Hebrew readers would surely be familiar with this story – the calling of Moses -- from one of the earliest books of the Hebrew Scriptures. And they would get the connection being made here – the connection that got Jesus in so much trouble with the religious authorities – the connection of himself with the I AM of the Old Testament. Making clear the one-ness of Jesus with his Father–God.
This is our 9th session focussed on John's Gospel. We are familiar with the Jesus we've previously met in Matthew, Mark, and Luke - he feels familiar to us – someone who seems more human, someone we can relate to from our own human reference.
John’s Jesus, however, can seem very distant at times. When he explains himself it often seems to me to be more of a lengthy abstract philosophical discussion than an actual description or conversation. When he does interact with people – as when he heals someone – there rarely is any sense of actual connection with the person healed. Jesus meets someone with a need – heals them – then moves on.
It is, somewhat ironically, when we read the “I AM” statements that John puts in Jesus’ mouth, that he is most easily understood. These statements are in the form of metaphors – words or phrases that are not literal descriptions and yet connect us clearly with an idea, a concept – archetypal images that exist deep down in our souls, that we all share to some extent. We connect with those images and we see another side of Jesus.
There are seven or eight of these “I am”s in John’s gospel depending on how you count them. They are set apart from simple sentences that describe an action or movement – such as, “I am going up the mountain to pray,” or “I am tired.”
The ones we’re talking about today are something different – times when Jesus makes statements describing himself in metaphorical language. These “I AM’ statements always come from Jesus himself.
- 1.Jesus said to them, “I AM the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
- 2.Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life” (John 8:12).
- 3.“I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
- 4.“I AM the gate. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9).
- 5.Jesus said, “I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25).
- 6.“I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1).
- 7.Jesus said to him, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
These images give us a pathway to Jesus – the Jesus who resonates for us and gives us a personal understanding – a personal connection to who and what this Jesus is. Which one speaks most clearly to you?
And so, back to our reading from Exodus at the beginning today – John’s Hebrew readers would surely be familiar with this story – the calling of Moses -- from one of the earliest books of the Hebrew Scriptures. And they would get the connection being made here – the connection that got Jesus in so much trouble with the religious authorities – the connection of himself with the I AM of the Old Testament. Making clear the one-ness of Jesus with his Father–God.
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