Who do you say that I am?
"I AM"
Theme Verse: "Who do you say that I am?" Matthew 16:15
Readings: Exodus 3:1-15, John 8:48-59, Mark 14:53-65, Acts 9:5,
Memory Verse: "'Who do you think you are?" Jesus answered, 'Before Abraham was born, I AM!'" John 8:53, 58
We worship a God who reveals himself, who hears us and sees us and has a plan to draw us to himself and make us his own people! Look at what God says to Moses in the desert where he was herding sheep after running away from Egypt. First God catches Moses' attention (Moses is 80!) with a burning bush that does not burn up. (He was near Mt Sinai/Mt. Horeb.) It says in Exodus 3:2 that "an angel of the LORD" appeared to him. (This phrase is used several times in the Old Testament when it says that God himself spoke to someone. Sometimes this angel is referred to as the "angel of his presence". Compare story in Genesis 18of Abraham's 3 visitors.) God calls Moses by name and tells him to take off his shoes because he is on holy ground (in God's presence). (The removal of shoes in a holy place was an ancient custom and is still practiced in the Middle East and India. When I visited a mosque or temple as a tourist we too had to take off our shoes. It is like a man removing his hat to show reverence.)
God identifies himself as the God of the Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. "God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham" (Exodus 2:24). Look at what God says about himself in Exodus 2:23-24. God saw the affliction of his people and heard their cry for help. He knows their sufferings and he has come down to deliver them and bring them into a good land. Then God shocks Moses, "Come, I will send you to Pharaoh" (vs.10). Remember that Moses had run away from the Pharaoh of Egypt! Moses argues with God and wants to know God's name to tell the Israelites. (Remember the other nations had many gods.) God says, "I AM WHO I AM...I AM has sent me to you. (vs.14). This is my name forever."(vs15). "I AM" is a form of the verb "to Be" and includes the ideas of present, future and causing events. This name of God points to his action, his character and his presence in historical events. God always IS-past, present and future. We learn who God is by what he has done.
The Jews have always been reluctant to speak the holy name of God. They often substitute LORD (in capital letters). When you read LORD it means "I AM". You will find this in translations of the Old Testament. In later centuries they often used "The NAME". People's personal names sometimes included a brief reference to God's name: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Nehemiah and in worship as in "hallelu-jah" (meaning praise-Yahweh/"I AM".( See NOTE for more.) Names are important. God calls us by name.
Jesus There are several times when Jesus says and does things that cause his disciples and others to link Jesus with God the Father some are in awe and some are angry. In Matthew 14:27, when Jesus saw that his disciples were being blown about by the waves of the lake, he walked out to them on the water. The disciples were scared to death and thought it was a ghost. Jesus called out to them, "Take courage! It is (I) (ego eimi= I am in Greek) . Don't be afraid." Then he called Peter to walk on the water, which he did till he took his eyes off Jesus and sank. When Jesus rescued, him Peter said, "Truly, you are the Son of God." A similar thing happened when Judas and the soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the garden. Jesus asked them who they were seeking and they said, "Jesus of Nazareth". Jesus answered, "I am (he)"(ego eimi). On hearing this the soldiers fell to the ground (John 18:5-6) in fright.
A key place where Jesus plainly called himself "I AM" is in John 8. The religious leaders who opposed him called him a Samaritan (a term of abuse) and possessed by an evil spirit. Jesus had said, "If a man keeps my word he will never see death." They answered that Abraham died and asked "Are you greater than our father Abraham" ...Who do you think you are? (vs.53) At the end of the discussion Jesus says clearly, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I AM." (vs,58 ) They tried to stone him for calling himself by God's name but he escaped.
Look at all the times Jesus made ""I AM" statements and then described who he was and what he could do; and will still do.
"I AM the Light of the world" (John 8:12),
"I AM the gate" (John 10:7),
"I AM the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11),
"I AM the Bread of Life" (John 6:35),
"I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:1-6),
"I AM the True Vine" (John 15:1).
"I AM the Resurrection and the Life" (John 11:25), and later in Revelation he said,
"I AM the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8 ) and
"I AM the First and the Last. I AM the Living One: I was dead and behold I AM alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." ( Revelation 1:17-18 ).
This is the same thing we see God doing in the Old Testament. (Refer to note on names of God. Jehovah is the older pronunciation of Yahweh.) A couple of examples are 1.) "Jehovah-Jirah (Jehovah= Yahweh/I AM) and Jireh means provider, "The LORD (another substitution for I AM) will provide" (Genesis 22:8 ). 2.) In Psalm 91:1 and Jeremiah 33:12, God is called El-Shaddai (God-Almighty). 3.) Another name is Jehovah-Rophe meaning the I AM is the healer, the one who makes whole. 4.) Another is the LORD (I AM) our Righteousness, "Jehovah Tsidkenu" (Jeremiah 33:16).
Now look at Jesus' trial (Mark 14:53-65) when the chief priests and Sanhedrin were looking for an excuse to execute Jesus, they asked, "'Are you the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I AM', said Jesus, 'and you will see the Son of Man (messianic title) sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.' " They jumped on this and charged him with blasphemy which had a death penalty.
After Jesus had ascended to heaven he speaks to Saul (later Paul) on the road to Damascus in a blinding vision and answers Saul's question, "Who are you?" "I AM Jesus, whom you are persecuting." (Acts 9:5)
Jesus made very clear by the end of his earthly life who he was. Remember John 1:1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." and "The Word became flesh (a human being) and lived for a while among us." (vs.14). Jesus was really man of the family of David and was also really God. That is a mystery---but we can know it is true because of faithful witnesses and because we can know Jesus personally for ourselves. Remember, there is only ONE God and he makes himself known as Creator-Father, Son-Word, and Spirit. All comparisons are imperfect but they can help us. Think about the sun. There is only one sun in our solar system but there is radiation coming from it and power that it has on earth and light. Another picture is water which is always H2O but we and see it as a liquid, a gas or as a solid (ice). These are very imperfect but they can help.
There is no middle ground as to who Jesus is. As C.S. Lewis said, We can't say Oh, Jesus was just a good man or a great teacher. "He'd either be a lunatic, on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg, or else he'd 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." (The Case for Christianity, p.l45)
Have you ever entered into a relationship with the One who made you and loved you enough to die for you? After a brief argument, Moses entered into a relationship with the great "I AM" and could talk with him as a friend, "face to face". Jesus longs for you to come to him and receive what he has for you. We know a lot about who Jesus is by his names but he longs for you and me to find a relationship with him that can truly satisfy. What are you seeing now in your life?????
What is the LORD saying to you in these words he gave the teachers?
"And he said, 'Who are you, Lord?' Then the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'" (Acts 9:5a) A word received: I want my people to ask that question: "Who are you?" When they ask who I am I always find a way to answer them.
"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon him, went forward and said to them, 'Whom are you seeking?'" (John 18:4) A word received: "Whom are you seeking?" Are you seeking me, or are you seeking something less which cannot satisfy? Seek me and you will find me.
"They answered him, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them, 'I am he.' And Judas, who betrayed him, also stood with them." (John 18:5) A word received: They sought me to take me into their power. I tell you: seek me to come under and into my power.
"Now when he said to them, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." (John 18:6) A word received: I AM. I AM the one you are seeking. Learn to know me as "I AM".
"Then he asked them again, 'Whom are you seeking?' And they said, 'Jesus of Nazareth.'" (John 18:7) A word received: I ask you once again, "Who or what are you seeking?" Look to me; I will satisfy you with fresh bread -- my living word.
"Jesus answered, 'I have told you that I am he. Therefore, if you seek me, let these go their way,'" (John 18:8 ) A word received: I laid down my life for you. Look to me and receive what I have for you.
NOTE
The Jews have always written the "I AM" name with consonants only-YHWH. In trying to find the pronunciation the scholars during the Renaissance tried combining YHWH with the vowels of Adonai, which means LORD, and came up with the word "Jehovah". More recently many scholars think it may have been pronounced "Yahweh" The Jews considered the NAME of God too holy to speak so often simply say the "NAME". The word Jehovah is in many older hymns and translations. All these point to THE LIVING ONE who is "I AM".
LORD (capital letters) refers to God. Lord (small letters) is sometimes used for people who are rulers or masters. The English use it as a title.
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