Date : Good Friday, April 2, 2010

Text : Jesus’ "I AM" statements

Title : Jesus is I AM

How did it come to this, that the One who gathered the little children to Himself, the One who fed the thousands when the nearest grocery store was miles away, the One who healed so many sick and gave sight to so many blind and legs to so many lame and even brought the dead back to life—how did it come to this, that Jesus was being nailed to a cross?

The religious leaders might have put up with the loving Jesus, the feeding Jesus, the healing Jesus. What they simply couldn’t stand was the Jesus who called Himself God. And, He called Himself God, over and over and over.

The Jewish leaders’ problem with Jesus took root when they were bantering with each other about the Jews’ being the children of Abraham, and Abraham, of course, was the father of God’s promise that God would gather a family of believers for eternal life. That’s when Jesus trotted out this inconceivable gem: "Before Abraham was, I am."

This statement was more than inconceivable; it was greatly offensive to the Jews. It was so offensive that they picked up stones to throw at Him—but He escaped, for the time being.

What was so offensive about what Jesus claimed? It wasn’t only that Jesus claimed to exist before Abraham was born—and Abraham had lived more than two thousand years earlier—it was that Jesus used the name for God, and He used it for Himself.

Remember when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush? Moses wasn’t so sure about this talking tree thing, so he asked God for His name, so that He could inform his fellow Israelites. In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, God called Himself Yahweh. Yahweh means I AM. In revealing Himself in this odd name, God was telling Moses something about His nature: He has no beginning, no ending, no change—nothing to alter His being. He is I AM.

Going back to Jesus and the Jews, the New Testament was written in Greek. Translating the I AM of Yahweh into Greek, the phrase is ego ami—and the Jews never spoke ego ami, lest they might mis-speak it and break the Commandment. So, not only did Jesus offend the Jews by using the name of God, Jesus called Himself God—I AM. And, He would do it, over and over and over.

In the Gospel according to John, the apostle John records seven sayings of Jesus in which the Lord begins each one with I AM—ego ami—Yahweh. As we consider these seven sayings, we shall see how they apply to this holy day, as we survey His wondrous cross.

While it is correct that Jesus was unfairly arrested, unjustly tried and convicted, and wrongly put to death, no one could have put Him to death without His consent.

God the Son was born into your flesh and blood for the express purpose of laying down His life. As a shepherd will do everything good for his sheep, God will do everything good for His creation. Jesus tells you that He, God in the flesh, is the Good Shepherd, informing you that it is His nature to do everything good for you.

In today’s Old Testament lesson, listen for this connecting prophecy: "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

In the same Good Shepherd speech, Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved." Let’s connect that saying to this one: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Notice the absoluteness of these statements. Only Jesus is the door to the Father, because only Jesus is the way and truth and life. The good news is that He opens the door to the Father by having the door to the Father closed to Himself, which calls to mind this I AM saying: "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

In your Savior’s dying woes, He cried out from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" In laying down His life for His sheep, the Good Shepherd was the True Vine now cut off at the root—cut off from His Father.

The only way that Jesus could be the Way was to have His way severed. When you listen to the Old Testament lesson, take note of this connecting prophecy: "For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken."

If you attend Christmas Eve’s candlelight service, at the end of Silent Night you hear me quote this I AM saying of our Lord: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Baptized into Jesus the Good Shepherd, the Door, the Way and Truth and Life, the Vine, you have been baptized into His Light. The darkness of the three destructive D’s—death, devil, and damnation—can no longer shade the Father’s love from you.

But, for you to live in the Father’s light, Jesus’ light had to be extinguished. On Good Friday, at about noon, the light of the sun was overcome by darkness. Jesus—I AM the Light of the World—was being extinguished. But, the darkness cannot overcome the Light which is Jesus. Thus, when you listen to the Old Testament lesson, listen for this connecting prophecy: "After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life."

When I teach about Jesus in the new member class, I always say that Jesus’ death on the cross means nothing if Jesus had not been raised from the dead. See, everyone dies. That Jesus died is not remarkable until He has been resurrected.

Based on that, I am confident that you know which I AM saying of Jesus is next: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die."

It might be harder to connect to Jesus’ resurrection the following prophecy from the Old Testament lesson, so take care to listen for it: "Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong."

Jesus’ portion among the great is the exaltation of His resurrection from the dead and ascension into heaven. The spoils are Jesus’ resurrection and eternal life which He shares with you, whom He makes the strong: all of the sheep who enter eternity through the Door which is Jesus Christ.

His strength in your life is His eternal life. Connected to the great I AM through the washing of rebirth and renewal, you have Jesus’ word, the last of His I AM declarations: "I am the bread of life. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever."

Baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection, you eat Jesus through the gift of faith. You eat up His promises—in His Gospel proclaimed and in the Communion of His body and blood.

Now that we have heard all of Jesus’ I AM sayings, we will make one final connection. When God revealed Himself to Moses, the great I AM burned in a tree, and sent Moses on his way with the knowledge that I AM is His God. When God revealed Himself to you, the great I AM burned upon a tree with the payment for the sin of the world, and sends you on your way with the knowledge that I AM is your God.

So, dear worshipers of Jesus Christ, when people ask you who is the Good Shepherd, the Door to eternal life, the Way and Truth and Life, the Light of the world, the Vine to which you are grafted, the Resurrection and the Life, and the Bread of your eternal life, what shall we tell them? Tell them He is I AM. Tell them He is your Savior, Jesus. Amen.