Who is Jesus – Jesus is the Great “I AM”

Glorious Day Saints!  I know, I’ve been away a bit, nasty head cold added to ‘life,’ and there you go.  While I’ve been way from posting videos I did keep busy because as some of you know, I’ve been building a Website and this Blog, where I’ve rewrote all my Musings notes into Blog entries for anyone who’d rather read, or download/copy&paste them for any research or Bible Study they may do.  You can’t “steal” my blog entries or Muses, as the Bible and learning about Jehovah God and Yeshua should always be FREE, and I could care less about “attribution.”  We all learn and grow on the wings of the Holy Ghost and the shoulders of those Saints who came before us.  Everything here is free with My Blessing.  🙂  Take anything useful and spread the WORD!  All GLORY to GOD!

So…after my most recent posted series: “Who do the other major religions say Jesus is,” I’m going to add to that with a short series on the more “cultic” religions who claim “Christianity,” or at least want to claim Jesus (but not His Godhead), but they are not in line with Truth. 

But frankly “I” need a break from delving into those topics…they end up making me want to shower with a wire brush – after all, to come up with a “Muse” or Blog entry to share with you, I do a lot more research and spend a lot more time learning about their ideas than frankly I’d like when I’m not exalting Yeshua.  But, to a point, they ‘are’ things we need to be aware of, or we can fall prey to them.  In saying that, do “I” have all the right answers, and should you ALWAYS agree with me…gee, I hope not, at least not until you’ve done your own further research when you find a topic that interests you, the whole idea here is that we would ALL be “Berean Pilgrims.”  …So we’re gonna do a series in-between what other religions say about Jesus, and “Psuedo-Christian Cults.” 

We’re gonna look at just who Jesus REALLY is!  Let’s start with asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and the Blessings of Yeshua so your humble Pilgrim disappears (not literally – LOL) and the Holy Ghost shows up and does what He does best…tell the TRUTH about Yeshua HaMashiach. 

…Prayer…I don’t write out my Prayers in my Blog as I believe in most cases, unless you are praying the WORD itself, or out loud while leading a study, your Prayers should be personal to Jehovah thru Yeshua; and besides, I would be praying for guidance, wisdom and the Holy Spirit to speak thru me; while your prayer would for guidance, for enlightenment, for Yeshua to reveal Himself to you.  🙂

The hardest part of putting forth this or any particular “Muse” is how to keep it “on point,” and how to figure out how narrow that point should be.  In this case there is SO MUCH to dispute those who say Jesus isn’t GOD, and/or that Jesus never said He was GOD.  I call “POOP” on that!  And I’ll show you why.  Not everything, I’ll miss some things, and I’m gonna keep my scope to just one Gospel, John.  After all, isn’t the goal for “you” to be inspired to also become a “Berean” on your Pilgrim Journey…to “go deeper” yourself and thus to either know Yeshua better, or come to know Him.  If I can find as much as I do in one Gospel, think of what YOU can find in the other Gospels…in ACTS, or Paul’s letters, or Peter’s, or James, etc.

So, cinch your Armor of God up tight, hoist your backpack, Shepherd’s Staff in one hand (the path can be rocky), Sword of the Spirit always at the ready…and let’s Muse a bit on this as we continue along our way…

Did you know, the Gospel of John is sometimes referred to as the “I AM” book?  You didn’t?  Well, let me tell you, the next time you read thru the Gospel of John, any translation, take note of the number of times simply where Jesus said “I AM” in situations where the context was clear that He was equating Himself to YAHWEH, just as when YAHWEH first came to Moses and said for him to tell Israel that “I AM” sent him to free them.

For our study of the Deity of Yeshua (Jesus) we’re going to look at what is referred to as “Definitive ‘I AM’ statements.”  Now as I define a “definitive ‘I AM’ statement,” it doesn’t always contain the words ‘I AM,’ to be clear.  What I’m going for here, is more about Jesus equaling himself with the deity of “I AM.”  It is all about historical context sometimes, so we’ll try to explain why something that sounds not a big deal to us, was a statement that, if not True, was worthy of death in biblical times. To equate yourself with, or AS God, was indeed punishable by death. We’ll try to put ourselves in the cultural context of Yeshua’s time when necessary when reading the passages in John.  Now we don’t have time to deeply visit all the stories surrounding the 39 contextually definitive I AM statements I found, but we’ll give a “snapshot” and a comment or so about each and spend a little more time on a couple.

Yeshua “I AM” Definitive Statements in The Gospel Of John

Chap. 1:1-3

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Chap. 1:9-10

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

Chap. 1:12-13

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Chap. 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Chap. 1:34

John the Immerser said:  “And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Chap. 4:26

Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

Chap. 4:42

Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

Chap. 6:35

And 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.”

Chap. 6:48

“I am the bread of life.”

Chap. 6:51

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

Chap. 7:29

“But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

Chap. 7:34

You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.”

Now we come to one of the most definitive “I AM” statements known.  Most of you know the story, it’s found principally in John, Chapter 8, right after Jesus shames the Jews into not stoning the adulteress and tells her to go and sin no more..…then in the Temple  we pick up at verse 21 with Jesus telling them about His going away and how they would seek but not find Him, and die in their sins.  Let’s go directly to the text and stop and comment thru the whole scenario on this one. 

We can see from the text the argument went back and forth for the Jews responded about being descendants of Abraham and never being in bondage (therefore not needing to be “freed”).  Yeshua challenged that they were truly Abraham’s seed, because they couldn’t hear His Word; because when Yeshua was with Abraham, Abraham was rejoicing to see Yeshua’s day.  At this they mocked Yeshua, commenting in the only thing they knew “The Natural Man,” that Yeshua was not even 50 yrs old, so how could He have seen Father Abraham?  So…when Yeshua stated “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM;” He was telling them as plainly as humanly possible, that He, Yeshua, “was indeed” GOD, and had been WITH Abraham in Heaven.  To the Jews, who trembled to even say the Covenant Name of GOD out of respect, a man claiming to BE God, or in any way God’s equal; was a blasphemy worthy of, and punishable “by” death under Jewish Law.  And so, at that moment, even these Jews who were believing just a few minutes ago, began to take up stones to stone Yeshua for blasphemy.  But this was not how Yeshua was to redeem us, and it was not yet His time, so He “hid himself’ and passed thru the midst of the crowd and left.

Next we find ourselves where Jesus and the Apostles meet a man blind from birth and he heals him, telling His Apostles the man was blind so the Glory/the Light of God, could be shown in him.

Chap. 9:5

Jesus said: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jesus talking to Pharisees after they cast the healed blind man from the Temple.

Chap. 10:7

Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

Chap. 10:9

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

Chap. 10:11

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

Chap. 10:30

“I and My Father are one.”

Jews consider stoning Jesus again

Chap. 10:33

The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”

Chap. 10:36

“…do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

Lazarus death – Martha comments how Lazarus would be alive had Jesus arrived earlier.

Chap. 11:25

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”

Martha agrees…”on the last day”…not ‘getting it’ Jesus to Martha…”roll away the stone”…Martha: “Lord, he stinketh!”

Chap. 11:40

Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

A grain of wheat falls and dies, producing much grain.

Chap. 12:26

“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”

Foot washing…

Chap. 13:13

“You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.”

Where Jesus is going…how do we know the way…Thomas

Chap. 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Philip…show us the Father…

Chap. 14:9-11

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

Chap. 15:1

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”

Chap. 15:5

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

Chap. 16:15

“All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

Chap. 16:32

“Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

Chap. 17:5

And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

Chap. 17:10

And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.

Chap. 17:11

“Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

Chap. 17:20-21

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

Chap. 17:22

“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:

Chap. 18:4-8

Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?”They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, ‘Ego Eimi’, in the Greek literally “I AM.” or if you will, in the Hebrew – YAHWEH/YHVH…’the Tetragrammaton,’ ‘The Four Letters.’ (the “He” in many of your translations was added by translators trying, once again ‘to help us?’) And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them.  Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.  Then He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”  Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,”

Now we’re going to end this series here; as Yeshua before Pilate and the High Priests, His crucifixion, etc. are a subject all unto their own for an upcoming “Resurrection Day” celebration Musing/Blog.

Let us pray and give God GLORY….

And now, please go in Blessing:  May the Lord Bless You and Keep You, May He shine His countenance upon you and give you peace beyond understanding, regardless of circumstance.  Shalom, Shalom…till we meet again on the narrow road…I’m out!