Reflect on who Jesus is to you. How does Jesus' "I Am" statements connect with your understanding of who he is in your life? 

Transcript

INTRO

One of my first jobs I had after graduating college was being a teacher assistant at an elementary school that Pang worked at. At the time, my mom was a hair stylist and she informed us that one of her regular clients was the superintendent in the school district that we worked in. Over the years my mom would share with us the interactions she had with the superintendent and how she bragged to him about us. Though I never met the superintendent, I started to feel like I knew him through my mom and in the last year of being a teacher assistant, I finally got to meet him.

One day, I saw my principal showing someone around the school building and he was dressed in a suit and tie. When my principal approached me with his guest, he introduced him to me clearly indicating and emphasizing to me that this was the school superintendent, Doctor Thein. My immediate reaction was excitement because I finally got to meet my mom’s client and I proceeded to call him by his first name even though my prinicipal clearly indicated that he was Doctor Thein. In the moment, he wasn’t my boss’ boss, but rather he felt more like a mutual friend. Thankfully, Dr. Thein was kind and very pleasant, but looking back I realized the dual relationship I had with him and it might’ve been helpful to address him as both my boss’ boss and my mom’s client. Today, we’re going to talk about something similar.

Over the last couple of months, we’ve explored who Jesus is through his 7 “I Am” statements. Each one of these declarations help us understand his identity and who he is. This morning, I want to quickly recap each of these statements and wrap up the series by giving us to some time to reflect who Jesus is to you.

I am the bread of life

In Jesus’ first “I Am” statement, he says, “I am the bread of life.” Fitting because the day before he made this statement, he fed 5,000 men with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. It wasn’t a luxurious meal of any sorts, but it was simply what they needed to sustain them. This miracle feeding also occurred near the Jewish festival called Passover which commemorated the Exodus when Moses freed their ancestors from slavery in Egypt. After their liberation, they spent 40 years wandering the desert, but God provided them with manna, a bread that came from heaven, to sustain them. The term, bread of life, was used to reference manna, so when Jesus says he is the bread of life, he makes a direct connection that he is God who sustains them. When Jesus says he is the bread of life he is telling us that he is the sustainer.

I am the light of the world

In connection to the Exodus, Jesus’ second “I Am” statement, “I am the light of the world,” is a direct connection to the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites through the desert. God promised the Israelites that he would give them land to live in after they escaped slavery in Egypt, but they didn’t know where it was. God guided them to the promised land as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Similarly, when Jesus proclaims that he is the light of the world, he is the guide who leads us from being lost in the darkness into being found in his light.

I am the gate for the sheep/i am the good shepherd

At the Feast of Dedications or Hannukah, Jesus makes his third and fourth “I Am” statement, “I am the gate for the sheep” and “I am the good shepherd”. Hannukah was spent celebrating the temple being rededicated to God after it was taken over by Greeks who worshipped other gods. It was also a time where spiritual leaders contemplated about what happened that caused their spiritual leaders to forfeit their temple and lose sight of being faithful and committed to God. Shepherd was an image that the Israelites used to describe leaders who were supposed to care for the people they were responsible for like how a shepherd cared for his flock. Shepherd protected their flock from danger and led them to safety, but many of Israel’s leaders failed them. When Jesus says he is the gate for the sheep and that he is the good shepherd, he is telling us that he is the leader who cares for them and protects them.

I am Resurrection and the life

Jesus’ fifth “I Am” statement occurs when he visits his friends Mary and Martha. Their brother and Jesus’ good friend, Lazarus, passed away, but even in their grief and hopelessness, Jesus reminds them that he is the source of hope because he is the resurrection and the life. Jesus is the life giver. Physical and spiritual death separates us from the ones we love, but Jesus promises physical and spiritual life now so that we are never apart from him. Jesus is the life giver so that we can always be with each other.

I am the way and the truth and the life

In the last evening of Jesus’ life, he offers the final 2 “I Am” statements to his disciples. First, he declares that he is the way and the truth and the life. Jesus is the only path to God. God is holy so the only way we can be in God’s presence is to be holy too, but we can’t do that by ourselves. Holiness is something we can’t achieve by our own means, but Jesus can. Jesus lived a life that did not go against any of God’s truth. In fact, Jesus lived a life that fulfilled all of God’s desires making him right with God, thus giving him life even after death. We can trust that Jesus is the path to God because he is right with God and he grants us the status of being right with God if we believe in him.

I am the vine

Lastly, Jesus says, “I am the true vine”. The vine is the source of life for any branches attached to it. If the branches are disconnected from the vine, they eventually die. Jesus, being the vine, is the source of life for us and when we are connected to the vine, we produce fruit. Apple trees produce apples that contain seeds to allow it to become an apple tree. Producing fruit means we resemble the source of life we’re connected to. Being connected to Jesus and bearing fruit means we resemble Jesus more and more if we stay connected to him. Being more like Jesus doesn’t depend on us, but it depends on us being connected to Jesus. He is the source of life for you and me.

Who do you say i am?

Jesus says a lot of things about who he is, but these 7 “I Am” statements are some of the clearest things about him. And while all these things that Jesus says about himself and true and important, I think Jesus invites us to contemplate who we think he is. I can tell you who he is, and he can tell you who he is, but who is Jesus to you?

In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus is with his disciples and ask two questions, “who do people say the Son of Man is?” and “Who do you say I am?” In this passage, Jesus comes to a point wanting to see what his disciples have come to understand him. Up to this point, Jesus has preached, healed the sick, calmed a storm, delivered the demon-oppressed, raised the dead back to life, sent his disciples to minister, miraculously fed 5,000 men and another 4,000 men, and walked on water. But even in doing all those things, many believed in some things about Jesus while others did not believe anything about Jesus. Some saw him to be a good spiritual leader like John the Baptist. Others saw him to be like the Old Testament prophets while others thought of Jesus to be demon-possessed. So, Jesus gathers with his disciples and ask them a very important question, “who do you say I am?” I want to give us some time to pause and reflect on who Jesus is, especially considering the 7 “I Am” statements. Who is Jesus to you? In a little bit here, I want to invite you to think about it, write about it, or type up something in your phone. I also will invite you to share this with someone else. Often, when we come to service, we hear and learn about Jesus, but more importantly, how does all of this inform you about who Jesus is to you? So, take a minute, grab a pen and a card in front of you or pull out your phone and consider these questions.

1. Who is Jesus to you?

2. How do these “I Am” statements affirm your understanding of Jesus?

3. How do these “I Am” statements challenge your understanding of Jesus?

4. Which statement(s) resonates with you the most and why?

5. Which statement(s) resonates with you the least and why?

6. How do these statements challenge you to examine your understanding of Jesus?

7. How do these statements deepen your understanding of Jesus?

8. What questions do you have about who Jesus is?

Take some time and individually reflect on these questions and in a bit, we’ll come back together.

[5-minute countdown]

Before we move on, I’d like to provide us an opportunity to share. You don’t have to share everything, but was there something profound in your reflection? Take a few minutes and share with the person next to you.

[3-minute countdown]

Thinking about these things is valuable and important. Thanks for taking some time to reflect and share with each other about it.

Why is it important for us to think about jesus?

After Jesus asked his disciples, “who do you say I am?” Peter responded with an answer and says this to Jesus, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” What was significant about this answer was that it was a correct understanding of who Jesus is. During a time where some were confused, uncertain, and ignorant understandings of who Jesus is. Peter recognized Jesus to be the anointed or chosen one. That’s what Messiah means, chosen. Jesus was the chosen one who was going to rescue them from their troubles and establish his kingdom. Jesus, in response, blesses Peter, gives him an important role in establishing the church, and gives him power and authority to lead the church.

APPLICATION

It matters how we see who Jesus is. We must continuously seek the truth of who Jesus is. In light of the “I Am” statements, we know that Jesus is our sustainer, guide, protector, life giver, path to God, and source of life, but other things can look like Jesus or maybe even compete with Jesus and we can’t make the mistake that those things are Jesus. If Jesus is truly the only path to God, we have to be sure that we know the true Jesus. There are so many things that we are aware and unaware of that take our focus off Jesus. Sometimes, it might even take our faith and our hope away from Jesus, but let us stay true to Jesus who reveals himself to us as the living God who cares for us. Find opportunities to trust him as your sustainer, your guide, your protector, your life giver, your path to God, your source of life. Consider how Jesus sustains you and feed off his sustenance. Consider how Jesus guides you and follow him more and more. Consider how Jesus protects you and let him defend you more and more. Consider how Jesus gives you life and live more and more. Consider how Jesus is the path to God and walk on the path more and more. Consider how Jesus is the source of life and rely on that more and more.