He Reveals God’s Own Nature

The people of Jesus’ day thought they knew what God was like. The stories of the patriarchs, the demands of the law, the rituals of the Temple, and the preaching of the prophets had shaped their picture of God. The picture they had wasn’t complete and had little detail or clarity.

Jesus brought clarity to what was unclear. He filled in the gaps about what God was like. In some ways, he finished the sentence that God had begun when he gave his name to Moses, saying, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus said:

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. (John 6:51)

I am the light of the world. (John 8:12)

I am the gate. (John 10:9)

I am the good shepherd. (John 10:11)

I am the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25)

I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)

I am the true grapevine. (John 15:1)

In a sevenfold series of progressive clarity, Jesus uttered the most concise and comprehensive expression of his character, his purpose, and his provision. And in telling us who he is, Jesus also told us important things about who we are. He showed us our need for him. Without him we starve spiritually. Without him we struggle in the darkness, which is anywhere he is not. Without him we have no protection from the forces of evil, no provision for our needs, no guidance for our future. Without him we have no hope beyond the grave, no knowledge of what is true, no source or security. Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

Great I AM in the flesh, I see that you are everything I need. I want to feed on you, live in your light, enter into you, depend on you, live through the power of your unstoppable life, walk in your way, and be connected to you in a life-giving way. Who you are is everything to me.

From the book