Mark 8:27-29 (GNT)
27 Then Jesus and his disciples went away to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Tell me, who do people say I am?”
28 “Some say that you are John the Baptist,” they answered; “others say that you are Elijah, while others say that you are one of the prophets.”
29 “What about you?” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
The above scripture has Jesus asking the questions we have continued to ask through the centuries “Who is Jesus?” Just like the disciples we come up with many answers when put on the spot: quoting the church’s catechism, what we have heard others say, and the conclusions we have come to ourselves. For some of us it’s still a question we strive to answer.
So I started to think about how Jesus described himself because there is nothing like going to the source if you want some good information. In the gospels we have Jesus calling himself “The Son of Man” 81 times. That’s a whole sermon in itself so I will leave it for another time.
27 Then Jesus and his disciples went away to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Tell me, who do people say I am?”
28 “Some say that you are John the Baptist,” they answered; “others say that you are Elijah, while others say that you are one of the prophets.”
29 “What about you?” he asked them. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
The above scripture has Jesus asking the questions we have continued to ask through the centuries “Who is Jesus?” Just like the disciples we come up with many answers when put on the spot: quoting the church’s catechism, what we have heard others say, and the conclusions we have come to ourselves. For some of us it’s still a question we strive to answer.
So I started to think about how Jesus described himself because there is nothing like going to the source if you want some good information. In the gospels we have Jesus calling himself “The Son of Man” 81 times. That’s a whole sermon in itself so I will leave it for another time.
Moving on, the Gospel of John is a wonderful place to find out about how Jesus saw himself because it contains the “I am” sayings.
1) Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
2) Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. “I am the light of the world,” he said. “Whoever
follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.” (John 8:12)
3) "I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out
and find pasture.” (John 10:9)
4) “I am the good shepherd”. (John 10:11)
5) Jesus said …, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25)
6) Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
7) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” (John 15:1)
And then there is one more scripture sentence which is quite controversial about whether it should be included in the “I am” sayings: John 8:58: “I am telling you the truth,” Jesus replied. “Before Abraham was born, ‘I Am’.”
So what do these “I am” sayings tell us about Jesus? Can they be read separately from the stories they are embedded in and still tell us about Jesus’ ministry and mission?
When I read them I can’t help but think of the stories they come from, the people Jesus is talking to at the time and the people Jesus called to be with him as disciples.
Fishermen, a demon possessed Mary Magdalene, tax collectors, Pharisees like Nicodemus (John 3:1), social activists like Judas; these are the people who surrounded Jesus. Who were the people who came to hear Jesus preach? Just plain hard working everyday folk, the marginalized, people who needed healing and could use a miracle or two, the oppressed and the just plain curious. There were those who came for advice, those who wanted answers, those who saw in Jesus the answer to their prayers and then there were all the people Jesus just happened upon, like the Samaritan woman at the well, the ten lepers and the ill woman who touched his robe.
The “I am” sayings are woven into the stories telling us not only about him and how he sees himself or his role in the salvation of the people of Yahweh but who listens and who hears.
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry” “Whoever drinks the water that I give will never be thirsty again – it will provide with life giving water and eternal life” (John 4:13-14) We understand the images brought to mind by these sayings, these stories are centered in real life situations.
When Jesus says , “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” It is part and parcel of the whole of John 6 where Jesus feeds the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two small fish, after which Jesus walks on water to get to the boat that the disciples are using to cross the Sea of Galilee. Jesus goes to Capernaum and the crowds who witnessed the sharing out of the bread the day before follow him there, but Jesus knows they are impressed with him because they were well fed when they were hungry. Jesus knows that they are mesmerized by the concreteness of the miracle, it was something they could touch and their physical hunger was satisfied when they ate the bread and fish. They want more of it, what else could this Jesus do to improve their lives? But Jesus wants them to see something more in his actions, to feel something more when he speaks, he wants them to acknowledge and seek a feeding of their deeper spiritual hunger for a connection with God.
1) Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
2) Jesus spoke to the Pharisees again. “I am the light of the world,” he said. “Whoever
follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.” (John 8:12)
3) "I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out
and find pasture.” (John 10:9)
4) “I am the good shepherd”. (John 10:11)
5) Jesus said …, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25)
6) Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
7) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” (John 15:1)
And then there is one more scripture sentence which is quite controversial about whether it should be included in the “I am” sayings: John 8:58: “I am telling you the truth,” Jesus replied. “Before Abraham was born, ‘I Am’.”
So what do these “I am” sayings tell us about Jesus? Can they be read separately from the stories they are embedded in and still tell us about Jesus’ ministry and mission?
When I read them I can’t help but think of the stories they come from, the people Jesus is talking to at the time and the people Jesus called to be with him as disciples.
Fishermen, a demon possessed Mary Magdalene, tax collectors, Pharisees like Nicodemus (John 3:1), social activists like Judas; these are the people who surrounded Jesus. Who were the people who came to hear Jesus preach? Just plain hard working everyday folk, the marginalized, people who needed healing and could use a miracle or two, the oppressed and the just plain curious. There were those who came for advice, those who wanted answers, those who saw in Jesus the answer to their prayers and then there were all the people Jesus just happened upon, like the Samaritan woman at the well, the ten lepers and the ill woman who touched his robe.
The “I am” sayings are woven into the stories telling us not only about him and how he sees himself or his role in the salvation of the people of Yahweh but who listens and who hears.
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry” “Whoever drinks the water that I give will never be thirsty again – it will provide with life giving water and eternal life” (John 4:13-14) We understand the images brought to mind by these sayings, these stories are centered in real life situations.
When Jesus says , “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” It is part and parcel of the whole of John 6 where Jesus feeds the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two small fish, after which Jesus walks on water to get to the boat that the disciples are using to cross the Sea of Galilee. Jesus goes to Capernaum and the crowds who witnessed the sharing out of the bread the day before follow him there, but Jesus knows they are impressed with him because they were well fed when they were hungry. Jesus knows that they are mesmerized by the concreteness of the miracle, it was something they could touch and their physical hunger was satisfied when they ate the bread and fish. They want more of it, what else could this Jesus do to improve their lives? But Jesus wants them to see something more in his actions, to feel something more when he speaks, he wants them to acknowledge and seek a feeding of their deeper spiritual hunger for a connection with God.
That is what Jesus is offering them; his words and actions provide a way for them and for us to feed our spiritual hunger to know and be with God, to have God as a living presence in our lives. The stories around the “I am” sayings give dimension and life to the sayings. They aren’t just Jesus proclaiming who he is from a pulpit he is participating in bringing those words to life.
It’s like Jesus is saying to them: “You think bread is bread, but guess what? This bread I am offering you is – it’s not just going to satisfy your hunger for today it’s going to change your life!”
It’s like Jesus is saying to us: “You think you know the power of these stories but dig deeper into yourselves and see what they really say to you, they will surprise you and what you seek may change your life!”
I Am The Bread of Life MV #201
The youtube link for this can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7HtbTy0a1I
and there is a link for it on the Texada Island United Church Facebook page.
I am the bread of life broken for the world.
I am the cup poured out for all.
Those who believe in me will never die.
I am the life of the world.
It’s like Jesus is saying to them: “You think bread is bread, but guess what? This bread I am offering you is – it’s not just going to satisfy your hunger for today it’s going to change your life!”
It’s like Jesus is saying to us: “You think you know the power of these stories but dig deeper into yourselves and see what they really say to you, they will surprise you and what you seek may change your life!”
I Am The Bread of Life MV #201
The youtube link for this can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7HtbTy0a1I
and there is a link for it on the Texada Island United Church Facebook page.
I am the bread of life broken for the world.
I am the cup poured out for all.
Those who believe in me will never die.
I am the life of the world.
