The I Am Statements of Jesus 2019

The “I Am” Statements of Jesus
In the Gospel of John
“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” - John 8:58
Jim MacGregor
http://psalmstudy.org/
Our Purpose
Compare the Gospel narratives with Old

Testament Scriptures, relating Jesus’ words
and actions to Old Testament Scriptures,
to accomplish the following:
Learn what Jesus said with “I am”.
Learn what Jesus said means for us.
Gain insight into the impression Jesus

made on His audiences and how they
understood Him.
Learn how Jesus fulfilled the Old

Testament prophecies and prophetic
types of the Messiah.
Know Jesus better than we do now.

Jesus is God!
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God

abides in him, and he in God. (1 John 4:15/ESV)
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say
this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
(Exodus 3:14/ESV)
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham

was, I am.” (John 8:58/ESV)
Jesus said: “You search the Scriptures because you think that
in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness
about me.” (John 5:39/ESV)
Jesus said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will not pass away.”(Matthew 24:35; Luke 21:33; Mark
13:31/ESV)
Jesus said: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets,
he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning himself.” Luke 24:27/ESV)
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the

disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are
written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his
name. (John 20:30-31/ESV)
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were
every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself
could not contain the books that would be written. (John
21:25/ESV)
In the Gospel of John
“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” - John 8:58
Jim MacGregor
http://psalmstudy.org/
Our Purpose

Compare the Gospel narra/ves with Old
Testament Scriptures, rela/ng Jesus’
words and ac/ons to Old Testament
Scriptures, to accomplish the following:



Gain insight into the impression Jesus
made on His audiences and how they
understood Him.

Learn how Jesus fulﬁlled the Old
Testament prophecies and prophe/c
types of the Messiah.

Know Jesus beJer than we do now.
Jesus is God!
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God

abides in him, and he in God. (1 John 4:15/ESV)
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say
this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to
you.’” (Exodus 3:14/ESV)
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham
was, I am.” (John 8:58/ESV)
Jesus said: “You search the Scriptures because you think that
in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness
about me,” (John 5:39/ESV)
Jesus said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will not pass away.”(Matthew 24:35; Luke 21:33; Mark
13:31/ESV)
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the

disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are
written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his
name. (John 20:30-31/ESV)
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were
every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself
could not contain the books that would be written. (John
21:25/ESV)
Table of Contents
Preface ...................................................................................................................................................... v
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1
Our Purpose ...................................................................................................................................................... 1
Background ....................................................................................................................................................... 1
Jesus Said “Before Abraham Was, I Am” ....................................................................................... 5
What Jesus Said Means for Us ..................................................................................................................... 5
The Meaning of “I Am” ................................................................................................................................... 5
What Jesus Said Meant for John the Baptist and His Disciples ........................................................ 8
Jesus Said “I Am the Bread of Life” ............................................................................................... 13
What Jesus Said ............................................................................................................................................. 13
What Jesus Said Means for Us ................................................................................................................... 14
Summary of What Jesus Said Means for Us ....................................................................................................... 14
The Bread of Life ........................................................................................................................................................... 15
Faith and Works ............................................................................................................................................................ 15
About Earthly and Spiritual Food .......................................................................................................................... 16
About Jesus’ Flesh and Blood ................................................................................................................................... 17
No Follower to Lack Nourishment ........................................................................................................................ 19
Thirst and Living Water ............................................................................................................................................. 20
Believing Jesus ............................................................................................................................................................... 21
Bread and Bethlehem .................................................................................................................................................. 22
Jesus Said “I Am the Light of the World” .................................................................................... 25
What Jesus Said ............................................................................................................................................. 25
The Light of the World ................................................................................................................................................ 25
Walking in the Light .................................................................................................................................................... 28
God Our Light - Past, Present, and Future .......................................................................................................... 28
Jesus Said “I Am the Door … I Am the Good Shepherd” ......................................................... 31
What Jesus Said ............................................................................................................................................. 31
The Door and the Good Shepherd ......................................................................................................................... 32
Jesus as the Door and Our Refuge .......................................................................................................................... 33
Jesus as Our Refuge and Thieves ............................................................................................................................ 35
The Good Shepherd ..................................................................................................................................................... 36
The Evil Shepherds in Scripture ............................................................................................................................. 37
About Shepherds ........................................................................................................................................................... 38
The Evil Shepherds in Old Testament Scripture - Thirty Pieces of Silver ............................................ 38
Jesus Said “I Am the Resurrection and the Life” ...................................................................... 41
What Jesus Said ............................................................................................................................................. 41
The Resurrection .......................................................................................................................................................... 42
Resurrection and Life .................................................................................................................................................. 44
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Our Resurrection and Life ......................................................................................................................................... 45
Jesus Said “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” ................................................................. 49
What Jesus Said ............................................................................................................................................. 49
The Way, the Truth, and the Life ............................................................................................................................ 50
Jesus the Way .................................................................................................................................................................. 52
Jesus the Truth ............................................................................................................................................................... 53
Jesus the Life ................................................................................................................................................................... 54
Jesus Said “I Am the True Vine” … “I Am the Vine” … “Abide in Me” ................................. 57
What Jesus Said ............................................................................................................................................. 57
The Vine ............................................................................................................................................................................ 58
The True Vine - Bearing Fruit .................................................................................................................................. 58
Jesus Pruning and Sustaining the Vine ................................................................................................................ 60
Abiding in Jesus ............................................................................................................................................................. 62
How do we abide in Jesus? ........................................................................................................................................ 62
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 67
Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... 67
We Get to Know Jesus Better from His Instruction after the Resurrection ............................... 68
We Get to Know Jesus Better from the Holy Spirit’s Instruction after Pentecost ................... 69
We Get to Know Jesus Better by Studying and Praying to Know Him ......................................... 71
We Get to Know Jesus Better by Faith .................................................................................................... 72
Commitment - We Get to Know Jesus Better by Imitating Him ..................................................... 72
What Jesus Tells Us about Commitment ............................................................................................................. 72
What Theologians Have Told Us about Commitment ................................................................................... 73
Related Readings - The “Three Sevens” of the Gospel of John Regarding “I Am”
Sayings, Discourses, and Signs (Miracles) ............................................................................... 79
Related Readings - Children of God, Truth, and Freedom ................................................... 81
Related Readings - Bread and Bethlehem ................................................................................. 83
Related Readings - About Shepherds .......................................................................................... 85
Related Readings - The Evil Shepherds in Old Testament Scripture - Thirty Pieces of
Silver ...................................................................................................................................................... 87
Related Readings - The Christian Distinctive ........................................................................... 89
Descriptions and Biographies of Sources Mentioned in the Paper .................................. 91
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................ 99
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Preface
The Paper
This paper, “The ‘I Am’ Statements of Jesus”, was prepared for adult Bible study to get to know Jesus
better and to demonstrate how all Scripture witnesses to Him - Our Divine Lord and Savior. “The ‘I Am’
Statements of Jesus” is a systematic compilation of notes and related Scripture passages reflecting what I
learned from many sources while being guided by the Bible itself to seek clarification within Scripture.
The sources cited in the bibliography at the end of this paper aided me in knowing where to look in the
Bible.
In Acts 17:11 we read about a success of Paul and Silas in Berea. We should likewise have interactive
sharing both of knowledge and of what we want to learn about. Paul rejoiced over the diligence with
which the Jews in Berea studied the Scriptures about what he had taught.
Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness,
examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11/ESV)
Let us share what insights or difficulties we have with knowing Jesus or Scripture in general. By doing
so we can examine the Scriptures to determine if what we are discussing is so. This paper is a kind of
“book report” that serves as a vehicle for mutual sharing of what I have learned and what we participants
have learned in our life experiences.
The table of contents shows the planned outline for our discussions. There are also a bibliography of
material used and brief biographies and descriptions of sources mentioned in the bibliography.
The term Old Testament is used to refer to the canonical Scriptures that Jews and Christians share known
to Jews as the Tanakh. 1 The term New Testament is used to refer to the Christian Scriptures (e.g., Gospel
of John, Epistle to the Hebrews, Revelation). Two noncanonical books are referenced - 1 and 2
Maccabees. 2 They are two of the apocryphal books whose sources are unknown.
Some Scripture references and verses - the “tools” necessary to know Jesus - are repeated in their entirety
under each heading to which they pertain to minimize the need for the reader to stop and look up
references.
The Sources
This paper includes commentaries by the Church Fathers, Reformers, contemporaries of Reformers, and
later Christian writers. Those commentaries are not supplements to Scripture. Rather, they help us to
understand Scripture in ways that their authors did, just as the sermons and homilies of our modern day
pastors do.
There are citations of sources that are of various Christian theological persuasions. Every attempt has
been made to reflect the understanding of Scripture as seen in the writings of the first Christians, the
Church Fathers, the Reformers, and later theologians as far as their writings focus on the particular topic
in a manner that is consistent with a fundamental Christian understanding of the Bible and the doctrines to
be found there when comparing Scripture with Scripture.
Other writings, however, of ancient or modern teachers, whatever name they bear, must not be
regarded as equal to the Holy Scriptures, but all of them together be subjected to them, and should
not be received otherwise or further than as witnesses, which are to show in what manner after the
1
Tanakh is an acronym of the first Hebrew letter of each of the Masoretic Text’s three traditional subdivisions: Torah
(“Teaching”, also known as the Five Books of Moses), Nevi’im (“Prophets”) and Ketuvim (“Writings”) - hence TaNaKh.
2
1 and 2 Maccabees, Accessed September 28, 2017, http://www.biblestudytools.com/kjva/1-maccabees/ and
http://www.biblestudytools.com/kjva/2-maccabees/.
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vi
time of the apostles, and at what places, this pure doctrine of the prophets and apostles was
preserved. 3
We do not place our total reliance on the Church Fathers for doctrine as if they could articulate it more
clearly than the Word of God Himself as found in the Scriptures. 4 Rather than trusting the church fathers
and their writings, we should crawl under the wings of our mother hen, the Lord Christ, and look to him
alone. The heavenly Father said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him”
(Matthew 17:5/ESV) God wants us to listen to Jesus alone. 5
Jewish references (e.g., The Jewish Annotated New Testament and The Jewish Study Bible) 6 are used for
Hebrew-sensitive English translations, factual definitions, and historical facts, but not for their non-
Christian theological points of view.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®
(ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights
reserved. Each instance is identified with “(ESV)” in accordance with the publisher’s rules for use in
non-saleable media. 7 The King James Version (KJV) is quoted in instances where the KJV translation is
closer to the Hebrew text than the ESV and conveys the meaning of the topic under discussion more
directly.
Quotes from Scripture are shown in italics accompanied by the appropriate chapter and verse numbers. m
For example, John 3:16 indicates the Gospel of John chapter 3, verse 16. Also John 3:16-4:4 indicates the
Gospel of John chapter 3, verse 16 through chapter 4, verse 4. Similarly, John 3-5 indicates the Gospel of
John, chapters 3 through 5.
Extracts from the Book of Concord, Small Catechism, may be used freely. According to the publisher:
“The texts used here are from Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church: German-Latin-English 8 published as a memorial of the quadricentenary jubilee of the
Reformation in 1917 by resolution of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States
(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921). These texts are in the public domain and may be freely
copied.”
A copy of this paper may be found at http://psalmstudy.org/VariousTopics/I-Am-Statements-of-
Jesus/Jesus-I-Am.pdf.
3
“Comprehensive Summary”, Epitome of the Formula of Concord. Accessed September 22, 2017, Book of Concord.
(Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church: German-Latin-English) (St. Louis: Concordia
Publishing House, 1921) Accessed July 27, 2017, http://www.bookofconcord.org/fc-ep.php?setSidebar=min. Your word is a
lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105/ESV) But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a
gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8/ESV)
4
Martin Chemnitz, Enchiridion - The Lord’s Supper, The Lord’s Prayer, Chemnitz’s Works (Volume Five). Translated by
Luther Poellot, J.A.O. Preus, and Georg Williams, trans. (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2007) p. 149.
5
Martin Luther, “Trusting Christ Instead of People”, Martin Luther, Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional, James C. Galvin, ed.
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005) October 14.
6
Jewish Annotated New Testament, Marc Zvi Brettler and Amy-Jill Levine, ed. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press,
2011). Jewish Study Bible, Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, ed. Jewish Publication Society (New York, NY: Oxford
University Press, 2014).
7
English Standard Version (ESV) Bible. Accessed July 26, 2017. http://www.biblestudytools.com/esv/. Crossway, “ESV
Copyright and Permissions Information”, Accessed July 26, 2017. https://www.crossway.org/permissions/.
8
Book of Concord. (Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church: German-Latin-English).
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921. Accessed July 27, 2017. http://bookofconcord.org. Triglot in three languages.
The Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States became the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.
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Acknowledgements
I could not have prepared this paper without the Lord’s guidance who gave me the encouragement
through prayer and through my wife, Patty, and her many hours of providing substantial help with both
content and editing.
Jim MacGregor,
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Spring 2019
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Introduction
Our Purpose
We compare the Gospel narratives with Old Testament Scriptures, relating Jesus’ words and
actions to Old Testament Scriptures, to accomplish the following:
Gain insight into the impression Jesus made on His audiences and how they understood Him.
Learn how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and prophetic types of the Messiah.
Know Jesus better than we do now.
Background
Each of the four Gospels can be summarized as presenting the following themes:
Matthew presents the promised Messiah and describes His credentials.
Mark presents the activities of Jesus’ ministry and illustrates His power.
Luke presents the nature of Jesus, His personality, and how He related to people. Luke relates more
parables than the other evangelists.
The Gospel of John is different from the other Gospels as it is not a chronology relating events to
a calendar-like timeline.
John presents clearly who Jesus really is, God, the Son of God, the Messiah, our Savior and Lord.
John’s Gospel contains very few statements connecting events in the gospel narrative with external
events. For example, unlike Luke’s Gospel, he does not connect the start of Jesus’ ministry with
the arrest of John the Baptist.
The Gospel of John delves into Jesus’ divine nature by recording seven discourses, seven “I am”
statements, and seven “signs” (i.e., miracles) all of which point to Jesus as the divine Son of God.
All of the instances of Jesus declaring “I am” are recorded in the Gospel of John in Jesus’ teachings
to different people under different circumstances. 9
We shall read about Jesus’ divinity as revealed in His seven “I am” statements. They all seem to
flow from another statement that Jesus made in which He clearly identified Himself in the first
person as God. That statement, quoted just below, uses the subject and verb “I am” without any
predicate - without any object or indirect object - thus strongly conveying the fact that He is God.
Jesus made it clear to the Jewish leaders that He is God.
“Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews
said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:56-58/ESV)
That statement recorded in John 8:56-58 will be discussed separately as a starting point for
exploring the seven, traditionally-identified “I am” statements in which Jesus associated Himself
with some scripturally-based person (e.g., shepherd) or thing (e.g., vine).
9
More information about the topical structure of the Gospel of John may be found at Related Readings - “The ‘Three
Sevens’ of the Gospel of John Regarding ‘I Am’ Sayings, Discourses, and Signs (Miracles)”
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The Gospel of John records Jesus’ “I am” statements using the definite article for emphasis to
distinguish Himself as “the only” one of what He called Himself: bread of life, light of the world,
door and good shepherd, resurrection and life, way-truth-life, and true vine. Other persons in the
fourth gospel only rarely say, “I am” or “I am (something);” rather they say mostly, “I am not”
(e.g. John 1:20-21, 27; 3:28; 18:17, 25). 10
There are still other statements that use “I am” in Greek in the same literal way that it was used
for the name of God. They seem to be more in the context of Jesus’ identifying Himself for
clarity in the context of conversations in which people just wanted to ensure that they knew
whom they saw or were talking to (e.g., “It is I”, “I am He”). One of them is quoted here:
When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near
the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I [In Greek, literally “I am”]; do not
be afraid.” (John 6:19-20/ESV) 11
Jesus’ “I am” statements refer to prophecies and prophetic types as they are found in the Old
Testament. We learn from what Jesus said about Himself both that He is the fulfillment of Old
Testament prophecies and prophetic types pertaining to the Messiah, and that He referred to
Himself using language that the Old Testament associated with God. We learn that He is the
promised Messiah and is God, the second person of the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. Jesus spoke to the Jewish religious authorities about Himself:
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that
bear witness about me,” (John 5:39/ESV)
When we study what is presented here and also read the Acts, Epistles, and Revelation, we gain a
richer, fuller - never complete, for one cannot understand God - appreciation of Jesus as “I am”.
When we study and read as just suggested, we experience what He alluded to when promising us
the Holy Spirit to remind us of His words:
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all
things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26/ESV)
As we study the “I am” statements of Jesus we shall see some repetition of Scripture quotes and
duplication of thoughts found in Scripture and commentaries. We learn that we cannot
“engineer” this material into discrete parcels of information that have distinct boundaries. We
shall see that there are only superficial boundaries - different metaphors - among the “I am”
statements of Jesus. 12 The statements all refer to Him as God, as the source for everything, and
10
Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. “I AM” Sayings in the Fourth Gospel”, catholic-resources.org, Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://catholic-resources.org/John/Themes-IAM.htm. John rendered the Greek for the “I am” statements in the sense that we
understand it in our English translations. It is reasonable to believe that John rendered in Greek what he had originally heard in
Aramaic.
11
Some examples of those statements may be found at: John 4:26; John 6:19-20; John 8:24; John 8:28; John 13:19; and
John 18:5-8.
12
RE: metaphors, recommend reading: E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien, “Are We Misreading Scripture?”
Accessed July 26, 2017,
http://www.crosswalkmail.com/ViewMessage.do?m=pyhhhvcjvm&r=wlfglgswwvgf&s=wvfnlzdsnfndjsywqmtktdzjvqqjfgdtlly&
a=view. Note on boundaries among statements: One example of superficial boundaries is Jesus’ establishment of the Eucharist
at the Last Supper as recorded, for example, in Luke 22:19-20. Jesus said about the bread “This is my body, which is given for
you.” He said about the cup “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” Clearly, Jesus once again
was referring to Himself in this one pair of statements as both the bread of life and the true vine. To discuss each statement
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as the central figure in all Scripture. All Scripture, if interpreted correctly, points toward Jesus.
Nevertheless, we shall attempt to focus on each “I am” statement while realizing that Jesus is all
of this: the “Bread of Life”, the “Light of the World”, the “Door and the Good Shepherd”, the
“Resurrection and the Life”, the “ Way and the Truth and the Life”, and the “True Vine”.
Here is a summary of Jesus’ “I Am’ Statements that we shall discuss in detail.
Overall, Jesus claimed for Himself the name that God told Moses - “I AM WHO I AM.” 13
First, “I Am the Bread of Life” - Jesus spoke of Himself as the Bread of Life (John 6:48) after
feeding the five thousand near the Sea of Galilee and while teaching in the synagogue at
Capernaum. He claimed the manna of Exodus 16:15 and Numbers 11:7-9 as a type of Himself.
Second, “I Am the Light of the World” - Jesus spoke of Himself as the Light of the World while
teaching, in the Fall, in the temple at the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth) (John 8:12). He thereby
claimed to fulfill type in Psalm 36:9 and prophecy in Isaiah 42:6-7, 16.
Third and and Fourth, “I Am the Door … the Good Shepherd” - Jesus spoke of Himself as the Door
of the sheepfold and the Good Shepherd, in the Winter, before the Feast of Dedication (Chanukah).
(John 10:7-9, 11-17, 26-29) He thereby claimed to fulfill the prophetic type in Psalm 23:1 and the
prophecy in Isaiah 40:11.
Fifth, “I Am the Resurrection and the Life” - Jesus spoke of Himself as the Resurrection and the
Life (John 11:25 ) before raising His friend Lazarus from the dead at Bethany. He thereby claimed
to fulfill the prophetic type of Genesis 22:10-12 and the prophecy of Job 19:25-27.
Sixth, “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” - On the way to Gethsemane the night of His arrest,
Jesus told Thomas and His other disciples, comforting them, that He is the Way, and the Truth, and
the Life, indicating that we are saved by adhering to our belief in Him as our Lord, Master, and
Savior - our leader whom we follow to enter into eternal life. (John 14:6) He thereby claimed the
attributes of God recoded in Psalms 32:8, 36:9, and 119:160.
Seventh, “I Am the True Vine” - On the way to Gethsemane the night of His arrest, Jesus told His
disciples that He is the vine, the true vine, indicating that we are saved by adhering to our belief in
Him as our Lord, Master, Savior - our Mediator before the Father. (John 15:1-6) He thereby
claimed to fulfill the prophecy of Genesis 49:10-12 regarding the ruler to be descended from Judah
and the prophetic type of the Lord’s Kingdom of Deuteronomy 8:8.
individually under “I am the Bread of Life” (and drinking His blood) and “I am the True Vine” would lead to unnecessarily
redundant and confusing text in this paper.]
13
The Name “I AM WHO I AM” is represented in Exodus 6:2-8 and elsewhere, in English, as the “LORD” (all capitalized).
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Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Jesus Said “Before Abraham Was, I Am”

Jesus made it clear to the Jewish leaders that He is God.
Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him,
“Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as , yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word,
he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets
died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is
nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not
known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do
know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw
it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen
Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they
picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” (John 8:51-
59/ESV)
That statement, recorded in John 8:51-59, made by Jesus stands apart somehow from the seven
“I am” statements. It is the one in which He most clearly and directly identified Himself as God.
We shall examine that statement, what it means for us, and people’s reactions to His claims of
divinity before discussing the individual seven “I am” statements.
He called Himself by God’s name (i.e., “I AM WHO I AM” - Yahweh).
Jesus - God - ever was, is, and will be.
He identified Himself as the one true God of Israel with God’s name found in Genesis, Exodus, Job,
Psalms, Isaiah, Malachi, and other Scripture.
What Jesus Said Means for Us

Jesus is God, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We are to adore, praise, worship, and
bless Him for His glory and for His gifts of salvation, life, and all good things. We are to be one
with Him just as He wants to be one with us.
The name of God taken by itself does not
constitute a Messianic prophecy. However, Jesus
pointed back to God’s name using the phrase “I
am” several times during His ministry, and
characterized Himself seven different ways as God
in Person: Bread of Life, Light of the World, Door
of the Sheep, Good Shepherd, Resurrection and
Life, Way Truth and Life, and True Vine. His
audience knew their Scripture, and they
understood clearly that He was claiming to be God
in each context of His using the phrase “I am”.
The Meaning of “I Am”

Sometime after the Feast of Booths (i.e., Feast of Tabernacles, Sukkot), in September by our
calendar and shortly after the New Year (i.e., Rosh Hashanah), Jesus was teaching about truth,
light, and freedom. At the end of His discourse, He stated, “before Abraham was, I am”, thereby
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claiming God’s name (i.e., “I AM WHO I AM” - Yahweh) for His own. In Greek, the words
recorded in John 8:58 mean literally “Before Abraham was existing, I am.” 14
Jesus’ statement “before Abraham was, I am”, and others by Him, referring to His divinity, was a
clear, unmistakable statement that He is God. It would have reminded His audience of Scriptural
statements clearly attributed to God. It was clearly understood by His audience. His words so
enraged them that they wanted to stone Him for blasphemy. God is the “I AM WHO I AM”, the
one: who exists; whose personality and power is owing solely to Himself, who never changes;
from whom all power and energy in the universe flows; and to Whom all creation should
conform its life. Jesus claimed to be all of this. Jesus claimed to fulfill prophecies mentioned in
Scripture passages connected with the name of God.
In Exodus 3:13-15, God sent Moses to use His name,
“I AM WHO I AM”, to deliver His promise of
deliverance out of Egypt and to persuade His people to
follow Moses. God explained to Moses that He had
not used His name, “I AM WHO I AM”, before
(Exodus 6:2-8). This makes Jesus’ statement “before
Abraham was I am” even more powerful. Jesus was in
effect saying that even in Abraham’s time the
Patriarchs did not know God’s true name, but that
Jesus bore God’s true name, “I AM WHO I AM”,
before Abraham lived. 15
God’s name tells us about Him this way:
God is - Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, “The God of
your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?”
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has
sent me to you’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of
your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’
This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” (Exodus
3:13-15/ESV)
God was and is - God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to
them.” (Exodus 6:2-3/ESV)
God is and will be - “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the
Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy
31:6/ESV)
God was, is, and will be - Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the
beginning? I, the Lord, the first, and with the last; I am he. (Isaiah 41:4/ESV)
Note that Isaiah also recorded God referring to Himself as “I am”. The “I am” language in John
is a clear reference to God’s statements in Genesis, Exodus, Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Malachi, and
14
Matt Slick, “John 8:58 and 10:30-33, ‘I am.’”, Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, Accessed July 26, 2017,
http://carm.org/religious-movements/jehovahs-witnesses/john-858-and-1030-33-i-am.
15
Image “Moses and the Burning Bush” is used in accordance with copyright terms at Other Food: Daily Devos,
http://www.otherfood-devos.com/2013/02/i-amgods-name-forever.html.
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other Scripture with which Jesus identified Himself as the one true God of Israel. Jesus, using
God’s name tells us about Himelf this way:
God - Jesus - is absolute reality. There is no reality outside of him unless he wills it and makes it.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void,
and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the
waters. … (Genesis 1 and ff./ESV)
God - Jesus - does whatever He pleases and it is always right and always beautiful and always
in accord with truth. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this
that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you,
and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me,
if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched
the line upon it? (Job 38:1-5/ESV)
God - Jesus - is the most important and most valuable reality and person in the universe. The
heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours
out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose
voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the
world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its
circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the
Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the
fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings
of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great
reward. (Psalm 19:1-11/ESV)
God - Jesus - never had a beginning and will never have an end. He was, is, and will be. He is
the first and the last. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen. (Psalm 41:13/ESV)
… Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought
forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
(Psalm 90:1-2/ESV)
… For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
(Psalm 100:5/ESV)
… The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. (Psalm
119:160/ESV)
Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord, the first,
and with the last; I am he. (Isaiah 41:4/ESV)
“Listen to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last.”
(Isaiah 48:12/ESV)
God - Jesus - is constant. He never changes. “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O
children of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6/ESV)
God - Jesus - is entirely independent. He depends on nothing to bring Him into being or support
Him or counsel him or make him what he is. Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what
man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught
him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
(Isaiah 40:13-14/ESV)
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God - Jesus - is the absolute standard of truth and goodness and beauty. One thing have I
asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my
life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4/ESV)
Everything that is not God - Jesus - depends totally on God. On God rests my salvation and my
glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart
before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah. (Psalm 62:7-8/ESV)
The entire universe is by comparison to God - Jesus - as nothing. For a thousand years in your
sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with
a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it
flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. (Psalm 90:4-6/ESV)
God - Jesus - is unique. “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I
have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god
was formed, nor shall there be any after me.” (Isaiah 43:10/ESV)
What Jesus Said Meant for John the Baptist and His Disciples
Jesus asked His disciples about who other people
said He is and who His disciples said He is. Peter
and the other disciples likely did not yet
understand in what way Jesus was the begotten
Son of God. However, Peter may have been so
persuaded of the dignity of Jesus, that he believed
Him to come from God, not like other men, but by
the presence of the true and living God in his
person. Now that the disciples were learning that
Jesus is the Christ, they still had to learn what He
meant by that. The conversation is recorded in
Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 8:27-29, and Luke 9:18-
20. 16
We believe that Jesus’ disciples did not fully realize who He is at this stage of His ministry (i.e.,
after feeding the four thousand and curing the blind man in in Bethsaida but before the
Transfiguration). Jesus’ disciples slowly learned who He is, the Messiah, but did not have a
complete realization of His Messianic role and Kingship until after the Resurrection - maybe not
until after Pentecost. Even Peter’s reply to Jesus, “You are the Christ,” may have meant that he
saw Jesus as God’s earthly king promised by the prophets, as an earthly Messiah who would be
Israel’s ruler and fulfill the messianic prophecies in this world. Christ meaning, “anointed,” was
the Scriptural appellation bestowed on kings who had been anointed by the divine command.
Jesus did not want people to think of Him in that way, because He knew that His mission was to
redeem us all from our sins and that His kingdom is a heavenly one. He disclosed who He is
with greater clarity, by actions and words, as His ministry progressed. He disclosed who He is
by His miracles (e.g., healing the man blind from birth - John 9), by the seven “I am” statements
discussed in this paper, by His discourses with various people (e.g., Nicodemus - John 3, the
Samaritan woman - John 4) and His discourses and prayers at the Last Supper and before His
arrest (John 13-17), and by His answers to Pilate about His authority that His Kingdom was not
16
Image “Who Do You Say I Am?” from https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PML4QZesRiI/maxresdefault.jpg.
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of this world (Matthew 27; Mark 15; John 18-19). He proved His disclosures by His
Resurrection (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
John the Baptist explained who he was.
For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “I baptize you with water for
repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to
carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he
will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with
unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12; c.f., Isaiah 41:16) 17
Jesus himself pronounced that He is the Messiah in the sense of all of the “I am” statements
when He told the people that He was from the Father, and that His testimony was greater than
that of John the Baptist. Jesus replied to John the Baptist’s disciples whom John had sent to ask
Him if He was the one who is to come, or shall they look for another. Jesus certainly must have
known that His cousin was aware of the Scriptures as John indicated he was. He may have
intended to reply to the Baptists’ disciples in a way that would conclusively reveal to John - and
hopefully to John’s disciples - that He is the Messiah. (Matthew 11:4-6)
They asked Jesus:
“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Matthew 11:3-6/ESV)
Jesus certainly must have known that His cousin was aware of the Scriptures as John indicated
he was. He may have intended to reply to the Baptists’ disciples in a way that would
conclusively reveal to John - and hopefully to John’s disciples - that He is the Messiah. His
answer summarized prophecies in the Psalms and Isaiah (c.f. Psalm 32:2; 72:12-13; 146:8;
119:1; Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-6; 42:7; 43:8; 61:1-3)
And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what
you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and
the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear,
and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good
news preached to them. And blessed is the one who
is not offended by me.” (Matthew 11:4-6/ESV)
Jesus explained to John’s disciples that John testified to Him, and that they were witnessing that
which had been prophesied by Isaiah; that The Lord will raise people from the dead, heal the
deaf and blind, and bring good news, heal people’s spirits, and set them free from whatever binds
them (Isaiah 26:19; 29:18; 35:5-6; 61:1).
Jesus then discussed John the Baptist:
“What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft
clothing are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and
more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your
face, who will prepare your way before you.’ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there
17
“… you shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice
in the LORD; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.” (Isaiah 41:16/ESV)
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has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven
is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:8-11/ESV; c.f., Malachi 3:1) 18
His discussion of John the Baptist may have meant that the least in heaven knows more, loves
more, and does more in praising God, and receives more from him, than the greatest in this
world.; and that whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven by Christian regeneration is greater
than any who has attained only the righteousness of the law, because the law makes nothing
perfect. 19
In the night before His crucifixion, Jesus explained to His disciples more clearly than before who
He is and what He was doing. Their reaction to His talk gives insight into the degree of their
belief in Him. They still may have seen Him as a God-sent earthly Messiah. As John recorded:
His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we
know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that
you came from God.” (John 16:29-30/ESV)
We infer from His disciples’ words at His Ascension that they still did not have a full
understanding of who He is, and that they still expected some sort of earthly Messiah. Jesus
probably fully understood that His disciples would struggle with the departure of His Ascension.
He wanted to reassure them - and us - that His presence continues among us. Jesus instructed
them that they will know all that they need when they receive the Holy Spirit.
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to
Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by
his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you
will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts
1:6-8/ESV)
“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are
clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49/ESV)
See “Related Readings - Children of God, Truth, and Freedom”
18
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come
to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. (Malachi
3:1/ESV)
19
Matthew Henry, “Matthew 11”, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise), Accessed July 26, 2017,
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-concise/matthew/11.html. John Wesley, “Matthew 11”,
Wesley’s Explanatory Notes, Accessed July 26, 2017, http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/wesleys-explanatory-
notes/matthew/matthew-11.html.
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20
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Image “Bread of Life’ from http://www.heartlandworship.com/bread-of-life.
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Jesus Said “I Am the Bread of Life”

What Jesus Said
Jesus spoke of Himself as the Bread of Life after feeding the five thousand near the Sea of
Galilee and while teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum (John 6:2-59).
“Our [the people at the synagogue in Capernaum] fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is
written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to
you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread
from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of
life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” ... So
the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ...
“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the
bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread
that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I
will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” ... “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” ... “This is the bread that came down
from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live
forever.” (John 6:31-35, 41, 48-50, 54, 58/ESV; c.f. Exodus 16; Isaiah 54:13; Isaiah 55:2) 21
Related Scripture - Miracle of Loaves of Bread

Jesus’ feeding the 5,000 may remind us of when the prophet Elisha trusted God to miraculously multiply
the barley loaves to feed his followers.
A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of
barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, “Give to the men, that they may eat.”
But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” So he repeated, “Give them to
the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” So he set it
before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord. (2 Kings 4:42-
44/ESV)
Barley of the first crop was ready for the harvest by the time of the Passover, in the middle of April. It
was grain used by the poor to bake bread and used as fodder for horses. Numbers 5:11-31 has the law
about the use of barley and water in the test for the faithfulness of a wife.
Jesus said “... whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I
said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.” (John 6:35-36/ESV) Throughout Scripture
God refers to His people as an unfaithful wife. Perhaps we can see in Jesus’ words, “you have seen me
and yet do not believe,” a sense that His audience’s refusing to believe Him may have been similar to
21
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and
gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they
prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” … And when the dew had gone up, there was on the
face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one
another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you
to eat.”(Exodus 16:4-5, 14-15/ESV) Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the
taste of it was like wafers made with honey. … The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land.
They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (Exodus 16:31, 35/ESV) All your children shall be
taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. (Isaiah 54:13/ESV)
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Israel portrayed as an unfaithful wife in Jeremiah 2:23-5:19, Ezekiel 16, and Hosea 2. Perhaps we can see
His words a having a similarity to the many instances of God telling His people, “I will take you to be my
people, and I will be your God” (e.g., Exodus 6:7; Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 30:22).

Summary of What Jesus Said Means for Us
Jesus is God, one with the Father and the Holy
Spirit. We are to adore, praise, worship, and bless
Him for His glory and for His gifts of salvation, life,
and all good things. We are to be one with Him just
as He wants to be one with us. In Jesus, God,
satisfies our spiritual hunger and quenches our
spiritual thirst.
We are to work with greater care for that which
brings eternal life, and not to let the things of the
world capture and enslave us so that we are working
for them and not they for us.
He is at work in our daily lives.
As with the manna of the Exodus, we all get an amount of the Bread of Life - of God’s grace -
sufficient for our salvation. None of us is lacking His grace, and none of His grace is wasted.
Eating and drinking mean keeping faith in Him as our Savior.
His miracles of feeding the crowds demonstrated by a physical miracle that no one who comes to
Him will be lacking anything he needs - either spiritually or physically.
If we come to Him we shall not have spiritual thirst; that He is the living water and the Messiah;
that the living water will satisfy our spiritual needs.
We believe in Jesus in order to live. Peter’s answer to Jesus, as ours should be today, was so strong
that it still rings in our ears in worship service: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life”. (John 6:68/ESV)
While teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum, Jesus said that He is the bread of life - the living
bread - that came down from heaven; whoever comes to Him shall not hunger; whoever believes
in Him shall never thirst; and, whoever takes His bread shall live forever. He then made the
startling, metaphoric statement that:
“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last
day.” (John 6:54/ESV)
Jesus did not satisfy the crowd’s curiosity, but corrected their wrong motive in seeking him
(because they ate) for only temporal satisfaction. After gathering hearers, He then began to try
their sincerity, by a figurative discourse concerning His passion, and the fruit of it, to be received
by faith.
Jesus’ audience were perhaps mocking Him for His humble appearance and claiming to be bread
from heaven. So, they latched onto the literal meaning of bread, asked Him if His bread was
better than the heavenly bread that had been given to wandering Israel, and asked Him to give
them the bread realizing that He could not afford such a worldly expense. Perhaps he taunted
their lack of understanding of His spiritual meaning - intentional or not - with equating His flesh
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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with the bread from heaven. His audience then became angry not understanding - or refusing to
understand - the spiritual meaning of His flesh. (We shall see more about Jesus’ flesh and blood
later.)
The Bread of Life

Jesus said to them [the crowd], “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and
whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not
believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast
out” … “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up
at the last day” (John 6:35-37, 44/ESV)
In Jesus, God, satisfies our spiritual hunger and quenches our spiritual thirst. Once we have the
Holy Spirit, to provide spiritual fulfillment, we start to grow in the Spirit of the Lord, and we
never need any other spiritual sustenance. By His statement “I am the bread of life”, Jesus tells
us that the manna of Exodus 16 was a type pointing to Him as the Messiah; that He is God and is
the provider of sustenance for His people. However, unlike Israel’s experience in the wilderness
where God provided food for the stomach, whoever partakes of Jesus as the Bread of Life will
never again know spiritual hunger. Jesus invites us to go after Him for His own sake and not for
any worldly benefit or advantage - not for food or drink, not for an improved lifestyle, not for
improvements in one’s business. We must come to Jesus and believe in Him to be saved. He
tells us so:
Faith and Works

Jesus does not say not to work for a living, but rather to work
with greater care for that which brings eternal life, and not to let
the things of the world capture and enslave us so that we are
working for them and not they for us. He tells us that God, who
gave Israel’s ancestors manna from heaven to sustain them
physically, is now offering us the true bread for the salvation of
our souls. He tells us that He is the bread by which our souls
must be fed. He invites us to come to Him, to believe in Him, to
trust, obey, and follow Him. He does not command intellectual
assent to Himself but rather commands the commitment of our lives to Him - our thoughts,
words, and actions - in faith and love. Jesus taught us about faith:
He said: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:29/ESV)
Jesus also told this to the crowd: “But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.”
(John 6:36/ESV)
Jesus later spoke about faith to the Apostle Thomas: Jesus said to him, “Have you believed
because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John
20:29/ESV).
The Apostle Paul later taught about believing in Jesus:
For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. (Romans 3:28/ESV)
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For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith
working through love. (Galatians 5:6/ESV) 22
Jesus is at work in our daily lives. The sun rises and sets. The weather changes. We have
paying work to sustain our families and us. We have the love of families and the support of
friends. Individually, we have blessings that are not mentioned here. We do not have any of
these except that God provides them through His Son, Jesus. Do we take them for granted apart
from God, just believing them to be natural occurrences with no divine, miraculous power
behind them; seeing them without faith in God? Remember how God chided Job (Job 38) and
reminded Him of His power and miracles of creation that people take for granted daily.
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by
words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known
to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have
understanding. Who determined its measurements - surely you know! Or who stretched the line
upon it? … (Job 38:1-5 and ff./ESV)
About Earthly and Spiritual Food

Jesus’ statement “I am the bread of life”, found in John 6:35, identified a related prophetic type
recorded in Exodus 16 - manna in the wilderness.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about
to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people
shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day,
that I may test them, whether they will walk in my
law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare
what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they
gather daily.” (Exodus 16:4-5/ESV)
As with the manna of Exodus 16, we all get an
amount of the Bread of Life - of God’s grace -
sufficient for our salvation. None of us is lacking
His grace, and none of His grace is wasted. None
of His people is lacking, and none of Him is
wasted.
Like finding the manna of Exodus 16, everyone who seeks Him will find Him as the Bread of Life.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be
opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8/ESV)
22
The spiritual meaning of circumcision is not new to the New Testament. God told Israel to Circumcise therefore the
foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. (Deuteronomy 10:16/ESV) God told Israel that there would be punishment for
not having their hearts on Him, but would treat them differently if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make
amends for their iniquity. (Leviticus 26:41/ESV) God threatened to destroy Israel, because they would not hear and obey Him.
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my
wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of your deeds. (Jeremiah 4:4/ESV) To whom shall I
speak and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ears are uncircumcised, they cannot listen; behold, the word of the
Lord is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it. (Jeremiah 6:10/ESV) Behold, the days are coming, declares the
Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh … (Jeremiah 9:25/ESV) God told Ezekiel to chastise
Israel for their abominations in admitting foreigners, uncircumcised in heart [of right heart] and flesh, to be in my sanctuary,
profaning my temple, when you offer to me my food, the fat and the blood. You have broken my covenant, in addition to all your
abominations. (Ezekiel 44:7/ESV)
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Jesus’ words remind us of having enough bread for life: “This is what the Lord has commanded:
‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to
the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’ And the people of Israel did so. They
gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much
had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as
he could eat. (Exodus 16:16-18/ESV)
Isaiah spoke of our priorities in worldly needs. Why do you spend your money for that which is
not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, eat what is
good, and delight yourselves in rich food. (Isaiah 55:2/ESV) Isaiah’s admonition about not
splurging on that which we cannot eat, should be interpreted to mean that we should not only
take care of our human needs, but also to value the Bread of Life more than physical
nourishment as Jesus, the apostle Peter, and the prophets teach us.
Jesus taught us to pray asking for both worldly and spiritual needs to be met. “Give us each day
our daily bread …” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4)
The Apostle Peter told us: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good
stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10/ESV)
Some other prophecies about bread and feeding that clearly reflect God, as “Lord” and
“Wisdom”, as our bread and our sustenance in abundance, are listed below.
God promised to feed His people. For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling
place: This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will abundantly
bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread. (Psalm 132:13-16/ESV)
God’s Wisdom calls us to dine with Him. Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven
pillars. She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She
has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, “Whoever is simple, let
him turn in here!” To him who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine
I have mixed.” (Proverbs 9:1-5/ESV)
God promised to feed His righteous people. The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he
thwarts the craving of the wicked. (Proverbs 10:3/ESV)
Jesus countered Satan’s temptation to change stones into bread by interpreting the prophecy about
surviving by bread alone. That is recorded in Matthew 4:1-4 and Luke 4:1-4. But he answered: “It
is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of
God.” (Matthew 4:4/ESV; c.f.,Luke 4:1-4 ; Deuteronomy 8:3) 23
About Jesus’ Flesh and Blood

Jesus’ saying about eating flesh and drinking blood alienated much of his audience including
some of His disciples. Now, as then, many listeners cannot not perceive the spiritual metaphor.
Eating and drinking mean keeping faith in Him as our Savior. Some may still be so literally
inclined as to relate Jesus’ words as a contradiction of the commandments in Leviticus and
Deuteronomy. The prohibition in those verses is stated in these terms:
23
And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.” (Luke 4:1-4/ESV) And he humbled you
and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know
that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy
8:3/ESV)
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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“If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will
set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the
life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your
souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. Therefore I have said to the people of
Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you
eat blood. “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who
takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.
For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of
Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood.
Whoever eats it shall be cut off.” (Leviticus 17:10-14/ESV).
Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life
with the flesh. You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the earth like water. You shall not eat
it, that all may go well with you and with your children after you, when you do what is right in the
sight of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 12:23-25/ESV)
Note how King David declared the “taste” of God’s praise
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. … Oh, taste and see
that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! (Psalm 34:1, 8/ESV)
For us Christians the words of both Moses and King David seem to typify Jesus’ being our lives
and pouring out His blood (with water) to atone for our sins - for our Salvation. We are to take
part in Him by faith.
Perhaps the metaphor that Jesus used may not have been a complete surprise for those in His
audience - then and now - who have studied the Scriptures. There are Old Testament passages
that use blood and flesh as metaphors for a person’s life. The word blood is used frequently in
the Bible to mean violent death. There are places where we read of someone having a man’s
blood on their head. It means they are guilty of the death of that man. When the Bible refers to
blood being poured out or being spilt, or blood anytime outside of the body, it is usually a
graphic metaphor for violent death. King David was talking here about the wicked who wanted
to profit from his death. They wanted to kill him because they want to obtain some kind of
benefit from his death. Look at this excerpt from Psalm 27 in which King David referred to his
own life as his flesh:
When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and
fall. (Psalm 27:2/ESV)
Often we associate Jesus’ reference to His flesh and blood in John 6 with the institution of the
Sacrament at the Last Supper. But, more importantly it refers to Jesus Himself. We obey Jesus’
command to eat His flesh and drink His blood by having faith in Him, by believing in Him.
That cannot be applied to the Sacrament [only]. ... Christ is speaking here of the chief doctrine, of
the true Christian faith, which demands no more and no less than that you believe in His flesh and
blood. If you do not cleave to His flesh and blood by faith, you are lost … If you wish to be a
Christian, you must believe in the flesh and blood of Christ. He will not tolerate another faith. To
this we must conform if we want to meet God. 24

24
Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, American Edition, Volume 23, Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, Chapters 6-8, Jaroslav
Pelikan and Helmut T. Lehman, ed. (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, 1987) pp. 118-119.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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No Follower to Lack Nourishment

Jesus’ miracles of feeding the crowds
demonstrated by a physical miracle that no
one who comes to Him will be lacking
anything he needs - either spiritually or
physically. He taught His disciples - and us -
to pray to the Father, “Give us this day our
daily bread” (Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3/ESV)
He fed crowds of thousands by multiplying
very little food and then having food left over.
This is recorded in Matthew 14:15-21,
Matthew 15:32-38, Mark 6:35-44, Mark 8:1-9,
Luke 9:12-17, and John 6:5-13. Here is the story from John 6:5-13.
The Old Testament teaches us about our roles as God’s vehicles for following Jesus’ example in
providing each other “our daily bread”.
King Solomon had taught us that we are God’s vehicles for feeding the needy. Whoever has a
bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. (Proverbs 22:9/ESV)
King Solomon had taught us to pray for our needed bread. Remove far from me falsehood and
lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full
and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my
God. (Proverbs 30:8-9/ESV)
Eliphaz unjustly accused Job of not caring for the hungry. You have given no water to the weary to
drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. (Job 22:7/ESV)
Isaiah taught us that we are God’s vehicles for feeding the needy. Is it [the Lord’s “fast”] not to
share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house d; when you see the
naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? (Isaiah 58:7/ESV)

Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Thirst and Living Water

As for our thirst, we read in John 6:25-59 how Jesus said that
if we come to Him we shall not have spiritual thirst. We are
reminded how Jesus told the woman at Jacob’s well (John
4:13-14, 25-26) that the water He offered would cure her
thirst forever - that He is the living water and the Messiah;
that the living water will satisfy our spiritual needs.
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be
thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give
him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him
will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
… The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he
comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” (John 4:13-14,
25-26/ESV)
On the last day of the Feast of Booths, Jesus called all to come to Him as the source of living
water - the Spirit - Who those who believed in Him were later to receive. His words can remind
us of Old Testament prophecuy.
On the last day of the feast [the Feast of Booths, Succoth], the great day, Jesus stood up and cried
out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has
said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom
those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus
was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39/ESV) 25
King David prayed to God as the source of water, life and light. For with you [the Lord] is the
fountain of life; in your light do we see light. (Psalm 36:9/ESV)
Temple worshippers prayed to God as the source of the water of life. As a deer pants for flowing
streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I
come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1-2/ESV)
King Solomon taught that fear of the Lord is the source of life. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of
life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27/ESV)
Isaiah prophesied that the Lord would pour out His Spirit like water upon Israel. For I will pour
water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants. (Isaiah 44:3/ESV)
Ezekiel prophesied of water flowing from the Temple. And wherever the river goes, every living
creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the
waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. (Ezekiel 47:9
/ESV)
25
John’s quote from Jesus is a composite of Proverbs 18:4; Isaiah 12:3; and Ezekiel 47:1: The words of a man’s mouth
are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. (Proverbs 18:4/ESV) With joy you will draw water from the
wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3/ESV) Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from
below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south
end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. (Ezekiel 47:1/ESV)
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Notes on “Glorified” and “Living Water”

Glorified - We believe that God gave Jesus glory after He was raised from the dead: “…
who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so
that your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:21/ESV)
Living Water - Ezekiel 47:1-12 is seen as foretelling the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost. Perhaps when Peter delivered his sermon, recorded in Acts 2, he may have stood
at or near the southern stairs, near the ceremonial baths, where Ezekiel had his vision of
water flowing down to a parched land, the stream becoming deeper and wider. Peter’s
sermon, and the Spirit it conveyed, may be likened to Ezekiel’s stream of water in that about
three thousand people were baptized that day, and the Christian message spread to Antioch
and beyond.
Some other passages that refer to God as the source of water for righteousness and life (both
physical and spiritual) are: Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11; 2 Kings 3:16-20; Psalm 1:1-6;
Psalm 63:1; Psalm 65:9; Psalm 107:33-36; Isaiah 12:3; Isaiah 33:15-16; Isaiah 41:18-20;
Isaiah 43:19-21; Isaiah 49:10; Isaiah 55:1; Ezekiel 36:25; and Jeremiah 2:13
Believing Jesus
We believe in Jesus in order to live. Jesus asked Peter if he also wanted to leave Him. Peter’s
answer, as ours should be today, was so strong that it still rings in our ears in worship service:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”. (John 6:68/ESV) Peter’s
reply contains two clauses. First, the reason why he and his brethren cheerfully adhered to Jesus
was because they felt that his doctrine is true and life-giving. Second, he acknowledged if they
left Jesus they would be left with nothing but death whomever they might follow. Jesus alone
gives salvation by the forgiveness of sins, and that brings confidence, comfort, and joy. It
removes fear and despondency. It gains the only true happiness in this world, and opens a way to
the happiness of the next.
Peter’s confession of faith here is not the same as the one He made later at Caesarea Philippi
when he stated that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16) when his
confession recognized Jesus’ divinity. Peter’s statement recorded in John 6:16 evidently meant
that the disciples believed that Jesus was who He had claimed to be in the preceding discourse -
the Messiah who had come with divine revelation from God. Peter referred to Jesus as the Holy
One later in his preaching (Acts 3:14) once he had received revelation and enlightenment from
the Holy Spirit. 26
26
Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi is recorded at Matthew 16:16; Mark 8:29; and Luke 9:20. This discussion is from
the following sources: Thomas Constable, John 6. Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable, Accessed July 27, 2017,
http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/john-6.html. John Gill, John 6:68, John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, Accessed
July 26, 2017, http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/john-6-68.html. Matthew Henry,
John 6, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise), Accessed July 26, 2017,
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-concise/john/6.html.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Bread and Bethlehem

See Related Readings - “Bread and Bethlehem” for a discussion of the prophecy of Micah
pointing to the Messiah, Jesus, being born in Bethlehem, the meaning of the name “Bethlehem”,
and the historical significance of that town. Remember that Micah prophesied:
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall
come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient
days. (Micah 5:2/ESV)
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Jesus Said “I Am the Light of the World”

What Jesus Said
Jesus spoke of Himself as the Light of the World while teaching, in the fall, in the temple at the
Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot).
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk
in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12/ESV)

Jesus’ statement “I am the light of the world” could have reminded His audience, and reminds
us, that God created light as recorded in Genesis 1:3. Jesus claimed to light the way through this
life to eternal life for all who believe in Him.
He is the light of prophecy, the Messiah.
He is the image of the invisible God. Without Him we live in ignorance, wickedness, and misery.
But, with Him we have the light of life.
We who follow Him do not walk in darkness, but are enlightened with the truths that are necessary
to keep us from wandering away from our duty to God and to keep us from sin.
We have light to see the Father and God’s Heavenly Kingdom through our “seeing” Jesus - as His
words are recorded in the Gospel of John - believing in Him and living with Him.
We live in a dark world and that we can see only when the light of God’s Word shines brightly in
our lives.
God both declares Himself to be the light by which we see and declares Israel - later Jesus the
Messiah - to be a light for the nations and for us - to see our way out of spiritual darkness.
The Light of the World

Jesus’ statement that He is the “light of the
world” is in the context of the light of the Lord to
the nations, recorded in many Old Testament
passages, which will dispel the darkness. By this
statement Jesus tells us that He is the light of
prophecy, the Messiah. He says that those of us
who join Him as disciples will not be ignorant of
spiritual matters, but rather will have
understanding of the spiritual truth that brings
eternal life. In the Gospel of Luke we learn that
John the Baptist pointed to the source of light
when announcing the Messiah, Jesus. We also learn of the prophecy, at Jesus’ circumcision, that
He would be a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to His people Israel.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Zechariah prophesied of the light at the birth of John the Baptist, and Simeon prophesied of the
light at Jesus’ circumcision.
”And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to
prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light
to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
(Luke 1:76-79/ESV)
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have
seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to
the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:32/ESV) 27
By proclaiming Himself “I am the light of the world” Jesus tells us that He is the image of the
invisible God; that without Him we live in ignorance, wickedness, and misery; but that with Him
we have the light of life. By those words, He declares that when we closely, humbly, and
steadily follow Him, we shall have God’s light continually shining upon us, gifting us with
knowledge, holiness, and joy, and guiding us to life everlasting. By this universal statement he
removed the distinction, not only between Jews and Gentiles, but also between the learned and
ignorant, between persons of social distinction and common people. Jesus identifies Himself
uniquely as the light meaning that apart from Him there is no true light. Although He is no
longer physically present with us, He continues to cast His light upon us by the doctrine of the
Gospel and by the secret power of the Holy Spirit. This means that we have no true definition of
this light unless we are illuminated by the Gospel and by the Spirit of Christ, knowing that the
fountain of all knowledge and wisdom is hidden in Him.
Jesus told His disciples that we must work:
“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can
work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:4)
We might say that Jesus compared himself to the sun that illuminates the whole earth by its
brightness. Jesus tells us that the world would be a dark place without the sun just as it would be
dark without Him. We who follow Jesus do not walk in darkness. We are enlightened with the
truths that are necessary to keep us from wandering away from our duty to God and keeping us
from sin. When we know Jesus better, we also know the Father and the Light better.
The time of our departure out of this world depends upon God. Our enemies cannot make it sooner,
nor can our friends delay it longer, than the time that the Father sets to call us away. Every true
believer can look up and say with pleasure, “my times are in Your hand, and better there than in my
own.” To all God’s purposes there is a time. 28
God considers human reason, wisdom, morality, and even sunlight, for that matter, to be dark and
hazy compared to his Word. God’s Word is a flame that shines in the darkness. Through teaching,
27
Old Testament passages that speak of God as the Light and providing light are: Exodus 13:22; Numbers 9:15-16; 2
Samuel 22:1 and 29; Nehemiah 9:12; Job 33:28; Psalms 4:6; 18:27-28; 19:8; 27:1; 36:9; 43:3; 56:13; 89:15; 97:10-11; 104:1-2;
119:105, 130; 132:17; 139:11-12; Isaiah 9:1-2; 42:6-7, 16; 49:6; 50:10-11; 60:19; Micah 7:9; and Malachi 4:2.
28
Matthew Henry, John 8, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise), Accessed July 26, 2017,
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-concise/john/8.html. Also, in John 9:1-5, Jesus demonstrated
that He is the light - even physically - by giving sight to a man who had been born blind.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

27
preaching, and the sacraments, its glow spreads. If we use this light, then God will no longer
remain hidden from us. 29
Jesus provided for us to have continued light with the Holy Spirit. He promised this to His
disciples explaining that He and the Father dwell in each other:
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the
Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You
know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to
you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you
also will live. (John 14:15-19/ESV)
Jesus said to him [Philip], “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not
believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak
on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the
Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.” (John 14:9-
11/ESV)
We could wonder at the meaning of Jesus as the
Light of Life in still another sense. In this life we
cannot see the Father on our own; we cannot see
God’s Heavenly Kingdom on our own. However,
maybe we do have light to see the Father and
God’s Heavenly Kingdom through our “seeing”
Jesus - as His words are recorded in the Gospel of
John - believing in Him and living with Him.
Jesus tells us that when we see Him we see the
Father. Maybe we now see Jesus and His Father’s
Heavenly Kingdom only dimly. Paul wrote that
we can see the Heavenly Kingdom only dimly during our earthly lives.
And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. (John 12:45/ESV)
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12/ESV)
Our fallen nature causes our human reason, wisdom, and morality to be hazy and dim compared
to God’s Word that is a light that shines in our darkness. The brightness of God’s light grows
through teaching, preaching, and the sacraments. When we use this light God no longer remains
hidden from us. We should reach for the Bible when we are confronted by disaster, when we are
overwhelmed by darkness, when things seem so dark that we can even doubt that we are part of
the Church or pleasing to God at all. Without the Bible we cannot understand other people, our
surroundings, or even ourselves. We are not to let people who fall away from the faith distract
us. Instead, we must remember that we live in a dark world and that we can see only when the
light of God’s Word shines brightly in our lives.
29
Martin Luther, “Light for a Dark World, Martin Luther, Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional. James C. Galvin, ed. (Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005) September 25.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Walking in the Light

Other statements of Jesus about light also pointedly identify Him as God. He admonished us to
walk with Him in the light. He said that to His hearers at the time knowing full well that their
hearts were hardened against the light of the truth. He also preached to us that we are to be the
light for others.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp
and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let
your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father
who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16/ESV)
So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you
for a little while longer. Walk while you have the
light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who
walks in the darkness does not know where he is
going. While you have the light, believe in the
light, that you may become sons of light.” When
Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid
himself from them. (John 12:35-36/ESV
Though he had done so many signs before them,
they still did not believe in him, so that the word
spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been
revealed?” Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn,
and I would heal them.” Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him .
Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not
confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes
from man more than the glory that comes from God. (John 12:37-43/ESV)
And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me.
And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever
believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do
not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me
and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last
day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me
a commandment - what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life.
What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” (John 12:44-49/ESV; c.f., Isaiah 6:10;
Isaiah 53:1) 30
God Our Light - Past, Present, and Future

As mentioned above, we find prophecies and other references to the Lord as our Light in many
passages in which God both declares Himself to be the light by which we see and declares Israel
- later Jesus the Messiah - to be a light for the nations and for us - to see our way out of spiritual
darkness. The Scriptures declare, pointing to Jesus, that the light is the Lord who is our savior
30
Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? (Isaiah 53:1/ESV)
Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. (Isaiah 6:10/ESV) In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord
sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. (Isaiah 6:1/ESV)
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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and deliverer from death, our fountain of life, our truth and salvation, our source of goodness and
joy, our source of understanding, and the one who makes us righteous. There are many instances
of God being identified as our Light in the Old Testament. Some of these verses are quoted
below.
During the Exodus from Egypt, God provided light by night to guide them. The pillar of cloud
by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. (Exodus 13:22/ESV)
31
During Israel’s wandering, God provided light by

night to guide them. On the day that the
tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the
tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at
evening it was over the tabernacle like the
appearance of fire until morning. So it was
always: the cloud covered it by day and the
appearance of fire by night. (Numbers 9:15-
16/ESV)
The Lord is our light and refuge. And David spoke
to the Lord the words of this song on the day when
the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. … “For
you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness.” (2 Samuel 22:1 and 29/ESV)
The Lord is our light and salvation. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The
Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1/ESV)
The Messiah is the light and refuge of all peoples. “I am the Lord; I have called you in
righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the
people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the
dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. … And I will lead the blind in a way that they
do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before
them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake
them.” (Isaiah 42:6-7, 16/ESV)
The Messiah is our light, advocate, and refuge. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I
have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me. He will bring me
out to the light; I shall look upon his vindication. (Micah 7:9/ESV)
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Image “Light of God” from © Child-Bible-Lessons.com 2007 used by permission of Beth Rimstidt, http://www.child-
bible-lessons.com.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Image “Sheepfold” from https://redeeminggod.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/the-sheepfold.jpg.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Jesus Said “I Am the Door … I Am the Good Shepherd”

What Jesus Said
Jesus spoke of Himself as the Door of the Sheepfold and the Good Shepherd, in the Winter,
before the Feast of Dedication (Chanukah). He said he is both the “door” and the “Good
Shepherd”.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another
way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and
leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow
him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do
not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not
understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I
am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not
listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and
find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and
have it abundantly. (John 10:1-10/ESV)
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired
hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep
and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and
cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as
the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other
sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will
be one flock, one shepherd. … If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told
you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but
you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them
out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to
snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:11-16; 24-30/ESV)

The Feast of Dedication commemorates the re-dedication of the Second Temple following the
Maccabean Revolt. That successful revolt led Israel to anticipate a Messiah who would
overthrow the Roman rule and establish Israel again as an independent kingdom. 33 The Feast
33
The Maccabean Revolt was a Jewish rebellion, lasting from 167 to 160 BC, led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid
Empire and the Hellenistic influence on Jewish life. The Maccabees were the group of Jewish rebel warriors that took control of
Judea, which at the time had been a province of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from
164 BCE to 63 BCE, that was later succeeded by the Herodian dynasty (47 BC-100 AD e.g., later, the Kings Herod). They
reasserted the Jewish religion, partly by forced conversion, expanded the boundaries of Judea by conquest and reduced the
influence of Hellenism and Hellenistic Judaism.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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that year was therefore an appropriate setting for the people to subsequently ask Jesus when, if
He was the Messiah, He would rule the Jewish people: 34
“How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered
them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness
about me, but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock. My sheep hear my voice, I
know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:24-27)
Jesus, sensitive to the political overtones of the feast, did not answer directly lest His purpose be
misunderstood. Instead he reminded them, and us, that He is our shepherd.
He is the shepherd of His people, the Shepherd-Messiah and the Shepherd-God, recorded in the
Psalms and the Prophets.
We are all under shepherds - our pastors and other Church leaders. Just as Jesus is the Good
Shepherd of us all, we are also responsible for shepherding one another. We are to emulate what
the Good Shepherd does for the sheep.
The door is a metaphor that He is “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life”; that He is the only way of
salvation and to the Father.
Jesus is the main point of all spiritual doctrine, on which our souls are fed.
There are spiritual thieves and robbers to take us from Him: false teachers - teachers of heresy -
who independently of Him, assume part of His character and pretend to wield power over people’s
consciences, to make laws of their own thinking in the Church, and to teach their own traditions as
the way of salvation.
The religious leaders of His day failed to be spiritual leaders of the people. His words tell us
likewise to show spiritual leadership in our families, communities, work places, congregations, and
governments.
He desires to provide safety and security for the lost, but he does not force others to accept God’s
plan. We may reject the very Savior who could save us.
He is the life-giving Spirit who makes those who are dead in sin alive.
The Door and the Good Shepherd

Jesus’ statements “I am the door … I am the good shepherd”, found in
John 10:1-16 and 24-30, are in the context of God as the shepherd of
His people recorded in Psalm 23, Psalm 80, and the Prophets. By His
statement Jesus tells us that He is the Shepherd-Messiah and the
Shepherd-God and reinforces the prophecies about those roles
emphasizing the shepherd’s role as both protector of His sheep and
judge of the sheep’s predators - their adversaries:
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You
who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth. (Psalm 80:1/ESV)
Jesus spoke of His role as our shepherd and judge at the Final
Judgment, recorded in Matthew 25:31-46, at which He will separate us
as the sheep and the goats. 35 We are all under shepherds - our pastors and other Church leaders.
Just as Jesus is the Good Shepherd of us all, we are also responsible for shepherding one another.
34
They tried to trap Him into declaring Himself king of the Jews. Had He done so, they might accuse him to the Roman
governor and insolently insinuate that all the proofs he had hitherto given them of his Divine mission were good for nothing.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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“And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those
on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world.’ ... Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’“ (Matthew 25:33-34, 41/ESV)
We are to emulate what the Good Shepherd does for the sheep as Jesus tells us:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11/ESV)
After Jesus’ Resurrection, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He instructed us about feeding His
flock when He told Peter to “Feed my lambs, … Tend my sheep … Feed my sheep” (John 21:15-
17). His instruction to Peter was reminiscent of Isaiah: He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he
will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are
with young. (Isaiah 40:11/ESV)
Long after Jesus’ Ascension, Peter told us what it means to be a shepherd of God’s flock and
what it means to feed His flock, His sheep:
… shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but
willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those
in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will
receive the unfading crown of glory. (1 Peter 5:2-4/ESV)
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well
as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you,
exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful
gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1
Peter 5:1-3/ESV)
Jesus as the Door and Our Refuge

Using the door metaphor, Jesus told His audience, and is also telling and us, that He is “the Way,
and the Truth, and the Life;” that He is the only way of salvation and to the Father. Christians
have the assurance that the Lord Jesus is between all of our spiritual enemies and us. Through
Him we come into His fold - the Church - into salvation, and to the Father. We must enter by
Jesus as our door. There is no other door. Those of us who are truly gathered into Jesus’ fold -
into our Christian community - so as to belong to His flock, are those who devote themselves to
Him alone. Those who take detours or take another path are not in Jesus’ fold. They are not in
His Church. 36
Jesus is the main point of all spiritual doctrine, on which our souls are fed. By our faith in Him
as our great Mediator between God and us we can claim the promises that He takes care of His
Church and every believer. He expects the Church, and every believer, to wait on Him, and to
keep in his pasture. There is no other entrance into the Church but by Jesus Himself. The only
other good shepherds in our lives are those who lead us straight to Jesus. Our shepherds are to
35
Old Testament passages about our God-Shepherd, King-Shepherd, and the good and bad shepherds may be found at
Genesis 48:15; Genesis 49:23-24; 2 Samuel 5:2; 1 Chronicles 11:2; Psalm 23; Psalm 28:9; Psalm 77:20; Psalm 78:52-54 and 70-
72; Psalm 79:13; Psalm 80:1; Psalm 95:7; Psalm 100:3; Psalm 119:176; Proverbs 27:23; Isaiah 40:11; Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 53:6;
Isaiah 56:11; Isaiah 63:11; Jeremiah 3:15; Jeremiah 23:1-4; Jeremiah 31:10; Jeremiah 32:6-10; Jeremiah 33:13; Jeremiah 49:19;
Jeremiah 50:6, 7, and 44; Ezekiel 34:31; Ezekiel 34:1-24; Ezekiel 37:24; Hosea 4:16; Amos 3:12; Zechariah 10:2-3; Zechariah
11:7-8 and 15-17; Zechariah 13:7-9; Zechariah 11:3-17; Micah 5:4; and Micah 7:14.
36
We shall discuss “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” later in this paper.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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lead us to Jesus by approaching us where we are standing, taking us by the hand, and guiding us.
We will not follow a shepherd who merely talks or shouts the message at us. We need to be
taken by the hand through preaching and teaching and guided to the love and salvation of Jesus
Christ.
The sheepfold is a place of refuge from predators. Our sheepfold, Jesus, is a place of God’s
refuge from evil. As noted in John 10:26 above, Jesus answered the Jewish leaders that they
were not part of His flock, that He will give His sheep eternal life, that they will never perish,
and that no one will snatch them out of His or His Father’s hand. That is, He will be our refuge.
The refuge idea in Psalm 2 relates to the Good
Shepherd as our Protector. It points forward in
time to the Messiah as God’s Son, and then tells
us that we can seek refuge in Him. Psalm 2
identified God’s Son as the King in Zion:
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in
the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm
2:12/ESV)
Although the psalmist also may have referred to
the earthly King of Israel and his descendants, his writing clearly points to his descendant, the
Messiah, whom we know to be Jesus, the true and only Son of God. We read in the Gospel
narratives of Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22) and Transfiguration
(Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; and Luke 9:35) that God the Father declared Jesus to be His beloved
Son - in effect His “King in Zion” (Psalm 2:6) - with Whom He is well pleased, and that we
should listen to Him. 37
God promised His Son the rule over everything: I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You
are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and
the ends of the earth your possession. … Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:7-8, 12/ESV; c.f.,
Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 17:5)
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, “Seek my
face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” (Psalm 27:7-8/ESV)
At Jesus’ baptism, God said that He is His Son, and God told the three Apostles at the
Transfiguration that Jesus is His Son.
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens
were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on
him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17/ESV)
He [Peter] was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from
the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matthew
17:5/ESV)

37
“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (Psalm 2:6/ESV)
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Jesus as Our Refuge and Thieves

Jesus teaches us that there are spiritual thieves and robbers to
take us from Him. He warns against false teachers - teachers
of heresy - who independently of Him, assume part of His
character and pretend, like the Jewish elders and rabbis of His
time, to wield power over people’s consciences, to make laws
of their own thinking in the Church, and to teach their own
traditions as the way of salvation. Jesus says specifically that
those who misrepresent God’s will for us are thieves. They
steal worldly profit from their sheep for themselves. They
plunder and murder the sheep.
Jesus’ audience must have understood “no one is able to
snatch them out of the Father’s hand” to identify Jesus as our refuge with God because of the
many Scripture passages identifying God as our refuge, especially in the Psalms. The Good
Shepherd often refers to God and to David, and it is a prophetic type of Jesus. There are many
passages in the Old Testament that proclaim God to be our shepherd, refuge, our fortress, our
shield, and our deliverer. Those verses mark the covenant relationship of the believer to his God.
The Psalm passages indicate not only good hope through grace, but safety from all danger, calm
and peace in the surrender of our spirit to God, and the assurance of our redemption - all in the
language of intimate prayer. Many passages proclaim this. 38 A few of the verses are quoted
below.
Moses sang a song confessing God as our dwelling place; that is, as our place to live. Lord, you
have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever
you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Psalm 90:1-
2/ESV) 39
King David sang a song of deliverance after defeating the Philistines. “This God - his way is
perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.” (2
Samuel 22:31/ESV)
Isaiah confessed God as our refuge. For you have been a stronghold [“refuge”] to the poor, a
stronghold [“refuge”] to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the
heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, (Isaiah 25:4/ESV)
Nahum confessed God the refuge for all of us who go to Him. The Lord is good, a stronghold
[“refuge”] in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. (Nahum 1:7/ESV)
38
The following passages proclaim good hope through grace, safety (refuge) from all danger, calm and peace in the
surrender of our spirit to God, and the assurance of our redemption: Genesis 49:22-24; Ruth 2:12; 2 Samuel 5:1-2; 22:2; 22:31;
1 Chronicles 11:1-2; Psalms 5:11; 7:1; 11:1; 16:1; 17:7; 18:2, 4, 30; 23; 25:20; 31:1, 19; 34:3-4, 19-20; 36:7; 46:1; 52:7; 57:1;
61:3-4; 62:6-7; 64:10; 71:1, 7; 73:28; 78:70-71; 90:1-2; 91:1-2, 4, 9; 94:22; 100:3; 118:8-9; 141:8; 142:5; 143:9; Proverbs 14:26;
30:5; Isaiah 25:4; 57:13; Jeremiah 17:7; Ezekiel 34:10; 23; Joel 3:16; Nahum 1:7; and Zephaniah 3:12
39
The English words for the Hebrew, used in different translations, appear to be these synonyms: “dwelling”, “habitation”,
and “refuge”. The Hebrew word means properly a habitation, a dwelling, as of God in his temple. The expression used in both
the King James and English Standard Versions (KJV and ESV) and some other versions is “dwelling place.” If we prefer
“dwelling place”, then we are describing more than just a refuge which can be temporary. A “dwelling” is a place to live in good
and bad times. In the psalm’s use of the word “dwelling place” we can be reminded of Jesus command: “Abide in me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John
15:4/ESV
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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The Good Shepherd

Psalm 23 is perhaps the best-known Scriptural reference for the Lord as our shepherd.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me
beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s
sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are
with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence
of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23/ESV)
The Psalms and the Prophets bear witness to the Lord and His Messiah as Israel’s caring
shepherd. Many verses speak of the good shepherds in Israel’s history. The following verses are
quoted from among those:
God leads us like a flock. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you [God]
who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the
cherubim, shine forth. (Psalm 80:1/ESV)
God meets our needs for safety. He [God] will tend his flock like a
shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his
bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11/ESV)
God returns us to safety. “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and
declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will
gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’”
(Jeremiah 31:10/ESV)
God watches over us and rescues us from danger. (Ezekiel 34 starts
with the bad news that we shall see later below. It continues with this
good news.) “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will
seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been
scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been
scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.” (Ezekiel 34:11-12/ESV)
Here are some commentaries on Psalm 23 relative to the Good Shepherd’s leadership, instruction
and loving care:
The 23d Psalm is a Psalm of thanks in which a Christian heart praises and thanks God for teaching
him and keeping him on the right way, comforting and protecting him in every danger through His
Holy Word. The Psalmist compares himself to a sheep that a faithful shepherd leads into fresh
grass and cool water. In addition, he shows the table, the cup, and oil also as images from the Old
Testament worship and calls it God’s Word, as it is also called rod and staff, grass, water, and the
way of righteousness. 40
The position of this psalm is worthy of notice. It follows the twenty-second, which is peculiarly the
Psalm of the Cross. There are no green pastures, no still waters on the other side of the twenty-
second psalm. It is only after we have read, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” that
we come to ‘The Lord is my Shepherd.’ We must by experience know the value of blood-shedding,
40
Martin Luther, Reading the Psalms with Luther; The Psalter for Individual Family Devotions with Introduction by Martin
Luther, Unidentified Editor and Translator (St. Louis, MO: Concordia, 2007). pp. 59-60.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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and see the sword awakened against the Shepherd, before we shall be able truly to know the
sweetness of the Good Shepherd’s care. 41
The Evil Shepherds in Scripture

Jesus castigated the Jewish leaders for failing to be spiritual leaders
of the people. We can understand His words to likewise tell us to
show spiritual leadership in our families, communities, work places,
congregations, and governments. Matthew 23 contains several
“Woe to you” pronouncements against the scribes and Pharisees for
failing to provide spiritual leadership. Matthew 23:2-36 constitutes
a specific indictment against the Pharisees of disregarding the Law
of Moses and making up their own laws, many of which contradict
Moses’ Law, and hypocritically insisting that others must follows
those self-made laws. The accusations in Matthew 23 (Matthew
23:2-4, 5-6, 13-15, 16-22, 23-28, and 29-36) indict the Jewish
leaders for the following transgressions of God’s Law.
They preach the Law but do not practice it. They abuse their office (Matthew 23:2-4).
They are hypocrites and social climbers (Matthew 23:5-6).
They make converts but remain unconverted. They drive people away from true religion (Matthew
23:13-15).
With greed they swear to escape telling the truth. They are blind guides (Matthew 23:16-22).
They have neglected the weightier matters of the law. (Matthew 23:23-28).
They underestimate their own ability to sin and they are murderous (Matthew 23:29-36).
Related Fact: 613 Jewish Laws

Jesus accused the Pharisees of disregarding the Law of Moses and making up their own laws,
many of which contradict Moses’ Law, and hypocritically insisting that others must follows
those self-made laws (Hebrew: mitzvot). Extra-biblical laws had become a tradition in Jewish
beliefs than and continued to develop.
Many people mistakenly think that the 613 mitzvot are part of the biblical law. But nowhere in
the Bible is there a list of these commandments, nor is there any diret reference to them. It is only
in the Talmud that we read of these 613 motzvot. … Since the sages of the Talmud did not list
these mitzvot, there has been much discussion through the centuries about just what makes up the
list of 613. 42
Jesus closed his indictment against hypocrisy with a lament. Jesus earnestly desired to provide
safety and security for the lost, but he would not force others - and does not today - to accept
God’s plan. They rejected, and we may also reject, the very Savior who could have saved them.
The result was a vulnerable people and a desolate house:
41
Charles H. Spurgeon, “Psalm 23”, The Treasury of David, Accessed July 27, 2017,
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/treasury-of-david/psalms-23-1.html.
42
JPS Guide: The Jewish Bible (Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 2008) pp. 69-70.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

38
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How
often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
and you would not! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me
again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Matthew 23:37-39/ESV;
c.f., Luke 13:34 ) 43
The wing motif of God protecting us is found in many places in Scripture.
“The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God
of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (Ruth 2:12/ESV)
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings … (Psalm 17:8/ESV)
How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of
your wings. (Psalm 36:7/ESV)
He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a
shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:4/ESV)
Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34:1-10) delivered a message of condemnation and punishment to Israel’s leaders
who were bad shepherds of the Lord’s people. The Lord declared that he intended mercy towards
the scattered flock. That clearly referred to the restoration of the Jewish nation. It also declared
God’s care of the souls of His people. The Lord finds us in our days of darkness and ignorance,
and brings us into His fold. He comes to our relief in times of persecution and temptation. He
leads us in the ways of righteousness, and invites us to rest on His love and faithfulness. The proud
and self-sufficient, are enemies of the true Gospel and of believers. God gives rest to His disquieted
saints, and terror to presumptuous sinners. Ezekiel 34 starts with this bad news. It ends with the
good news that we saw above:
About Shepherds
See Related Readings - “About Shepherds” for a background discussion of shepherds and
shepherding.
The Evil Shepherds in Old Testament Scripture - Thirty Pieces of Silver

See Related Readings - “The Evil Shepherds in Old Testament Scripture - Thirty Pieces of
Silver” for an early prophecy concerning a circumstance surrounding Jesus’ betrayal.
43
Luke 13:34 relates the same story.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Image “Empty Tomb” from http://westfayettechurch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/easter-open-tombSUNRISE.jpg.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

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Jesus Said “I Am the Resurrection and the Life”

What Jesus Said
Jesus spoke of Himself as the Resurrection and the Life before raising His friend Lazarus from
the dead at Bethany.
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise
again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “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. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the
Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” (John 11:23-27/ESV)

God is the author of life and of resurrection from the dead. Jesus is the Power of God over life and
death, and He holds out the promise of both His and our individual resurrections.
The only qualification for eternal life is to believe that His death paid the entire price for our sins.
He called Lazarus by name to bring him back from the dead. He called the one whom He loved
and who was His friend by name. There will be a resurrection of all who are called friends by the
Lord: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my
friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not
know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my
Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:13-15/ESV)
We must firmly believe that God will always guard us from spiritual harm - and often from
physical harm - when we obey what we learn from His Holy Word and by prayer.
When we take Jesus’ word, and rely on His power and faithfulness, we shall see the glory of God,
and be joyful in the sight.
We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus or come to Him. He sent His Holy Spirit
to call us by the Gospel, enlighten us with His gifts, and sanctify and keep us in the true faith.
On the Last Day, He, by His omnipotent Word, will raise the bodies of all the dead and unite them
with their souls. The wicked will endure eternal punishment, and those who are pious and doing
good works from faith, and not with an attitude of earning something, will gain eternal rewards in
heaven.

Jim MacGregor AMDG

42
The Resurrection
Jesus’ statement before Lazarus’ grave “I Am the Resurrection and the Life” is in the context of
God as the author of life and of resurrection from the dead as recorded in many Old Testament
books. 45 By this “I am” statement Jesus tells us that He is the Power of God over life and death,
and He holds out the promise of both His and our individual resurrections.
During the many years before Jesus’ ministry the hope and
assurance of resurrection had to be gleaned from the
prophecies and prophetic types in God’s inspired Word.
According to an Orthodox Jewish source regarding
resurrection:
Belief in the eventual resurrection of the dead is a
fundamental belief of traditional Judaism. It was a belief that
distinguished the Pharisees (intellectual ancestors of
Rabbinical Judaism) from the Sadducees. The Sadducees
rejected the concept, because it is not explicitly mentioned in
the Torah. The Pharisees found the concept implied in certain verses. 46
Various Old Testament prophecies indicated belief in both a resurrection and an afterlife.
Although the prophets understood the meaning of their prophecies, they did not know whom
specifically they referred to or when they would be fulfilled. 47 With our post-Resurrection
understanding of Scripture we know that they apply both to Jesus’ Resurrection and the
resurrection of everybody. The prophets nonetheless recognized God’s power over life and
resurrection. Note that the prophecy in Isaiah 53:12 indicates that the Messiah will be a savior
who “bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors”. We know that the
risen Jesus is our Mediator before the Father as the Apostle Paul later wrote to Timothy:
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who
gave himself as a ransom for all …. (1 Timothy 2:5-6/ESV)
Some passages pertaining to resurrection stand out.
King David comforted himself with the knowledge that he would see his dead child once again. (2
Samuel 12:22-23)
Job comforted himself with the knowledge that he would see his Redeemer. He had a sense of
God’s Fatherly favor, with which He removes our sorrows, gives us joy, and also brings us to be
with Him to heaven. (Job 19:25-27)
Both Job’s friend Elihu and the Psalmist evidently believed that they would see God face to face
someday. Elihu was justly displeased with Job as more anxious to clear his own character than the
justice and goodness of God. Elihu was displeased with Job’s friends because they had not been
candid to Job and yet had condemned Job. Elihu rebuked Job. His words are later reflected when
45
The following verses imply prophecy or confession of belief in a resurrection: Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6; 28:11-
15, 20; 2 Samuel 12:22-23; Job 14:10-17; 19:25-27; 29:18; 33:26; Psalms 16:9-11; 17:15; 21:1-13; 23:6; 30:3; 40:1-3; 41:12;
49:15; 73:23-27; 116:3-9; Isaiah 1:18-20; 25:8; 26:19; 53:8-12; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Daniel 12:1-3; 12:13; Hosea 6.1-2; and Jonah
2:2. Hosea 6:2 is not explicitly cited by any New Testament author.
46
Judaism 101, “Resurrection”, Accessed July 26, 2017, http://www.jewfaq.org/olamhaba.htm#Resurrection.
47
Matt Waymeyer, “Did the OT Prophets Know What They Were Saying?” Accessed July 26, 2017,
http://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/expository-thoughts/did-the-ot-prophets-know-what-they-were-saying.html.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

43
the psalmist addresses God as his eternal refuge. Both Elihu and the psalmist evidently believed
that they would see God face to face someday. (Job 33:26; c.f., Psalm 17:15).
Isaiah prophesied a good, full life for those who obey God
(Isaiah 1:18-20).
Isaiah prophesied a bodily resurrection. But your dead will
live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake
up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the
morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. (Isaiah 26:19;
c.f. Psalm 17:15) 48
God told Daniel about the resurrection (Daniel 12:1-3.)
Hosea prophesied the Lord’s Resurrection on the third day (Hosea 6.1-2.)
The prophecy in Daniel 12:2 that we “shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame
and everlasting contempt” reminds of Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his
glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from
another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right
[i.e., for everlasting life], but the goats on the left [i.e., for everlasting contempt]. (Matthew 25:31-
33/ESV)
These phrases suggesting an afterlife: “gathered to his people”, “gathered to his fathers”, “walk
with your fathers”, “rest with your fathers”. They are found recorded at the death of many Old
Testament persons such the following:
Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Sarah’s servant (Genesis 25:17);
Isaac, with whom God renewed His promise to Abraham (Genesis 35:29);
Jacob, with whom God renewed His promise to Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 49:33);
Aaron, the high priest of Israel (Numbers 20:23-26);
Moses (Deuteronomy 31:16);
King David (1 Chronicles 17:11); and,
Josiah, a good King of Judah (2 Kings 22:20).
Besides individual persons being “gathered” to their people, there is an instance in which an
entire “generation had been gathered to their fathers” after the death of Joshua (Judges 2:10).
These phrases indicate that the deceased have joined their ancestors sometime, somehow,
somewhere.

48
Although Isaiah 1:18-20 may not have been understood at the time of Jesus as pointing to resurrection, its theme was later
incorporated as inspired revelation in the Book of Revelation: I [the Apostle John] said to him [one of the elders], “Sir, you
know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14/ESV)
Jim MacGregor AMDG

44
Resurrection and Life

Now, as then, only those of us who love the Word
and have a real belief in and concern for God’s
purpose in creation can understand the prophecies.
Jesus was referring to the resurrection of those
who die in faith. From our post-Resurrection
perspective we can understand the prophecies
more clearly. They have been both fulfilled and
explained by Jesus to His disciples who recorded
them. Jesus confirmed that the only qualification
for eternal life is to believe that His death paid the
entire price for our sins. Again, Jesus was saying
unequivocally that He is God. The prophecies and
prophetic types tell us that only God can raise the dead and testify to God’s ability to raise the
dead. 49
In John 11:38-44 we read that Jesus called Lazarus by name to bring him back from the dead. Jesus
- God - called the one whom He loved and who was His friend, Lazarus, by name. His calling him
by name serves as a sign of the resurrection of all who are called friends by the Lord. Jesus told us:
The Apostle Paul wrote: For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So
then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. (Romans 14:8/ESV)
God took Enoch alive into heaven. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
(Genesis 5:24/ESV)
God brought Isaac back from certain death (Genesis 22:10-12). 50
God, through Elijah, brought the son of the widow of Zarephath back to life. The son of the widow
of Zarephath became ill and died. She asked Elijah if he had brought both life and death to her
house. Elijah asked the Lord to revive the son (1 Kings 17:19-22).
God, through Elisha, brought the son of the Shunammite woman back to life (2 Kings 4:32-35). 51
God, through Elisha’s remains, brought a man back to life (2 Kings 13:20-21).
Scripture written after the Resurrection provides us the “tools” necessary to remain faithful to the
truth of God’s Word and be comforted by the promise of resurrection. The Apostle John learned
about eternal life from Jesus:
”For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16/ESV)
49
Image “He Is Not Here” from https://cadremenpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/resurrection-1-825x510.jpg.
50
The author of Hebrews saw the saving of Isaac as a figure of the Resurrection. By faith Abraham, when he was tested,
offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through
Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively
speaking, he did receive him back. (Hebrews 11:17-19/ESV)
51
Shunem (adjective Shunammite) is a small village mentioned in the Bible. It was located in the tribe of Issachar, to the
north of Jezreel and south of Mount Gilboa.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

45
Jesus Himself made the following statements pertaining to the resurrection. 52

Jesus said there would be only one sign for nonbelievers
from Him, the “sign of Jonah” (Matthew 12:40).
Jesus spoke to the disciples on the road to Emmaus after His
Resurrection explaining that Scripture fporetold that it was
necessary that the Christ should suffer and enter into his
glory (Luke 24:25-28).
Jesus spoke to the Apostles on the shore of the Sea of
Galilee after His Resurrection opening their minds to
understand the Scriptures that foretold that the Christ should
suffer and on the third day rise from the dead (Luke 24:46).
Jesus said this to the people who saw Him only as human and were offended at His claim to have
come down from Heaven that one can come to Him unless the Father who sent Him draws him to
be raised up on the last day (John 6:44).
Our Resurrection and Life

We must firmly believe that God will always guard us from
spiritual harm - and often from physical harm - when we obey
what we learn from His Holy Word and by prayer. We know
from experience that whenever we overlook and disregard the
word of God - or make excuses for not obeying Him - then things
eventually go bad for us, spiritually, physically, and materially.
This does not mean that we believers never meet with any
adversity. The Lord often uses adversity to strengthen us, test us,
and lead us to salvation.
When we believe Jesus’ word, and rely on his power and
faithfulness, we shall see the glory of God, and be joyful in the
sight. Our Lord Jesus has taught us, by his own example, to call
God Father, in prayer, and to draw close to him as children to a
father, with humble reverence, yet with holy boldness. At
Lazarus’ tomb He openly made His address to God, with uplifted eyes and loud voice, that they
might be convinced the Father had sent Him as His beloved Son into the world. He could have
raised Lazarus by the silent exertion of his power and will, and the unseen working of the Spirit
of life; but he did it by a loud call. This was a figure of the Gospel call, by which dead souls are
brought out of the grave of sin: and of the sound of the archangel’s trumpet at the last day, with
which all that sleep in the dust shall be awakened, and summoned before the great tribunal. The
grave of sin and this world, is no place for those whom Christ has quickened; they must come
forth. Lazarus was thoroughly revived, and returned not only to life, but also to health.
Here is some commentary about the Resurrection:
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to
Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and
kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian
52
Image “Empty Tomb” from http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-
uaBCtkyQ3Ms/U1N6D4evzqI/AAAAAAAABIw/cpd5dRiFUDY/s1600/stone+away.jpg.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

46
Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He
forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all
the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly
true. 53
On the Last Day, God, by His omnipotent Word, will raise the bodies of all dead men and unite
them with their souls, and the wicked will endure eternal punishment with the devil, and those who
are pious and doing good works will gain eternal rewards in heaven. 54
The sinner cannot quicken his own soul, but he is to use the means of grace; the believer cannot
sanctify himself, but he is to lay aside every weight and hindrance. We cannot convert our relatives
and friends, but we should instruct, warn, and invite them. 55
53
Martin Luther, The Small Catechism. Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church:
German-Latin-English (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921). Accessed July 27, 2017,
http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php.
54
David Chytraeus, A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568), Richard Dinda, trans. (Malone, TX: Predestination Press,
2011) p. 142. Doing good works means doing them from faith and not with an attitude of earning something.
55
Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise), Accessed September 30, 2017,
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-concise/john/11.html. Jesus also testified to the resurrection in
his parable of Lazarus (not Lazarus of Bethany) and the rich man. The parable is recorded in Luke 16:19-31. Image
“Resurrection” from http://www.ncregister.com/images/editorial/resOFchrist682carlbloch.jpg.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

47
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Jim MacGregor AMDG

48
56
56
Image “Way, Truth, Life” from https://images.sharefaith.com/images/3/1284756815029_322/slide-02.jpg.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

49
Jesus Said “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”

What Jesus Said
On the way to Gethsemane the night of His arrest, Jesus told Thomas and His other disciples,
comforting them, that He is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, indicating that we are saved by
adhering to our belief in Him as our Lord, Master, and Savior - our leader whom we follow to
enter into eternal life.
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do
know him and have seen him.” (John 14:5-7/ESV)

Jesus is God, one with the Father and the Holy
Spirit. We are to adore, praise, worship, and bless
Him for His glory and for His gifts of salvation,
life, and all good things. We are to be one with
Him just as He wants to be one with us. 57
Jesus, as God’s Son, is the only path to Heaven. He
is God and the only way to God that we have.
There is no way into the presence of God other than
by accepting His death as payment in full for our
sins.
He is also the door to the way. “I am the door. If
anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in
and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9/ESV)
He is God, the only Truth. Only God is the Truth,
and He commands truth from us. He came to testify to God’s truth. Then Pilate said to him, “So
you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for
this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth
listens to my voice.” (John 18:37/ESV)
He is God, the only source of life. There is eternal life only with God. God commands life itself.
We are to witness to Him this way. We are not to see salvation as an exclusive ticket to heaven, but
rather to see it as a way of living with love and grace right here and now. We are to become
completely dedicated to Christ, not in the sense of “Bible thumping” or feeling superior to others
because we are “in” and they are “out,” but rather in the sense of loving them as Jesus loved us all.

57
Image “Jesus - Twitter” from http://jwortley.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/twitter-jesus.jpg.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

50
The Way, the Truth, and the Life

Jesus’ statement “I am the
way, the truth, and the life”,
found in John 14:1-14 means
that once we believe that the
person of Jesus and the God
of the prophets are one, then
we can perceive the meaning
of statements recorded in the
Old Testament. According
to Jesus’ statement, there is
no way into the presence of
God other than by accepting
His death as payment in full
for our sins. Jesus is the
only remedy God has
provided for man’s sin
problem. He is the only way to eternal life. Only He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life”. 58
We might say that Jesus’ statement has three parts in time and eternity - that He is the beginning,
the middle, and the end. Perhaps an interpretation would be that He expects us to begin with
Him, continue in Him, and end in Him, the end being eternal life after this one. We are not to
seek eternal life any other way. He alone is the way by which we can arrive at it. He stays with
us helping us along the way until we reach Him in eternity (Psalm 2:6; Hebrews 1:2; 6:5; 12:24;
Revelation 1:5). 59
We might also say that Jesus’ statement reflects His three roles - prophet, priest, and king. 60
As prophet, Jesus is the truth of the Father. He is the Word made flesh, the final word God has
spoken to his people (Hebrews 1:2). As priest, Jesus is the way to the Father. He is both the
sacrifice for our sins and the Mediator of the new covenant (Hebrews 12:24). As king, Jesus is the
life from the sovereign giver of life, the eternal Father, who gives life now and in the coming age
for eternity (Hebrews 6:5). He is the King whom the Father has already installed in Zion (Psalm
2:6) and the ruler over the kings of the earth (Revelation 1:5). 61
Christianity is the only belief that gives us hope of fellowship with God. It is the only way to
God, and any other paths lead to destruction. All heresies and other religions are human attempts
to become like God or to become acceptable to God. Those attempts are due to the human flaw
of misguided, foolish pride. Many are driven by a need to understand and explain God, His
Creation, His purposes, and indeed His entire Providence - His power that sustains and guides
human destiny - by our limited, human abilities to reason.
58
Old Testament passages pertaining to the Lord as the Way, Truth, and Life are discussed below under “Jesus the Way”,
“Jesus the Truth”, and “Jesus the Life”.
59
Image “Bridging the Gap” from
http://www.ruready4jesusiscomingsoon.com/uploads/1/6/5/6/16562044/5977954.jpg?457.
60
Matt Slick, “Jesus’ Three Offices: Prophet, Priest, and King”, Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, Accessed
July 27, 2017. https://carm.org/prophet-priest-king.
61
ESV Gospel Transformation Bible, Notes on John 14, Bryan Chapell, ed. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013) pp. 1434-1435.
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51
Christianity proclaims that God is totally perfect and exists in a holy state that is far beyond what
any created being could ever achieve by his own merits. Unless God Himself bridged the gap
between Himself and sinful man, no one could have fellowship with Him. Jesus did bridge that
gap by living a sinless life as a man and by taking the due penalty for the sins of mankind on
Himself.
Church Fathers and Reformers wrote about Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. They point
to Jesus as Mediator between God and us - as our way to God. They teach us about following
Jesus and being His disciple, and show us, in John 14-16, how Jesus comforts us. Here are two
examples:
He Who is the Way leads us not into by-paths or trackless wastes: He Who is the Truth mocks us
not with lies; He Who is the Life betrays us not into delusions which are death. He Himself has
chosen these winning names to indicate the methods which He has appointed for our salvation. As
the Way, He will guide us to the Truth; the Truth will establish us in the Life. And therefore it is
all-important for us to know what is the mysterious mode, which He reveals, of attaining this life.
“No man comes to the Father but through Me.” The way to the Father is through the Son. And
now we must enquire whether this is to be by a course of obedience to His teaching, or by faith in
His Godhead. For it is conceivable that our way to the Father may be through adherence to the
Son’s teaching, rather than through believing that the Godhead of the Father dwells in the Son.
And therefore let us, in the next place, seek out the true meaning of the instruction given us here.
For it is not by cleaving to a preconceived opinion, but by studying the force of the words, that we
shall enter into possession of this faith. 62
The fourteenth chapter and the two that follow it contain the beautiful sermon delivered by Christ
after the celebration of the Last Supper, on the threshold of His suffering and His departure from
His beloved disciples. With this sermon He wanted to comfort and strengthen them against the
present sadness occasioned by His departure and against the suffering they would endure because
of the devil, the world, and their own conscience. Indeed, here we find the best and most
comforting sermon preached by Christ while on this earth. And St. John should be praised above
the other evangelists for recording and transmitting it to Christendom for their comfort, as a jewel
and treasure not purchasable with the world’s goods. It would be deplorable had we been deprived
of it and had it not been handed down to us. 63
There is no way to separate Jesus’ statements about His being the bread of life, light of the
world, door and good shepherd, resurrection and life, way-truth-life, and true vine, because they
all refer to Him as the source for everything. Nonetheless, we shall attempt to focus on each part
of the statement - way, truth, and life - below.

62
Hilary of Poitiers, On the Trinity (Book VII). Translated by Watson, E.W. and Pullan, L. Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/330207.htm.
63
Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, American Edition, Volume 24, Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, Chapters 14-16,
Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut T.Lehman, ed. (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, 1987) p. 7. Church Fathers
also wrote of this: Augustine of Hippo, “Jesus Christ, the Mediator, is the Only Way of Safety”, The Confessions (Book VII),
Chapter 18, J.G. Pilkington, trans. Accessed July 26, 2017, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/110107.htm. Leo the Great,
Sermon 72, “The Cross is not only the mystery of salvation, but an example to follow”, Charles Lett Feltoe, trans. Accessed July
26, 2017, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360372.htm.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

52
Jesus the Way

Jesus used the definite article to distinguish
Himself as “the only way.” 64 His disciples
expressed confusion because they understood the
term “way” as referring to footpaths for walking
from one place to another as people and animals
do. However, Jesus was neither referring to that
kind of path, nor referring to any attempt to live
good and moral lives according to some ethical
standard or philosophy. Indeed, Jesus was referring to the only way to journey from this life to
the next. He was telling us that we are on a true, reliable path that will not mislead us when we
let Him into our lives by faith. Peter reinforced this later when he spoke to the council of Jewish
rulers (recorded in Acts 4:1-22) about the Resurrection of Jesus and the resurrection that we have
in Jesus. Jesus was also comforting His disciples - and us - that He is our Mediator before God
and awaits us, with room for us, at the end of our way to Him. 65
“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare
a place for you?” (John 14:2/ESV).
He was telling His disciples and us that whatever we ask in His name, that is for our good and
suitable to our needs as He knows them, he will give to us. To ask in Jesus’ name is to invoke
and depend upon His merit and intercession as our advocate, counselor, and comforter. He
abides with His disciples, and with us, forever. Peter testified before the leaders of Israel saying:
“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men
by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12/ESV)
Jesus tells us unequivocally that He is God and the only way to God that we have. As discussed
earlier, He is the door:
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”
(John 10:9/ESV)
In the Scriptures only God shows the way and commands us to follow His way. Jesus is the
sinner’s Way to the Father and to heaven by his person as God manifest in a human body and
nature, by His atoning sacrifice, and by His work as our Advocate. As the Truth, He fulfilled all
the prophecies of a Savior. By believing in Him we sinners go through Him as the Way (i.e., as
a “door”) to truth, and life. By Jesus, as the Way, our prayers go to God, and His blessings come
to us. This is the Way that leads to peace, rest, and eternal life. This thought may be found in
several Old Testament passages. Here are some references to Scripture that give examples of the
Way and the promises that accompany following it. 66
64
The definite article was used in the Greek manuscript. The information about the definite article is from: Felix Just, S.J.,
Ph.D, “‘I AM’” Sayings in the Fourth Gospel”, catholic-resources.org. Accessed July 26, 2017, http://catholic-
resources.org/John/Themes-IAM.htm. John rendered “I am in Greek as he had understood it in Aramaic”.
65
Image “One Way” from http://darientimes.hanewsmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2016/07/4104-one-way-
sign_edited.630w.tn_.png.
66
The thought that the Lord is the Way that leads to peace, rest, and eternal life may be found in the following verses:
Deuteronomy 1:32-33; Psalms 23:3; 32:8; 37:23-24; 94:12-14; Proverbs 3:5-6; 5:7; 16:1-2; Isaiah 43:18-19; 48:17-18; and
Jeremiah 29:11. Also, that theme, and that of the wrong way, may also be found in many other Scripture passages among which
Jim MacGregor AMDG

53
King David testified that God is his path (Psalm 23:3).
God told the Psalmist that He is his way (Psalm 32:8).
God told Isaiah that He will make our way (Isaiah 43:18-19).
God told Isaiah that He teaches us the way we are to go (Isaiah 48:17-18).
Jesus the Truth

Jesus tells us unequivocally that He is God, the only
Truth. In the Scriptures only God is the Truth, and He
commands truth from us. Those who do not love or fear
God, who have no spiritual senses, cannot receive the
Truth, because they cannot see it - cannot “see” Him.
Jesus promised to be with us as a constant guest. Our
bodies and souls are temples of the Holy Spirit dwelling
in us. Since Jesus’ Ascension, we have the Holy Spirit
to teach us all that Truth which is needful for our
salvation. Because of Jesus’ Divine nature, His
Resurrection in His human nature, and His living forever
in heaven, we can live lives of faith and love on earth,
and hereafter live the life of glory. This thought may be
found in several Old Testament passages. 67 Here are
some Scriptural examples of truth and the promises that accompany knowing it. 68
King David prayed to God to lead him in truth. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the
God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. (Psalm 25:5/ESV)
The psalmist prayed to God for His light and truth. Send out your light and your truth; let them
lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! (Psalm 43:3/ESV)
King David prayed to God to teach him God’s way and truth. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I
may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. (Psalm 86:11/ESV)
The psalmist confessed that God’s Word is truth. The sum of your word is truth, and every one of
your righteous rules endures forever. (Psalm 119:160/ESV)
Jesus told Pilate that He was sent to witness to God’s truth. Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a
king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this
purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth
listens to my voice.” (John 18:37/ESV)
Jesus told the religious leaders that the truth about Him and who He is will free us of our sins if
we abide in Him and follow Him. Those statements are recorded in as follows:
By abiding in Jesus we know the Truth (John 8:31-38). 69
are the following: 2 Kings 17; Psalm 1; Proverbs 2 and 3; Isaiah 40 and 59; Jeremiah 6; Ezekiel 18 and 33; Zechariah 1; and
Malachi 3.
67
The thought that God teaches us the truth and is the Truth may be found in the following Old Testament passages: Job
34:12; Psalm 15:1-2; 25:5; 43:3; 119:160; Daniel 10:21; Zechariah 8:16. Jesus told Pilate about truth - about His purpose in
being on earth and about His ministry. He did not tell Pilate literally that He is God, but rather that He is a king whose kingdom
was different from the kind that Pilate was talking about. However, that He is God can be easily surmised from His statement if
one is listening to it with post-Pentecostal and spiritual discernment.
68
Image “Jesus before Pilate” from http://www.ncregister.com/images/uploads/jesus_before_pilate_jekel.jpg.
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Jesus gave His disciples comforting assurance of the presence of God’s Truth with them (John
16:7-13).
Jesus spoke of truth in His high priestly prayer for His disciples and for us (John 17:8, 16-20).
Jesus the Life

Jesus tells us that He is the Life whose life-giving
Spirit makes the dead in sin alive. No one can
approach God as a Father who is not enlivened by
Him as the Life, and taught by Him as the Truth, to
come by Him as the Way. He is the Resurrection and
the Life. All who see Jesus by faith see the Father in
Him. Jesus taught us (John 10:10, 27-28 and John
12:49-50) that in Him we see God as the Father of
life, and in His miracles we see the God of power.
Jesus tells us that He does not take from us but gives
to us.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it
abundantly. … My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal
life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:10, 27-
28/ESV)
Jesus declared His truth about eternal life at Passover time.
“For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a
commandment - what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life.
What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” (John 12:49-50/ESV)
“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have
sent.” (John 17:3/ESV)
Jesus was saying unequivocally that He is God, the only source of life. In the Scriptures there is
eternal life only with God. God commands life itself. Scripture not only talks about the life of
human flesh that begins with birth and ends at death, but also about Spiritual life that begins with
Jesus and is eternal life after death. Scripture identifies God as the “life and length of days”, the
giver of love in His “steadfast love”, the preserver and restorer of life, and the “fountain of life”.
This thought may be found in several Old Testament passages. 70 Some passages are cited and
quoted below.
Genesis 1 and 2 relate God’s creation of all life.
In Deuteronomy 30:19-20 we are told that the Lord is “life and length of days”.
Job testified to the eternal living God and the resurectoin (Job 19:25-27).
Koing David sang of eternakl life with God (Psalm 23:6).
69
The statement, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone …” was a lie. Israel had certainly
been enslaved in Egypt.
70
Here are some Scriptural references for examples of God-created life and the promises that accompany believing in it by
following Jesus: Genesis 1 and 2; Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Job 19:25-27; Psalm 23:6; Psalm 30:3; Psalm 36:9; Psalm 86:1-2, 11;
Psalm 91:11-12; Psalm 100:1-5; Psalm 119:25, 37, 40, 50, 88, 93, 107, 149, 154, 156, and 159; Psalm 133; Psalm 147:3; and
Proverbs 14:27. Psalms 30, 36, 86, 91, 100, and 130 also speak of God giving us life forever.
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Psalm 119 speaks of God giving us life forever (Psalm 119:25, 37, 40, 50, 88, 93, 107, 149, 154,
156, and 15).
In Proverbs we learn that, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life.” (Proverbs 14:27/ESV)
See Related Readings - “The Christian Distinctive.”
Jim MacGregor AMDG

56
71
71
Image “Life in the Vine” used in accordance with terms at Thakgodforjesus.org, “Life in the Vine”,
http://www.thankgodforjesus.org/abide-in-the-vine/
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Jesus Said “I Am the True Vine” … “I Am the Vine” … “Abide in

Me”
What Jesus Said
On the way to Gethsemane the night of His arrest, Jesus told His disciples that He is the vine, the
true vine, indicating that we are saved by adhering to our belief in Him - to abide in Him - as our
Lord, Master, Savior - our Mediator before the Father.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit
he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As
the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide
in me. 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. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown
away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the
Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you
will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These
things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my
commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this,
that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have
called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not
choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit
should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I
command you, so that you will love one another.” (John 15:1-17/ESV)

Jesus is our vine.
A vine is planted to yield life-sustaining fruit. The farmer plants a vine or a vineyard with the sort
of fruit that he wants - to meet his purpose. God sent Jesus as our heavenly Vine to bring life and
strength to dying people - to meet his purpose.
Jesus is the Son of God, Who is the source of life, and without Whom we are only useless
“branches”.
There is no life with God other than by accepting Jesus as our Lord, Master, and Savior. He is the
only remedy God has provided for our sin problem.
We are to live our lives full of actions that demonstrate our love for God and for each other -
spiritual fruit - moved by our faith in Him and trust in His promises.
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He is the true Vine. His united human and divine natures, nourished by the Holy Spirit in Him, are
like the root of a vine made healthy and fruitful by moisture from a rich soil. We believers are
branches of this Vine. The root, Jesus, is unseen.
He promises to keep us clean and healthy - to prune us by doctrine and testing. He prunes and cuts
us “branches” that bear fruit, that we may bring forth more fruit. In modern times God uses stress
as one means of testing and pruning.
Jesus’ doctrine is the means of pruning. His grace is sufficient for us; His power is made perfect in
weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9/ESV)
Jesus sustains us spiritually. Through Him we gain spiritual understanding and wisdom for living
with access to Heaven.
We abide in Jesus in two ways. One way is to ask Him to keep anything from our lives that
separates us from God. Another way is to take all of our concerns to Him, and ask him for
guidance, wisdom, and courage.
The Vine
We read above that a vine is planted to yield life-
sustaining fruit. The many kinds of vines have
their different sorts of fruit. The vine and it fruit
will meet his the farmer’s purpose. God sent Jesus
as our heavenly Vine to bring life and strength to
dying people - to meet His purpose. Jesus brought
the life of God that we had lost by the fall. In
other words, Jesus is our Tree of Life. All who eat
of the fruit of that Tree of Life will live forever.
Even more wonderful is that we should not only
eat and live, but also become fruit-bearing
branches. Jesus’ gives His life not only to us, but also wants His life-giving power to display
itself to other people. 72
The True Vine - Bearing Fruit
Jesus’ statements “I Am the True Vine”, “I Am the Vine”, found in John 15 identify Him as the
Son of God, Who is the source of life, and without Whom we are only useless “branches”.
Jesus’ audience - His disciples in the upper room - knew the vineyard imagery. In the Old
Testament God used the imagery of the fruitful “vine” or the “vineyard” and the fruitful “fig
tree” as symbols for Israel as God’s Covenant people. Jews understood that to be considered
ethnically an Israelite or to become a convert to the Covenant (like Ruth the Moabitess), is to be
identified as part of the “Vine” of God that is Israel. However, those passages also pointed to the
future Messianic ministry. Jesus gave the references to the vine and prophecies of the vine a
meaning that applied to His saving work. In John 15, Jesus claims to be the fulfillment of the
vineyard found in prophecies. According to Jesus’ statement hearkening back to the “vine” and
“vineyard” prophecies, there is no life with God other than by accepting Jesus as our Lord,
Master, and Savior. He is the only remedy God has provided for our sin problem. In Him alone
72
Andrew Murray, “Become a Fruit-Bearing Christian”, Accessed July 26, 2017,
http://www.crosswalkmail.com/ViewMessage.do?m=icmygccmcd&r=cdhcdclggpch&s=rnjtrwcvtjtclvqkfbhyhcwlnffljgchrrq&a=
view.
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is eternal life. If we yield our lives to Him and respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit He
sent to guide us, then we can bear much fruit moved by our faith in Him, love for Him and our
neighbor, and trust in His promises. Jesus told us:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also
are to love one another.” (John 13:34/ESV)
In Christian tradition, there are physical and spiritual acts we are to perform. Among the
physical actions we are to perform for each other are feeding the hungry, giving drink to the
thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, ransoming captives, and burying our
dead. The spiritual actions we are to perform for each other are praying, witnessing to others,
instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, admonishing sinners, bearing wrongs patiently,
forgiving offences willingly, comforting, and consoling the afflicted. 73
If we do not yield our lives to Him, we will be
unfruitful, because without Him we can do nothing
of spiritual value. Only He is “the Vine” in Whom
we are to abide. In Scripture a fruitful vine was a
symbol of obedient Israel, while wild grapes or an
empty vine spoke of Israel’s disobedience.
References to the vine may be found at many Old
Testament passages. 74
We see Jesus as the Vine in whom we can bear
fruit. His being the Vine is our means of salvation.
Numbers 13:21-25 alluded to the Promised Land as bearing grapes. Deuteronomy referred to the
Promised Land as a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of
olive trees and honey. (Deuteronomy 8:8/ESV) Just as the Promised Land bore fruitful vines, so
is God’s Kingdom populated by people whom He makes fruitful for His purposes. Regarding
unfruitful vines, Jesus, the Son of David, the Messiah of God will, in the end times, finally break
the kingdom of Satan to which the world has turned. The kingdom of God, which is looked upon
with contempt by the world, will be established forever (Revelation 12:10-11; 17:14; 20:13-14;
21:1-3, 24-27).
Jesus is the true Vine. His human and divine natures united in one person, nourished by the Holy
Spirit that is also in Him, are like the root of a vine made healthy and fruitful by moisture from a
rich soil. We believers are branches of this Vine. The root, Jesus, is unseen, and our life is
hidden in Him. As the root bears the tree and sends sap to it, so Jesus supports and nourishes us.
The vine may have many branches, but they meet in the root and are all one vine. All Christians
meet in Jesus regardless of how far apart they are in the world. We believers, like the branches
of the vine, are weak, unable to stand on our own, but are held up by Jesus.
73
The entire Law of Moses is permeated with rules for worship and caring for others, including the foreigners and
unbelievers in our midst. The following verses are among the many that support the Law of caring for others and these physical
and spiritual works: all of Matthew 5-7 and Matthew 22:36-40. The Apostle Paul wrote that All Scripture is breathed out by God
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent,
equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17/ESV)
74
Old Testament references to the vine may be found at the following passages: Deuteronomy 8:8; 20:6; 32:32-33;
Leviticus 19:10; 25:1-7; 26:5; Deuteronomy 23:24; 24:21; Psalm 80:7-19; Isaiah 5:1-7; 16:8; 24:5-13; 27:2-6; 32:10-13; 65:8;
Jeremiah 2:21; 6:8-9; 8:13; 48:32; Ezekiel 15:1-5; 17:1-21; 18:1-2; 19:10-15; Hosea 9:10; 10:1-2; Joel 3:12-13; Amos 9:13;
Micah 6:15; 7:1; and Habakkuk 3:16-19.
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[Paul, speaking of the Jews as the “root” of an olive tree, told his Gentile audience:] If the dough
offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if
some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among
the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the
branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.
Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They
were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become
proud, but fear. (Ephesians 11:16-20/ESV)
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and
established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7/ESV)
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3/ESV)
Prophecies related to Jesus as the vine emphasize what evil happens to God’s people when they
do not abide in Him. Hence, we see Jesus as the antithesis to the type of the unfruitful vine of
prophecy. His branches - we His people - will bear fruit. We see an example of remaining loyal
to Jesus, of abiding in Him, and of His remaining loyal to us, in a conspiracy story in Judges
when Jotham spoke of Abimelech’s conspiracy to be made king:
“And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ But the fig tree said to them,
‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’“ And the trees
said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine
that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’” (Judges 9:10-13/ESV)
The Apostle Paul describes the fruit that we are to bear dying to ourselves that we may live to
Jesus:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24/ESV)
Jesus Pruning and Sustaining the Vine

Saying “Already you are clean”, Jesus reminded His disciples that they have already
experienced in themselves what he had said about
being planted in Him, and therefore cleaned and pruned
(John 15:3). By faith in Jesus’ dying to free us from
the punishment for our sins we are also made clean.
Not only that, He promises to keep us clean and healthy
- to prune us by doctrine and testing. He prunes and
cuts us “branches” that bear fruit, that we may bring
forth more fruit. In our modern times perhaps God uses
stress as one means of testing and pruning in the ways
listed below. 75
God can use stress to get our attention. God created our
bodies. He designed them to send us messages, for example, of pain. If we ignore the messages we
75
Randy Alcorn, “How God Uses Stress for Our Good and His Glory”, Bible Study Tools, Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://www.crosswalkmail.com/ViewMessage.do?m=ozltfklltz&r=khtvhvsrrmvt&s=wvfnlzdsnfndjsywqmtktdzjvqqjfgdtlly&a=vi
ew. Image “Pruning Grape Vine” from
https://a8g4i9g5y.ssl.hwcdn.net/files/styles/hd_two_row_landscape/public/image/ee/fa/537303-pruning-of-grape-plants.jpg.
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will suffer. If we respond to the messages, we can get help. In Jonah 1 and 2 we read the story of
the extremes to which God will go to get our attention so that we may do His Will (Jonah 2:9-10).
God can use stress to help us redefine or rediscover our priorities. For example, the negative result
of neglecting a relationship can alert us to the need for resetting our priorities (Haggai 1:5-11).
God can use stress to draw us to Himself. The Scriptures are full of references to returning to God,
seeking Him and finding Him in times of intense stress (Psalm 18:6; 120:1; 2 Chronicles 15:4;
Jonah 2:2).
God can use stress to discipline us. We find allusions to this
in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. (Proverbs
3:11-12; 13:24; Hebrews 12:10-11).
God can use stress to strengthen our faith. A muscle that is
rarely exercised weakens and cannot grow. A used muscle
grows, especially when unusual demands are placed upon it.
Stress is a demand placed upon our faith. Without it our faith
cannot, grow. When we, under stress, draw on our resources
in Jesus, He gives us faith and strength to rise above the
difficulties of life (Zechariah 13:9; 1 Peter 1:6-7).
Jesus pointed out that His doctrine is the means of pruning.
He did not say that the Apostles were pure from all sin, but
he held out to them - as to us also - their (and our) personal
experience with Him, that we may learn that the continuance of grace is absolutely necessary.
The Apostle Paul wrote: But he [Jesus] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power
is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9/ESV) He commended to Paul, and us, the
doctrine of the Gospel from the fruit which it produces. We may be more powerfully excited to
meditate on it continually, since it resembles the vine-dresser’s knife to take away what is
useless.
Scripture tells us about true, authoritative, teaching from God
Jesus tells us that His teaching is true, authoritative, and from God (John 7:16-18).
The Scriptures are true, authoritative, from God, and useful for ministry (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Jesus sustains us spiritually. Through Him we gain spiritual
understanding and wisdom for living with access to Heaven.
He paid with His life to guarantee our eternal life with God.
During our lives on earth, the things we do in His strength,
out of gratitude for what He’s done for us, are the only things
that matter. We are to express our trust in His salvation by
obeying His “new commandment” (John 13:34; 15:13) or
else face the consequences of judgment in the end times as
told in (Matthew 25:31-46).
Jesus commands us to love one another as He first loved us and tells us what this means (John
13:34; John 15:13).
Jesus tells us about the guarantees of eternal life and eternal death (Matthew 25:31-33).
Of great interest is the emphasis on present actions in the sayings of Jesus. He does not define
the present in terms of the future, but rather the future in terms of the present. 76 Jesus teaches us
76
Brad H. Young, Jesus the Jewish Theologian (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011) p. 249.
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that we are to be fruitful for Him, for the vine, for the work of God, or else face the
consequences of the Final Judgment. He cursed the fig tree, because it was unfruitful, and it
withered (Matthew 21:19-22; Mark 11:19-24).
Abiding in Jesus
Some Old Testament passages give us insight into the promise of reward by abiding in our Lord.
We are to stay with the Lord and seve Him only (1 Samuel 7:3-4).
Our comfort is to be found by abiding in the Lord (Psalm 25:12-13, 20).
We are to remain upright by turns aside from temptation and evil (Proverbs 16:17.
Why do we abide in Jesus? 77
In Jesus we were given grace before the world was created (2 Timothy
1:8-9).
In Jesus God chose us before creation (Ephesians 1:3-4)P.
In Jesus God loves us with an inseparable love that keeps us close to
Him (Romans 8:38–39).
In Jesus we were redeemed and forgiven for all our sins (Ephesians 1:7-
8).
In Jesus we are justified before God and the righteousness of God in
Christ is imputed to us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In Jesus we have become a new creation and a child of God (2 Corinthians 5:1).
How do we abide in Jesus?

Be obedient to Jesus.
Abiding involves our response to the teaching of Jesus. John gave us a picture of what it looks
like to abide in Jesus.
“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s
commandments and abide in his love.” (John 15:10/ESV)
To abide in Jesus we keep His commandments. And, to keep His commandments means to love
God with all our hearts and souls and minds and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall
love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39/ESV)
Jesus’ tells us that to remain in His love involves simple obedience to Him. Obedience is the
fruit and evidence of love for Him.
One way that we display our love for God is through our trust, prayer, and devotion to Him. We
abide through relationship. We pursue in love. We pray in love. We obey in love. The fruit that
Jesus speaks of is simply evidence of a relationship with him. It is a relationship that he initiates
through and by his sovereign love. 78
77
John Piper, “Six Things It Means to Be in Christ Jesus,” Desiring God, Accessed September 27, 2017,.
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/6-things-it-means-to-be-in-jesus.
78
John Piper, “Learning to Abide in Christ,” Desiring God, Accessed September 21, 2017,
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/learning-to-abide-in-christ.
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“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one
than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. This is my commandment, that you love one
another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12-14/ESV).
Be filled with God’s Word and Spirit.
Abiding involves our knowing the teaching of Jesus. The Bible tells us to have the Word within
us.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom,
singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians
3:16/ESV)
The Bible tells us to be filled with the Spirit.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, (Ephesians
5:18/ESV)
Ask Jesus for blessings.
Prayers themselves are a fruit of faith, and they produce more fruit. We ask God to do for us
through Jesus what we cannot do for ourselves.
Jesus tells us to ask for anything in prayer, and we shall receive it if we have faith. “And whatever
you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22/ESV)
Jesus tells us to ask for anything in His name, and we shall receive it. “Until now you have
asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John
16:24/ESV)
Rest our lives on the love of Jesus.
We have the model of Jesus’ love of laying down His life for us. The Bible tells us that hope
does not put us to shame.
… because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given
to us. (Romans 5:5) This love has been proved to us in the cross of Christ. We must never allow
ourselves to drift from daily contemplation of the cross as the irrefutable demonstration of that
love, or from dependence on the Spirit who sheds it abroad in our hearts.
Live in His love.
Keep our place in Jesus’ affection. Do not let go of that most valuable blessing.
Jesus tells us that He loves us as His Father loves Him; that we are to abide in Him. “By this my
Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has
loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in
my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have
spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:8-12/ESV)
Jesus prays for us to be united with His Father and Him. “I do not ask for these only, but also for
those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are
in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I
in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you
sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:20-23/ESV)
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Jesus taught the Apostle John that we can love, because He first loved us. We love because he first
loved us. … And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his
brother. (1 John 4:19, 21/ESV)
Trust and rely on Him .
Ask Him to keep anything from our lives that separate us from God. We are to confess our sins,
ask Him into our lives, and share our lives with Him, the whole time believing and trusting in -
and not doubting - the pardon for those sins that He worked for us on Calvary. Jesus taught us to
pray this:
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13/ESV)
Take all of our concerns to Him, and ask him for guidance, wisdom, and courage. Abiding is not
unceasing consciousness of these things, and of Him, but rather not allowing anything into our
lives which separates us from Him.
Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him: And by this we know that he
abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (1 John 3:24)
Have living faith and trust that produces holiness, by which alone we can be in Jesus.
Jesus tells us to have faith without any doubt. And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if
you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if
you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.” (Matthew
21:21/ESV)
Jesus tells us to have faith; that worry cannot help. “And which of you by being anxious can add a
single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you
anxious about the rest?” (Luke 12:25-26/ESV; c.f., Hebrews 11:1) 79
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and
endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to
us. (Romans 5:3-5/ESV)
… for we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7/ESV)
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life
I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
(Galatians 2:20/ESV)
Give Him our anxieties.
Faith and trust give us ammunition against anxiety. God’s promises are the ammunition in the
cannon that cuts down the unbelief that produces worry and stress. 80
We fight unbelief. “… so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me
empty, but sit shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent
it.” (Isaiah 55:11/ESV)
79
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1/ESV)
80
John Piper, “Ammunition against Anxiety,” Desiring God, Accessed September 21, 2017,
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/ammunition-against-anxiety.
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We fight feelings of weakness. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for kmy power is
made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that
lthe power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9/ESV)
We fight anxiety about life decisions. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I
will counsel you with my eye upon you. (Psalm 32:8/ESV)
We fight anxiety about the reactions of other people. We fight anxiety about life decisions. What
then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31/ESV)
We fight anxiety about our material well being and that of others. “If you then, who are evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give
good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11/ESV)
We fight anxiety about our spiritual well-being and that of others. Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you,
nthere is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands,
for my sake and ofor the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and
brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in rthe age to
come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30/ESV)
We fight anxiety about our physical illness and that of others. Many are the afflictions of the
righteous, tbut the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalm 34:19/ESV)
All in all, tension, anxiety, and all forms of suffering may be useful to us. 81
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and
endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to
us. (Romans 5:3-5/ESV)
81
John Piper, “Ammunition against Anxiety,” Desiring God, Accessed September 21, 2017,
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82
82
Image, “Who Do You Say I Am?” from http://wp.production.patheos.com/blogs/biteintheapple/files/2014/08/Pentecost-
10-Who-Do-You-Say-I.jpg.
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Conclusion
Summary
We have compared the narratives in the Gospel of John with Old Testament Scriptures, relating
Jesus’ words and actions with Old Testament Scriptures. Hopefully, we have accomplished our
fivefold purpose.
Learn what Jesus said with “I am”. We read Jesus’ statements about existing before Abraham and
His being: Bread of Life; Light of the World; Door of the Sheep; Good Shepherd; Resurrection and
Life; Way, Truth, and Life; and, True Vine.
Learn what Jesus said means for us. Jesus is God, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We are
to adore, praise, worship, and bless Him for His glory and for His gifts of salvation, life, and all
good things. We are to be one with Him just as He wants to be one with us.
Gain insight into the impression Jesus made on His audiences and how they understood Him. Jesus
pointed back to God’s name using the phrase “I am” several times during His ministry, and
characterized Himself seven different ways as God in Person: Bread of Life, Light of the World,
Door of the Sheep, Good Shepherd, Resurrection and Life, Way Truth and Life, and True Vine.
His audience knew their Scripture, and they understood clearly that He was claiming to be God in
each context of His using the phrase “I am”. The disciples understood more about Jesus’
prophecies after His Resurrection and Pentecost.
Learn how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and prophetic types of the Messiah. We
read quotations from Scripture, and saw citations form other passages, that pointed to Him as the
Messiah.
Know Jesus better than we do now. We get to know Jesus better from his instruction after the
Resurrection, from the Holy Spirit’s instruction after Pentecost, and by studying and praying to
know Him, by commitment, and faith.
Let us close by reinforcing the last purpose - getting to know Jesus better. To know someone is
to be familiar with and have experience and understanding of that person. To be familiar with
someone is to have personal or intimate knowledge of that person. To believe someone is to
accept the word of that person. So, we must have experience and understanding of Jesus, be
closely acquainted with Him, and believe in Him. His own words suggest this. 83
We get to know Jesus better by learning His instruction after the Resurrection and the Holy
Spirit’s instruction after Pentecost, by studying and praying to know Him, by faith, and by
imitating Him - by commitment. 84
83
Cambridge Dictionaries OnLine, “know”, Accessed July 26, 2017,
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/know_2. Merriam-Webster, “believe”, Accessed July 26, 2017.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/believe.
84
Vatican Radio, “To get to know Jesus we must pray to him, celebrate him and imitate him”, Accessed July 26, 2017,
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/16/pope_francis_pray_to_jesus,_celebrate_him_and_imitate_him/1100565. This
Vatican Radio article discussed “three doors” to knowing Jesus: “The first door is praying to Jesus. You must realize that
studying without prayers is no use. ... We must pray to Jesus to get to know him better. ... The second door is celebrating Jesus.
… We must celebrate Jesus through His Sacraments, because these give us life ... they comfort us, they forge an alliance with us,
they give us a mission. ... The third door is imitating Jesus. Take the Gospel, what he did, how his life was, what he told us,
what he taught us, and try to imitate him.”
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We Get to Know Jesus Better from His Instruction after the Resurrection
We are blessed with a post-Resurrection and post-Pentecost understanding of the Old Testament
prophecies and prophetic types regarding the Messiah and Jesus’ fulfillment of them. The Holy
Spirit gives us that blessing that Jesus poured out on us. Jesus told His disciples:
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all
things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26/ESV)
In the first Christian sermon, the Apostle Peter cited Joel’s earlier prophecy about the Holy Spirit
being with believers:
“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men
shall dream dreams;” (Acts 2:17/ESV)
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see
visions.” (Joel 2:28/ESV)
Both Luke and John in their Gospels documented the post-Resurrection understanding of
knowing Jesus. 85
The two men in dazzling apparel spoke to the women at the tomb. “He is not here, but has risen.
Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into
the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his
words, (Luke 24:6-8/ESV)
Jesus instructed the disciples on the road to Emmaus. And he
said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all
that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the
Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he
interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning
himself. (Luke 24:25-27/ESV)
The disciples understood more about Jesus’ prophecies after
His Resurrection. Jesus answered them, “Destroy this
temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to
build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of
his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said
this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:19-24/ESV)
85
Image “Walking with Jesus to Emmaus” from http://www.gerhardy.id.au/images/Jesus_Emmaus-02.jpg.
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We Get to Know Jesus Better from the Holy Spirit’s Instruction after
Pentecost
Both Luke and Paul in Acts and the Epistles documented the post-Resurrection understanding of
knowing Jesus.
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the first Christian sermon. “Let all the house of Israel
therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you
crucified.” (Acts 2:36/ESV)
Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached Jesus as the Son of God. And immediately he [Paul]
proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” (Acts 9:20/ESV)
Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached Jesus as the Son of God and His Resurrection. Paul, a
servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an Apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised
beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended
from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the
Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord … (Romans 1:1-4/ESV)
Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached
Jesus as the Son of God who will give us all
things. What then shall we say to these
things? If God is for us, who can be against
us? He who did not spare his own Son but
gave him up for us all, how will he not also
with him graciously give us all things?
(Romans 8:31-32/ESV)
Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, understood and preached Jesus as the second Adam. The first man
was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man [Jesus] is from heaven. (1 Corinthians
15:47/ESV) 86
Paul, filled with the grace of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, preached Jesus among the Gentiles. But
when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to
reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately
consult with anyone; (Galatians 1:15-16/ESV)
Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached that Jesus and His Father have showered blessings upon
us. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, (Ephesians 1:3/ESV)
It is reasonable to understand that the phrase describing Jesus’ discourse to His disciples on the
road to Emmaus, “beginning with Moses and all the prophets,” refers to the Law given to
Moses, to Moses’ prophecies, and to the later prophets. Jesus may have begun His explanation
of Himself with the Law and the prophets to bound the scope of the explanation to information
that His disciples would most readily be familiar. However, “beginning with Moses” may also
mean all the writings of Moses. In this case, “beginning with Moses” probably included the
prophecies and promises found in Genesis - events recorded by Moses that transpired before his
lifetime - that we also associate with the Messiah Jesus. There is cause for our accepting this
latter interpretation. Here are some examples:
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We traditionally view the curse in Genesis 3:15 to foretell Jesus’ victory over death and Satan by
His crucifixion and Resurrection.
We view the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (i.e., in Genesis 12; 22; 26; 35; 49) to foretell
Jesus as the offspring that they speak of.
God told Abraham a second time of the future blessing (Genesis 22:15-18).
God told Isaac anf Jacob of the future blessing (Genesis 26:3-4; 35:11-12).
God told Judah, through Jacob, of the future blessing (Genesis 49:10).
God told David that His kingdom would last forever (2 Samuel 7:1-17).
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We Get to Know Jesus Better by Studying and Praying to Know Him

Many heresies attack Jesus’ divinity, manhood, or even His existence. We must trust Jesus’
disciples then and now (e.g., our Pastors) to teach us Who He is. We must trust them and
ourselves to study Scripture, comparing Scripture with Scripture, to learn Who Jesus is and know
Him. We must trust Jesus’ disciples, then and now, to have written our Christian creeds based
on Scripture. We must look to those creeds as explanations “in a nutshell” of who Jesus is to
help us to know Him. We should study the Scriptures upon which the creeds are based. We
remember that Moses, Jesus, and Peter warned against false prophets (Deuteronomy 13:1-3;
Matthew 7:15-20; 2 Peter 2:1-2, 17-89).
We may read, study, and discuss Jesus at length and still not know Him. We may read through
the Bible in a year. We may read through the Bible by topic. We may study a particular book in
detail. We may read and study for historical facts and for spiritual guidance. We may even pray
the Psalms. We may do all of that by comparing Scripture with Scripture, even avoiding human
agendas that are guided by human reasoning. We may search all Scripture diligently and still
miss that our Christian religion is not one of history, philosophy, or even theology - although all
of those studies help us to know Jesus. No. Our Christian religion is centered on the belief in a
person, and that Person is Jesus the Christ. Look at what Jesus said about the Scriptures when
He responded to the Jewish religious authorities about Himself:
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that
bear witness about me,” (John 5:39/ESV)
The Apostle Paul gave us insight into how we must study when he spoke of the Thessalonians and
Bereans he encountered on his second missionary journey: 87
Now these Jews [the Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word
with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11/ESV)
Christians learn revealed truth by comparing Scripture with Scripture, and not by our
understanding of human concepts and how things appear to us in the world. To learn truth from
Scripture we must humbly - having and showing a modest, low estimate of our own importance -
give up our own ideas and prayerfully try to learn what God reveals to us in His Word.
Scripture makes it incumbent upon us to prayerfully ask Jesus to help us know Him, Who He is -
to ask Him to take us under His tutelage and let the Holy Spirit guide us. We can learn this by
prayerfully studying what He said about Himself and what He did. Jesus tells us to know Him,
believe in Him, and be committed to Him.
Jesus teaches us to not only confess Him, but also to obey His Father. “Not everyone who says to
me [Jesus], ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in
your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And
then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
(Matthew 7:21-23/ESV)
Jesus teaches us that He is eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16/ESV)
87
See Acts 17:1-14 for Paul’s visits to Thessalonica and Berea.
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Jesus teaches us to follow Him. “I [Jesus] am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own
know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
(John 10:14-15/ESV)
Jesus teaches us that He is eternal life. Jesus said to her, “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. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26/ESV)
Jesus teaches us that believing in Him is believing in God. And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever
believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent
me. (John 12:44-45/ESV)
Jesus teaches us that believing in Him is believing in God. “Let not your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1/ESV)
Paul reinforced Jesus’ teaching that He is our salvation. … because, if you confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
(Romans 10:9/ESV)
We Get to Know Jesus Better by Faith

Biblical faith and believing Jesus are not synonymous with
either intellectual assent or passive acceptance. Each of these,
by itself, is a superficial faith at best and not a genuine, saving
faith. Faith in Jesus is not just intellectual assent to who He is,
but also includes an element of personal trust. Intellectual
assent does not of itself produce actions that demonstrate our
faith. The principle of good works as the fruit of real faith is
seen repeatedly in Hebrews 11. The Greek word for believe
means adherence to, committal to, faith in, reliance upon, trust
in a person or an object, and this involves not only the consent
of the mind, but an act of the heart and will.
Commitment - We Get to Know Jesus Better by Imitating Him

What Jesus Tells Us about Commitment
Jesus tells us to work for that which has eternal value:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves
break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21/ESV)
“Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow
old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth
destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:33-34/ESV)
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What Theologians Have Told Us about Commitment

Many hear the Gospel often but care little for it because they do not have the spirit of Christ.
Whoever wishes to understand Jesus’ words fully must try to pattern his whole life on His. 88
For example, what good is it to learn and teach about the Trinity if, lacking humility, we
displease the Trinity? It is not learning that makes us holy and just. Rather, a virtuous life
makes us pleasing to God. To feel contrition is better than to know how to define it. What value
would we have by knowing the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if
we were to live without grace and the love of God?
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. … For to the one who
pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the
business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. (Ecclesiastes 1:2,
2:26/ESV)
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone
who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9/ESV)
Solomon and Paul meant that all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone. The greatest
wisdom is to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. It is vanity, therefore,
to gather and trust in wealth that perishes. It is vanity also to court honor, to be puffed up with
pride, to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must
come, to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent life, to be concerned with the
present only and not to make provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what exists only
briefly and not to look ahead to an eternity of eternal joy with Jesus. 89
But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my
right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God.” (Ecclesiastes 49:4/ESV)
Scripture gives us some clues on what to pray for help in commitment.
God wants us to imitate Jesus by growing spiritually.
Spiritual growth involves an active interest in the Word of God. Jesus returned to Nazareth with
His parents grew and was filled with wisdom (Luke 2:40; Luke 2:52). 90
Jesus grew physically stronger. Intellectually and spiritually He grew in wisdom and the grace
of God was on Him. The references to God’s grace and favor do not mean His undeserved favor,
in the sense that the words are used for us sinners. Rather, it means that God’s special hand of
blessing was on Jesus in a way that was obvious to everyone. We are to grow in wisdom by
accepting God’s favor - grace - and studying the Scriptures. Spiritual growth takes time, but we
must hunger and thirst after wisdom by setting aside some of the “normal” things that we like to
do so that we can learn the Scriptures. “What are we doing to grow in the things of God?” Do
we have regular times in His Word and in prayer? Are we reading solid books that instruct us in
the faith? Do we engage in spiritual discussions with other like-minded believers?
88
Thomas Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, J.M. Lelen, ed. (Milwaukee, WI: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1949). p. 17.
89
Thomas Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, J.M. Lelen, ed. (Milwaukee, WI: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1949). pp.
17-19.
90
It is interesting to see a parallel in the growth of the prophet Samuel as a child: Then Elkanah went home to Ramah.
And the boy [Samuel] ministered to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest. ... And the young man Samuel grew in the
presence of the Lord (1 Samuel 2:11, 21, 26; 3:1, 19-20).
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Spiritual growth should be focused in two directions - toward God and toward others. These
directions reflect the two great commandments, which are summaries of the two tables of the
Ten Commandments, to love God with your total being, and to love your neighbor as yourself
(Matthew 22:37-39/ESV; c.f. Luke 10:25-28; Exodus 20:5-6; Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18)
We are not to love other “gods” (Exodus 20:5-6; Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18).
We pray to become more like Jesus. Imitating Jesus is tough, because He is God. We can
imitate Him weakly in some respects only with His grace to do so. 91
We imitate Jesus in routine faithfulness. We are to be faithful to and obey Jesus as He also obeyed
the Father (John 15:9-10; 13:15; 1 John 2:6).
We imitate Jesus’ commitment to His Father’s purpose (Matthew 10:37.) Jesus saved us for a
purpose, and gave us the gifts necessary to spend our lives serving and glorifying Him. We lkive
for Jesus. Although we are not all called to be pastors or to go to a foreign culture with the gospel,
each of us is called to serve God in some capacity. If we have no sense of mission and are not
engaged in fulfilling that mission, we are probably living for ourselves. The Bible calls us to no
longer live for ourselves, but for Him who died and rose on our behalf ((2 Corinthians 5:15).
We imitate Jesus by many attitudes and actions. Thomas à Kempis grouped them as follows:
thoughts helpful in the life of the soul, the interior life, internal consolation, and taking the
Sacrament. Some of the attitudes and actions noted by Thomas à Kempis are listed below: 92
Having a humble opinion of ourselves
Living in the truth of Jesus’ teachings
Not acting rashly or to clinging obstinately to personal opinions
Not believing everything people say
Not gossiping
Asking advice from wise and conscientious people (i.e., our Pastors) rather than following our
own inclinations
Reading and studying the Holy Scriptures
Resisting compulsions and not satisfying every taste
Avoiding false hope and pride - trusting only Jesus
Avoiding improper familiarity with others
Living in obedience and subjection to the Word of God
Loving Jesus above all things
Appreciating God’s grace
Being patient in our fight against the “old Adam”
Being patient in suffering
God wants us to be interested in what interests Him.
God searches our hearts and knows and approves of what the Holy Spirit desires, that is what the
Spirit makes the saints to desire; what is in conformity with the Divine will. We should imitate
Jesus in our unswerving commitment to God’s purpose above all else (Matthew 26:39; 1 Peter
2:15).
91
Steven J. Cole, “Imitating Jesus (Luke 2:39-52)”, Bible.org. Accessed July 26, 2017, https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-
10-imitating-jesus-luke-239-52.
92
Thomas Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, J.M. Lelen, ed. (Milwaukee, WI: The Bruce Publishing Company, 1949). This
is a summary of the main thoughts from The Imitation of Christ.
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God wants us to watch and pray.
The secret of victory over sin and the devil is to watch and pray. When we do not do this, we
become frustrated, defeated, and angry (Mark 13:33; Luke 21:36).
God wants us to trust and obey.
Trusting the Lord makes obedience easier, and obedience produces ever-increasing trust. Each
of us at one time or another has faced a challenge that was difficult or perplexing. So, we know
how important these two commands are. When the Lord calls us to a task that seems
unreasonable, we have two options. We can obey Him even though we do not understand what
will happen, or we can become fearful and attempt to find a way out. Remember the fellow with
the one talent? (Matthew 25:24-3).
God wants our prayer to be faith in action.
We have the ability to choose as we wish between different possibilities presented to us amid the
circumstances of temporal life. While we are free to choose among temporal issues, one thing
human nature can never do is choose the motivation of its actions. In the final analysis, all
motivation is governed either by the Spirit of God or by the evil spirit (Mark 9:14-29; James 1:5-
7; James 2:1).
God wants us to pray boldly.
We are to be assertive and persistent in our prayer. Paul explained the nature of faith using three
words: boldness, access, and confidence (Psalm 25:5-8; Luke 18:1-8; Ephesians 3:11-12;
Hebrews 4:16).
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Related Readings
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Related Readings - The “Three Sevens” of the Gospel of John

Regarding “I Am” Sayings, Discourses, and Signs (Miracles)
Unlike the authors of the synoptic gospels, John wrote with both theological and sacramental
symbolism. He used images like bread, light, sheep, water and world to provide rich substance
for meditation. John presented no parables and relatively few stories of healings. Instead, he
recorded several long discourses of Jesus which are loaded with theological content.
Commentators over the years have seen the Gospel of John in terms of “three sevens”. They are
the seven “I am” statements, the seven signs (i.e., miracles), and seven discourses. This paper is
a discussion of the seven “I am” statements, some of which are parts of the seven discourses.
Here, for general information is a list of the “three sevens”.
Seven “I Am” Sayings
1 “I am the Bread of Life,” (John 6)
2 “I am the Light of the World” (John 8)
3 “I am the Door” (John 10)
4 “I am the Good Shepherd” (John 10)
5 “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11)
6 “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14)
7 “I am the Vine” (John 15)
Seven Discourses
1 The New Birth (John 3)
2 The Water of Life (John 4)
3 The Divine Son (John 5)
4 The Bread of Life (John 6)
5 The Life-Giving Spirit (John 7)
6 The Light of the World (John 8)
7 The Good Shepherd (John 10)
Seven Signs (Miracles)
1 Water into Wine at the Wedding in Cana (John 2)
2 Healing of Official’s Son (John 4)
3 Healing of the Lame Man at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5)
4 Feeding of the Five Thousand (John 6)
5 Walking on Water (John 6)
6 Healing of the Man Born Blind (John 9)
7 Raising of Lazarus (John 11)
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Image “Children of God, Truth, and Freedom” composite from:
https://outin2thedeep.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/children-of-god-5.jpg;
http://www.plausibletruths.com/uploads/2/7/6/9/27698897/5343466_orig.jpg; http://faithsmessenger.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/02/freedom1.jpg
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Related Readings - Children of God, Truth, and Freedom

John 8:31-59 records how Jesus was teaching His audience that they should claim to be the
children of God rather than only those of Abraham; that just because they are descendants of
Abraham did not mean that they were truly children of Abraham or of Abraham’s God. Now, as
then, Jesus wants us to understand the truth by believing Him, because He is the truth. His
words “to the Jews who had believed in him” may have indicated that He was speaking to those
who had already accepted Him, some of whom later rejected Him. That could remind us of His
explanation of the parable about the seed sown on rocky ground. That explanation and the
situation of His audience illustrate for us that it is far easier to come to Jesus than to stay with
Him (i.e., “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and
the truth will set you free” - John 8:31/ESV). In Matthew 13:20-21; Mark 4:16-17; and Luke 8:6
Jesus tells us the parable of the sower and talked about weak faith that falls on rocky ground.
(Matthew 13:20-21).
John 8:31-59 records Jesus’ teaching that we do not know the truth in order to believe, but rather
we believe in Him in order to know the truth. Faith is believing what we do not see as reflected
in the following verses:
God told us through Isaiah that we cannot know Him and His plans (Isaiah 40:27-28).
God told us through Isaiah that we cannot know His plans with our physical senses, but must wait
on His pleasure (Isaiah 64:4).
Paul later quoted Isaiah 64:4 (1 Corinthians 2:9).
The author of Hebrews elaborated on the nature of faith - that faith is believing what we do not seen
(Hebrews 11:1).
Truth brings freedom. Freedom is a most precious possession.
Every creature desires and enjoys its freedom. Bind an animal
and confine it to one place and it will howl to be set free. We
humans are not different. We do not want our liberties to be
tampered with. If we walk in truth and worship in truth, we have
nothing to fear. We shall be free people in the Lord. Only the
truth of God can make us free. The truth leads to our
sanctification - setting ourselves apart for God and His service. 94
Jesus prayed: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
(John 17:17/ESV) Jesus Himself is the personification of truth. (See the section on “The Way,
The Truth, and the Life”.)
94
There is a difference between sanctification and justification. Justification is a judicial act of God which consists of non-
imputation of sin and imputation of Christ’s righteousness. Justification by Jesus’ work is the characteristic that sets Christianity
apart from all other religions. Sanctification in a wide sense, includes all effects of God’s Word in man. In a narrow sense,
sanctification is the spiritual growth that follows justification. By God’s grace a Christian cooperates in this work; through the
Holy Spirit’s work faith is increased daily, love strengthened, and the image of God renewed. A believer’s good works are not
perfect; but sins of weakness are forgiven. Sanctification differs in the same Christian at different times. (Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod, The Christian Cyclopedia and Concordia Journal Archives, “Dr. C. F. W. Walther as Theologian (Part 1)” Dr.
Francis Pieper, “Dr. C. F. W. Walther as Theologian (Part 1)”. Concordia Journal Archives. John Theodore Mueller, trans.
Accessed July 26, 2017. http://concordiatheology.org/2011/10/dr-c-f-w-walther-as-theologian-part-1/. Christian Cyclopedia.
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. “Justification” and “Sanctification”. Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/display.asp?t1=J&t2=u.
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Independence of love for material brings freedom. Jesus taught us to be free by not storing up
wealth in this world but to store it up in heaven. “To be fully free, we must have the desire, the
ability, and the opportunity to do what will make us happy forever. No regrets. And only Jesus,
the Son of God who died and rose for us, can make that possible.” 95
Freedom removes fear. “The promises of God’s grace provide the power that makes the
demands of God’s holiness an experience of freedom rather than fear. Peter described the
freeing power of God’s promises like this: 96
Through [His precious and very great promises] we may become partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire (2 Peter 1:4).
There are two kinds of freedom. The first kind of freedom is the false one of false disciples who
want freedom to gratify their personal desires. The second type of freedom is the true one of
genuine disciples who remain faithful and obedient to God’s Word, endure hardships that come
their way, and grow stronger in faith as time passes. 97
“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose …” The idea of freedom also brings to mind
this line from a once popular song “Me and Bobby McGee” 98
95
John Piper, “The Only True Freedom”, Solid Joys Accessed July 26, 2017,
http://solidjoys.desiringgod.org/en/devotionals/the-only-true-freedom.
96
John Piper, “The Power of a Superior Promise”, Solid Joys, Accessed July 26, 2017,
http://solidjoys.desiringgod.org/en/devotionals/the-power-of-a-superior-promise.
97
Martin Luther, “True Freedom and False Freedom”, Martin Luther, Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional, James C. Galvin,
ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005) October 11.
98
Kris Kristofferson, “Me and Bobby McGee”, Kris Kristofferson Lyrics, Accessed august 5, 2017,
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kriskristofferson/meandbobbymcgee.html.
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Related Readings - Bread and Bethlehem

Note the prophecy of Micah 5:2 that is often cited as pointing to the Messiah, Jesus, being born
in Bethlehem.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall
come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient
days. (Micah 5:2/ESV)
Bethlehem is often not thought of as pointing to the Messiah as
the Bread of Life. Jesus birthplace, Bethlehem, means literally
“house of bread”. Also, the prophecy in Micah 5:2, refers to
Bethlehem Ephrathah which is in the Southern part of Israel, in
Judah. Micah was being very precise on which Bethlehem he
was speaking of. There is another town also called Bethlehem,
not Ephrathah, in the Northern part of Israel. The name
Ephrathah means “fruitful” or “fruitfulness”. Jesus’
Resurrection was on the Feast of First Fruits that could remind us of His birthplace. 99
Just as the Law obliged Israel to offer God the best of everything including their firstborn, so
God offered His only begotten Son as the sacrifice to remit our sins. See the following verses to
read about the sacrificing of first fruits, the Feast of the first fruits, Jesus’ statement about
abiding in Him to bear fruit, and the Apostle Paul’s recognition of Jesus as our first fruits.
God commanded Israel to offer the best as sacrifices (Exodus 22:29).
God commanded Israel when to celebrating the first fruits of their harvest (Exodus 23:16).
Jesus said that we bear spiritual fruit when we abide in Him (John 15:5).
Paul recognized Jesus as the First fruits first spoken of in the Law of Moses (1 Corinthians 15:20,
23).
Other historical facts about Bethlehem illustrate that the town of Bethlehem figured prominently
in Jesus’ ancestry. Although Bethlehem was overshadowed by other more prestigious places, its
Old Testament prominence is primarily the result of its association with David, as well as being
the predicted birthplace of the Messiah. Jacob’s wife Rachel died and was buried there (Genesis
35:19 and Genesis 48:7). Ruth’s mother was from Bethlehem, and Ruth went to stay with her
and eventually married Boaz (Ruth 1:1-4, 8, 16-19). Bethlehem was the birthplace of Israel’s
first two kings, Saul and David (1 Samuel 9:1-2, 16; 10:1). We know of David’s birthplace from
the location of his parental home (1 Samuel 16:4, 10-13) and from the Gospels (Luke 2:11).
Samuel anointed David in David’s hometown of Bethlehem as king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:4, 10-
13). Jesus was born at Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4-7). See Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke
3:23-38 for Jesus’ genealogies.
99
Image “House of Bread” from http://www.iamonetruth.com/sitebuilder/images/__house-of-bread-copy-314x223.jpg.
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Related Readings - About Shepherds

The illustration of a shepherd with his sheep was used often in biblical times, because it was an
illustration of leadership that people could easily identify with in their cultural context. Sheep
cannot be responsible for themselves. Owners hire shepherds for care for them. A Shepherd’s
job is to accept responsibility for the safety and well being of his flock. Most shepherds only
take that to the point where it would threaten their personal safety, rightly deciding that their life
is worth more than that of a sheep. A few would be willing to risk their lives to protect their
sheep, but our Shepherd knowingly and willingly died to save us, because there was no other
way. Jesus also told the parable of the shepherd who loves his sheep (Matthew 18:10-14 and
Luke 15:1-7). Matthew is quoted here:
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones [children]. For I tell you that in heaven their
angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. What do you think? If a man has a
hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the
mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he
rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my
Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:10-14/ESV)
Shepherding was all about feeding the lambs and the sheep,
bringing them to good pasture lands and water, grooming and
clipping them, delivering new lambs, leading them and teaching
them to stay together, going off after the wandering lost ones,
and protecting the sheep in the field and in the fold.
Jesus made the following statements metaphorically about the
Good Shepherd, relating to a contemporary experience of His
hearers about shepherds: 100
“When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and
the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they
will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not
know the voice of strangers. “ (John 10:4-5/ESV)
The Intersect newsletter recently carried an article about the sheep knowing their shepherd in
modern history. The newsletter has a story about a modern experience with the sheep and
shepherd knowing each other.
During the Palestinian uprising in the late 1980s the Israeli army decided to punish a village near
Bethlehem for not paying its taxes (which, the village claimed, simply financed their occupation).
The officer in command rounded up all of the village animals and placed them in a large barbed-
wire pen. Later in the week he was approached by a woman who begged him to release her flock,
arguing that since her husband was dead, the animals were her only source of livelihood. He
pointed to the pen containing hundreds of animals and humorously quipped that it was impossible
because he couldn’t find her animals. She asked that if she could in fact separate them herself,
would he be willing to let her take them? He agreed. A soldier opened the gate and the woman’s
son produced a small reed flute. He played a simple tune again and again, and soon sheep heads
100
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began popping up across the pen. The young boy continued his music and walked home, followed
by his flock of twenty-five sheep. 101
101
Gary Burge, as published in “Learning the Good Shepherd’s Tune: A guide for daily scripture reading”, Intersect,
Community Reflection on Faith and Culture, Accessed July 26, 2017, http://prushton.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/learning-the-
good-shepherds-tune-a-guide-for-daily-scripture-reading/. . Used by permission of Dr. Gary Burge.
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Related Readings - The Evil Shepherds in Old Testament Scripture

- Thirty Pieces of Silver
Zechariah’s prophecy (Zechariah 11:3-17) pointed to the bad
shepherds that the Messiah would face, and also pointed to the price to
be paid for the Messiah’s, Jesus’, betrayal. The reference to the thirty
pieces of silver and the potter’s field are strikingly similar to the
Gospel narratives of Jesus’ betrayal. They are examples of how
predictive prophecy continues to amaze us. The following quotes
describe the New Testament event toward which Jeremiah’s and
Zechariah’s prophecies pointed. 102
Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, returned the thirty pieces of silver and committed
suicide (Matthew 26:14-15; 27:3-10; c.f., ,Jeremiah 32:6-10).
103
Perhaps there is a metaphor embedded in this story. Judas owned inside information about
Jesus’ movements and was paid thirty pieces of silver for Jesus’ death, thereby breaking his
brotherhood with Him. With a stretch of the imagination, that could be related to the Law
regarding an animal causing a human death:
If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver,
and the ox shall be stoned. (Exodus 21:32/ESV)
102
Image “Judas” from https://commonmansbiblejourney.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/judas-30-pieces-of-silver.jpg.
103
Image “Silver Shekel” from http://www.forumancientcoins.com/Coins2/85156p00.jpg. No images of coins minted by
Herod have been found. This is a silver shekel minted at Tyre from 165 BC to 66 AD. The obverse shows the head of the
Phoenician god Melkart. The reverse shows an eagle. We do not know whether the Pharisees paid Judas in Roman or Jewish
Temple currency. Numismatists believe that the head of Melkart on the obverse and the eagle on the reverse did not meet with
the approval of most of their users, but at times observers of the Law declared these shekels to be the only legal currency
acceptable in the Temple, since the designs appearing on them did not interrupt or cancel their validity.
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Related Readings - The Christian Distinctive

Christianity differs from other religions in at least seven ways. 104
It claims to be universal for all nations and all times )Matthew 28:18-20).
It has a proselytizing character aiming to become universal. Every Christian is under obligation to
extend his religion, because Christ commands it, and because it reveals the only way of salvation
(Matthew 28:18-20; c.f., Daniel 7:13-14 and John 14:6).
It rests on an historical basis. It has a redemptive character. Christianity rests absolutely on the life,
death, and work of Jesus. See the Gospels.
Jesus is the revealer of God to men. He is the only bond of union between men and God (John 14:9-
11).
Every other religion teaches us to earn our way to God. Christianity is the only religion that
teaches that God came to us (John 3:16-17).
Other religions have systems of rules to appease their god. Christianity is a relationship with God
(John 15:4-5).
No other religion has an empty tomb. Only Christians follow a leader who died and came back to
life (Matthew 28:5-7).
Christianity makes God’s love for us the cornerstone of theology, and our love of God, through
Christ, the corner stone of ethics (Matthew 22:36-40; c.f., Deuteronomy; Leviticus; John; and
Mark; c.f., Psalms).
104
Christianity and Judaism are the only two God-revealed religions.
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Descriptions and Biographies of Sources Mentioned in the Paper
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Name Biography/Description
Alcorn Randy Randy Alcorn (born 1954) is an American Protestant author and director of Eternal
Perspective Ministries, a non-profit Christian organization dedicated to teaching an eternal
viewpoint and helping the needy of the world. He has written several novels, including
Deadline, Dominion, and Deception. He received a Gold Medallion Book Award in 2003
for his novel Safely Home. He has also written a number of non-fiction books, including
Heaven, The Purity Principle, and The Treasure Principle. Eternal Perspective Ministries
owns the royalties to his books and 100 percent of them are given away to support
missions, famine relief, pro-life work, and other ministries.
Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo (354-430) was born on 13 November, 354 at Tagaste, now Souk-
Ahras, about 60 miles from Bona (ancient Hippo-Regius), which was at that time a small
free city of proconsular Numidia which had recently been converted from Donatism.
Although eminently respectable, his family was not rich, and his father, Patricius, one of
the curiales of the city, was still a pagan. However, the admirable virtues that made
Monica, Augustine’s mother, the ideal of Christian mothers at length brought her
husband the grace of baptism and of a holy death, about the year 371. He lost his faith
and later converted back to Christianity. At forty-two, became a bishop and occupied the
See of Hippo for thirty-four years. He understood well how to combine the exercise of his
pastoral duties with the austerities of the religious life, and although he left his order, his
episcopal residence became a monastery where he lived a community life with his clergy,
who bound themselves to observe religious poverty. The episcopal house of Hippo
became a veritable nursery which supplied the founders of the monasteries that were soon
spread all over Africa and the bishops who occupied the neighboring sees. Augustine
earned the title of Patriarch of the religious, and renovator of the clerical, life in Africa.
Christian Cyclopedia. The Christian Cyclopedia was originally published in print editions by Concordia
Publishing House, St. Louis, MO USA. It has served thousands of students, church
professionals, and lay persons as a one-volume compendium of historical and theological
data, ranging from ancient figures to contemporary events. Now Concordia Publishing
House presents the electronic edition of Christian Cyclopedia as a gift to the Church to the
glory of the triune God. The Internet version is produced by The Lutheran Church -
Missouri Synod. It allows easy access to the names and terms of significant people,
places, ideas, and institutions in church hand secular history.
Chytraeus, David David Chytraeus (1530-600) was a German Lutheran theologian and historian. His real
surname was Kochhafe, which he transliterated into Classical Greek and Latin as the
pseudonym “Chyträus”. Not long after Luther’s death in 1546, the Lutheran Church was
already in trouble. In 1548, Philipp Melanchthon drew up the Leipzig Interim, which
watered down Lutheran theology in order to make peace with the Roman Church. The
“sola fide” was even omitted from the article on justification. Even before Luther’s death,
Melanchthon had altered the Augsburg Confession (1540). He continued to modify it
throughout his life, ever more compromising the truths of Scripture. David Chytraeus,
along with such theologians as Martin Chemnitz and Jakob Andreae embraced what they
could of Melanchthon’s peaceful spirit, but never at the expense of the truths of Scripture.
Today Chytraeus is unfortunately one of the least known members of this party, despite
being one of the most well-known at that time. His most lasting impression on the
Lutheran Church was his involvement with the Formula of Concord in its final stages
until it became our present-day Formula of Concord. He thought this latter book was
worded too strongly in places, but nevertheless considered it an orthodox document and
signed it as one of the six theologian co-authors.
Cole, Steven J. Steven J. Cole Since May, 1992 was the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship,
Flagstaff, Arizona. It is a Baptist church near Northern Arizona University. From 1977-
1992 he pastored Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. Graduated
from Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M., 1976) and California State University, Long
Beach (B.A., philosophy, 1968). There are over 21 years’ worth of expository sermon
manuscripts and audio sermons on the church web site.
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Constable, Thomas Dr. Thomas Constable is the founder of Dallas Seminary’s Field Education department
(1970) and the Center for Biblical Studies (1973), both of which he directed for many
years before assuming other responsibilities. Today Dr. Constable maintains an active
academic, pulpit supply, and conference-speaking ministry around the world. He has
ministered in nearly three dozen countries and written commentaries on every book of the
Bible. Dr. Constable also founded a church, pastored it for twelve years, and has served
as one of its elders for over thirty years.
Desiring God Desiring God is a Web site that exists to say: God’s ultimate goal is to glorify Himself.
And that’s good news. Desiring God is a resource ministry of Bethlehem Baptist Church
in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Everything the ministry does aims to spread a passion for the
supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. Most of
their resources and products are by pastor and author John Piper.
Gill, John John Gill (1697-1771) was an English Baptist pastor, biblical scholar, and theologian who
held to a firm Calvinistic soteriology. Born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, he attended
Kettering Grammar School where he mastered the Latin classics and learned Greek by age
11. He continued self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew, his love for the latter
remaining throughout his life.
Henry, Matthew Matthew Henry (1662-1714) was an English commentator on the Bible and Presbyterian
minister. He was born at Broad Oak, a farmhouse on the borders of Flintshire and
Shropshire. His father, Philip Henry, had just been ejected under the Act of Uniformity
1662. Unlike most of his fellow-sufferers, Philip possessed some private means, and was
thus able to give his son a good education. Matthew went first to a school at Islington, and
then to Gray’s Inn. He soon gave up his legal studies for theology, and in 1687 became
minister of a Presbyterian congregation at Chester. He moved again in 1712 to Mare
Street, Hackney. Two years later (22 June 1714), he died suddenly of apoplexy at the
Queen’s Aid House (41 High Street) in Nantwich while on a journey from Chester to
London.
Hilary of Poitiers Hilary (Hilarius) of Poitiers (beginning of the fourth century - 13 January, 368) was
Bishop of Poitiers and is a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the
“Hammer of the Arians” and the “Athanasius of the West”. His name comes from the
Latin word for happy or cheerful. Belonging to a noble and very probably pagan family,
he was instructed in all the branches of profane learning, but, having also taken up the
study of Holy Scripture and finding there the truth which he sought so ardently, he
renounced idolatry and was baptized. Thenceforth his wide learning and his zeal for the
Faith attracted such attention that he was chosen about 350 to govern the body of the
faithful which the city had possessed since the third century. We know nothing of the
bishops who governed this society in the beginning. Hilary is the first concerning whom
we have authentic information, and this is due to the important part he played in opposing
heresy. Arianism had made frightful ravages in various regions and threatened to invade
Gaul, where it already had numerous partisans more or less secretly affiliated with it.
Saturninus, Bishop of Arles, the most active of the latter, being exposed by Hilary,
convened and presided over a council at Béziers in 356 with the intention of justifying
himself, or rather of establishing his false doctrine. Here the Bishop of Poitiers
courageously presented himself to defend orthodoxy, but the council, composed for the
most part of Arians, refused to hear him, and being shortly afterwards denounced to the
Emperor Constantius, the protector of Arianism, he was at his command transported to the
distant coasts of Phrygia.
Jewish Publication The Jewish Publication Society is the oldest publisher of Jewish books in the United
Society States. Their roots go back to before the Civil War, and their charter to 1888 in
Philadelphia. Their legacy includes two acclaimed translations of the Hebrew Bible (the
JPS Tanakh), esteemed biblical commentary, and over 120 years of scholarly and popular
works of history, philosophy, and literature that have stood the test of time.
Judaism 101 Judaism 101 is an online encyclopedia of Judaism, covering Jewish beliefs, people,
places, things, language, scripture, holidays, practices and customs from an Orthodox
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point of view. Their goal is to make freely available a wide variety of basic, general
information about Judaism, written from a traditional perspective in plain English.
Judaism 101 is updated periodically.
Just, Felix S.J. Felix Just, S.J., a member of the California Province of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits),
is President and Executive Director of the Loyola Institute for Spirituality in Orange, CA.
After receiving his Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Yale University, he taught at
Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), the University of San Francisco, and Santa
Clara University. He also served several years as the Director of Biblical Education at
LIS and as Dean of the Lay Ecclesial Ministry and Deacon Formation programs of the
Diocese of Las Vegas. He still regularly teaches courses for LMU Extension, the
“Ecclesia” program of Mount St. Mary’s College (Los Angeles), and the Catholic Bible
Institutes of several dioceses in California. He gives many public lectures on a wide
variety of biblical and liturgical topics, and often leads biblically-based days of prayer,
parish missions, and weekend or week-long retreats. He is webmaster for the Catholic
Biblical Association of America, and also maintains his own large internationally
recognized website of “Catholic Resources”.
Kempis, Thomas Thomas à Kempis, CRSA (c. 1380-1471) was a German who became a canon regular in
the Netherlands and authored The Imitation of Christ, one of the most popular and best
known Christian books on devotion. His name means Thomas “of Kempen”, his
hometown, and in German he is known as Thomas von Kempen. He spent his time
between devotional exercises, composition, and copying. He copied the Bible no fewer
than four times, one of the copies being preserved at Darmstadt, Germany in five
volumes. In its teachings he was widely read and his works abound in Biblical quotations,
especially from the New Testament. He later instructed novices, and in that capacity
wrote four booklets between 1420 and 1427, later collected and named after the title of the
first chapter of the first booklet: The Imitation of Christ.
Leo the Great Leo the Great (Pope Leo I) (ca. 400-461) was the head of the Catholic Church from 29
September 440 to his death in 461. He was an Italian aristocrat, and was the first pope to
have been called “the Great”. He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in
452 and persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy. He is also most
remembered theologically for issuing the Tome of Leo, a document which was
foundational to the debates of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon. The Council of
Chalcedon, the fourth ecumenical council, dealt primarily with Christology, and
elucidated the orthodox definition of Christ’s being as the hypostatic union of two natures
- divine and human - united in one person, “with neither confusion nor division”. Leo,
next to Gregory I (“the Great”), is the most significant and important in Christian
antiquity. At a time when the Church was experiencing the greatest obstacles to her
progress in consequence of the hastening disintegration of the Western Empire, while the
Orient was profoundly agitated over dogmatic controversies, Leo, with far-seeing sagacity
and powerful hand, guided the destiny of the Universal Church.
Lewis, C.S. Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) was born in Belfast, Ireland, on November 29, 1898, to
Albert J. Lewis and Florence Augusta Hamilton Lewis. On May 20, 1925, Lewis was
appointed Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University, where he served
for twenty-nine years until 1954. During his time at Oxford, Lewis went from being an
atheist to being one of the most influential Christian writers of the 20th century. 1931 was
the year of Lewis’s conversion to Christianity. He became a member of the Church of
England. Lewis cited his friendship with J. R. R. Tolkien, as well as the writings of the
converted G. K. Chesterton, as influencing his conversion.
Luther, Martin Martin Luther was (1483-1546) was the second son born to Hans and Margarete
(Lindemann) Luther. He later entered the Augustinian Monastery at Erfurt. In 1513, he
began his first lectures on the Psalms. In these lectures, Luther’s critique of the theological
world around him began to take shape. Later, in lectures on Paul’s Epistle to the Romans
(in 1515/16) his critique became more noticeable. It was during these lectures that Luther
finally found the assurance that had evaded him for years. The discovery that changed
Luther’s life ultimately changed the course of Church history and the history of Europe.
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He had recovered the doctrine of justification by grace alone.
Murray, Andrew Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was a South African writer, teacher, and Christian pastor.
He was the child of a missionary of the Dutch Reformed Church sent from Scotland to
South Africa. He and his brother were both sent to Scotland to be educated, and then they
both went on to study theology at the University of Utrecht. He thereafter carried on
missionary work in South Africa and authored 240 books. Murray considered missions to
be the chief end of the church.
New Advent New Advent is the Web site that hosts the Catholic Encyclopedia, the Fathers of the
Church (the works of the Church Fathers), and many more related resources.
Pieper, Francis, Dr. Franz August Otto Pieper (1852-1931) was a Confessional Lutheran theologian. He was
born at Karwitz, Pomerania and died in St. Louis, MO. After studying at the gymnasium
of Kolberg, Pomerania, he emigrated to the United States in 1870. He graduated from
Northwestern College in Watertown, Wisconsin in 1872 and from Concordia Seminary in
St. Louis in 1875. He was a Lutheran pastor from 1875 to 1878, serving first at
Centerville, Wisconsin and then at Manitowoc, Wisconsin. He became a professor of
theology at Concordia Seminary in 1878, and in 1887 he became president of the same
institution. He also served as editor of Lehre und Wehre, the faculty journal of Concordia
Seminary. From 1882 to 1899, he served on the Board of Colored Missions for the
Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America. He then served as the
fourth president of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other
States (Missouri Synod) from 1899 to 1911. As a systematic theologian, his magnum
opus, Christliche Dogmatik, provided the modern world with a learned and extensive
presentation of orthodox Lutheran theology. Translated into English as Christian
Dogmatics (1950-1953), it continues to be the basic textbook of doctrinal theology in
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. He was also the main author of the Missouri Synod's
“A Brief Statement of 1932,” an authoritative presentation of that church body's doctrinal
stance.
Piper, John John Stephen Piper (born 1946) is a Calvinistic Baptist Christian preacher and author
currently serving as Pastor for Preaching and Vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church in
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Richards, E. Randolph E. Randolph Richards (M.Div. and Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is
dean of the School of Ministry and professor of biblical studies at Palm Beach Atlantic
University in West Palm Beach, Florida. He has frequently served as an interim or
“supply” pastor, and from 1988 to 1996 he was a missionary with the International
Mission Board, SBC, stationed in East Indonesia. His scholarly articles have appeared in
many theological journals. He is coauthor of Discovering Paul: An Introduction to His
World, Letters and Theology and The Story of Israel: A Biblical Theology. He is the
author of Paul and First-Century Letter Writing and The Secretary in the Letters of Paul
in the Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament series.
Spurgeon, Charles H. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) was England’s best-known preacher for most of
the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion,
Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London’s famed New Park Street Church
(formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian John Gill). The congregation quickly
outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues
Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000 - all in the days
before electronic amplification. In 1861 the congregation moved permanently to the
newly constructed Metropolitan Tabernacle. Spurgeon’s printed works are voluminous,
and those provided here are only a sampling of his best-known works, including his
magnum opus, The Treasury of David. Nearly all of Spurgeon’s printed works are still in
print.
Talbot School of The Talbot School of Theology is a theologically conservative, evangelical seminary in
Theology Southern California near Los Angeles. With almost a 60-year heritage of biblical fidelity,
the seminary couples solid evangelical scholarship with intentional character development
to prepare students for a lifetime of relevant, effective ministry. The seminary’s six
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master’s degree programs and three doctoral degree programs are led by a faculty of
nationally renowned, widely-published and actively engaged ministry leaders.
Walther, C. F. W. C. F. W. Walther (1811-1887) to Pastor Gottlob Heinrich Walther and his wife Johanna
Wilhelmina Zschenderlein. The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod was formed on 26
April 1847, and Walther served as its president from 1847 to 1850 and again from 1864 to
1878. The college was moved from Perry County to St. Louis in 1850 and developed into
Concordia Seminary. Walther became its first president and held this position until his
death in 1887. He also founded the St. Louis Lutheran Bible Society in 1853 and started
two important publications: Der Lutheraner (in 1844) and Lehre und Wehre (in 1855). He
was author of many books and periodical articles, among which the most noteworthy
Pastoral Theology, Church and Ministry and his classic treatise on “The Proper
Distinction Between Law and Gospel.” While holding synodical and seminary positions
as well as editing and publishing several periodicals, Walther was also the head pastor of
the four Saxon Lutheran congregations (called Gesammtgemeinde) in St. Louis (Trinity,
Holy Cross, Immanuel and Zion). In August 1855 Walther turned down an honorary
doctorate from the University of Goettingen, but he accepted a doctor of theology degree
from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, in 1877.
Waymeyer, Matt Matt Waymeyer is a regular contributor to Expository Thoughts (via
Biblestudytools.com). He is an Instructor in Bible Exposition and New Testament at The
Master’s Seminary, a Baptist institution, in Sun Valley, CA. He began teaching
hermeneutics at The Master’s Seminary in 2010 and joined the full-time faculty in 2011.
While a student at TMS, Matt taught English grammar at the seminary and served as a
pastoral-resident at Grace Community Church, where he was ordained by the elders in
2003. After graduating, Matt became the Pastor-Teacher of Community Bible Church in
Vista, California, where he served for seven years. During this time, he had opportunity
to travel overseas and teach at training centers in Albania and Russia. He is the author of
Revelation 20 and the Millennial Debate and A Biblical Critique of Infant Baptism, and
he is currently pursuing his Th.D. in systematic theology.
Young, Brad Bradford Humes Young, also known as Brad Young, is a professor of Biblical Literature
in Judeo Christian Studies at the Graduate Department of Oral Roberts University. He is
also founder and president of the Gospel Research Foundation, Inc. After receiving his
B.A. from ORU, Young departed Tulsa for Israel.
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Bibliography
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Alcorn, Randy. “How God Uses Stress for Our Good and His Glory.” Bible Study Tools. Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://www.crosswalkmail.com/ViewMessage.do?m=ozltfklltz&r=khtvhvsrrmvt&s=wvfnlzdsnfndjsywqmtktd
zjvqqjfgdtlly&a=view.
Augustine of Hippo. “Jesus Christ, the Mediator, is the Only Way of Safety.” The Confessions (Book VII), Chapter
18. Translated by Pilkington, J.G. Accessed July 26, 2017. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/110107.htm.
Augustine of Hippo. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Volume 7. Augustine, Homilies on the Gospel of
John, Tractate -XXXVI (John 8:15-18). Edited by Schaff, Philip. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers
Marketing, 2012. (And accessed October 7, 2017, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1701036.htm.)
Cambridge Dictionaries OnLine. “know.” Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/.
Christian Cyclopedia. Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. “Prophecy.” Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/.
Chytraeus, David. A Summary of the Christian Faith (1568). Translated by Dinda, Richard. Malone, TX:
Predestination Press, 2011.
Cole, Steven J. “Imitating Jesus (Luke 2:39-52).” Bible.org. Accessed July 26, 2017.
https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-10-imitating-jesus-luke-239-52.
Constable, Thomas. Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable. Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc.html.
ESV Gospel Transformation Bible. Edited by Chapell, Bryan. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013.
Gill, John. John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible. Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/.
Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise). Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-concise/.
Hilary of Poitiers, On the Trinity (Book VII). Translated by Watson, E.W. and Pullan, L. Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/330207.htm.
JPS Guide: The Jewish Bible. Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society, 2008.
Judaism 101. Accessed July 26, 2017. http://www.jewfaq.org/.
Just, Felix S.J., Ph.D. “I AM” Sayings in the Fourth Gospel.” catholic-resources.org. Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://catholic-resources.org/.
Kempis, Thomas. The Imitation of Christ. Edited by Lelen, J.M. Milwaukee, WI: The Bruce Publishing Company,
1949.
Kristofferson, Kris. “Me and Bobby McGee.” Kris Kristofferson Lyrics. Accessed august 5, 2017.
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kriskristofferson/meandbobbymcgee.html.
Leo the Great. Sermon 72. “The Cross is not only the mystery of salvation, but an example to follow.” Translated by
Feltoe, Charles Lett. Accessed July 26, 2017. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360372.htm.
Luther, Martin, Martin Luther, Faith Alone: A Daily Devotional. Edited by Galvin, James C. Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 2005.
Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works, American Edition, Volume 23, Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, Chapters 6-8,
Edited by Pelikan, Jaroslav and Lehman, Helmut T. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, 1987.
Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works, American Edition, Volume 24, Sermons on the Gospel of St. John, Chapters 14-16,
Edited by Pelikan, Jaroslav and Lehman, Helmut T. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, 1987.
Luther, Martin. Reading the Psalms with Luther. The Psalter for Individual Family Devotions with Introduction by
Martin Luther. Unidentified Editor and Translator. St. Louis, MO: Concordia, 2007.
Luther, Martin. The Small Catechism. Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church: German-Latin-English. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921. Accessed July 27, 2017.
http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php.
Merriam-Webster. Accessed July 26, 2017. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/.
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Murray, Andrew. “Become a Fruit-Bearing Christian.” Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://www.crosswalkmail.com/ViewMessage.do?m=icmygccmcd&r=cdhcdclggpch&s=rnjtrwcvtjtclvqkfbhyh
cwlnffljgchrrq&a=view.
Pieper, Francis, Dr. “Dr. C. F. W. Walther as Theologian (Part 1).” Concordia Journal Archives. Translated by
Mueller, John Theodore. Accessed July 26, 2017. http://concordiatheology.org/2011/10/dr-c-f-w-walther-as-
theologian-part-1/.
Piper, John. “Ammunition against Anxiety.” Desiring God. Accessed September 21, 2017.
Piper, John. “Learning to Abide in Christ.” Desiring God. Accessed September 21, 2017.
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/learning-to-abide-in-christ.
Piper, John. “Six Things It Means to Be in Christ Jesus.” Desiring God. Accessed September 27, 2017.
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/6-things-it-means-to-be-in-jesus.
Piper, John. “The Power of a Superior Promise.” Solid Joys. Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://solidjoys.desiringgod.org/en/devotionals/the-power-of-a-superior-promise.
Piper, John. “The Only True Freedom.” Solid Joys. Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://solidjoys.desiringgod.org/en/devotionals/the-only-true-freedom.
Richards, E. Randolph and O’Brien, Brandon J. “Are We Misreading Scripture?.” Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://www.crosswalkmail.com/ViewMessage.do?m=pyhhhvcjvm&r=wlfglgswwvgf&s=wvfnlzdsnfndjsywqm
tktdzjvqqjfgdtlly&a=view.
Slick, Matt. “Jesus’ Three Offices: Prophet, Priest, and King.” Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry.
Accessed July 27, 2017. https://carm.org/prophet-priest-king.
Slick, Matt. “John 8:58 and 10:30-33, ‘I am.’.” Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. Accessed July 26,
2017. http://carm.org/religious-movements/jehovahs-witnesses/john-858-and-1030-33-i-am.
Spurgeon, Charles H. The Treasury of David. Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/treasury-of-david/.
Vatican Radio, “To get to know Jesus we must pray to him, celebrate him and imitate him.” Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/05/16/pope_francis_pray_to_jesus,_celebrate_him_and_imitate_him/110
0565.
Waymeyer, Matt. “Did the OT Prophets Know What They Were Saying?” Accessed July 26, 2017.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/expository-thoughts/did-the-ot-prophets-know-what-they-were-
saying.html.
Young, Brad H. Jesus the Jewish Theologian. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011.
Jim MacGregor AMDG

Psalm 90:1-2: Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all
generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever
you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to
everlasting you are God.
“El Olam - The Everlasting God” image used by permission of Christianity Malaysia, christianitymalaysia.com/wp/word-
week-boss/.

The I Am Statements of Jesus 2019

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The I Am Statements of Jesus 2019

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The “I Am” Statements of Jesus

In the Gospel of John

Compare the Gospel narratives with Old

Learn what Jesus said with “I am”.

Learn what Jesus said means for us.

Gain insight into the impression Jesus

Learn how Jesus fulfilled the Old

Know Jesus better than we do now.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the

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Jesus Said “Before Abraham Was, I Am”

What Jesus Said Means for Us

The Meaning of “I Am”

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Jesus Said “I Am the Bread of Life”

Related Scripture - Miracle of Loaves of Bread

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What Jesus Said Means for Us

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The Bread of Life

Faith and Works

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About Earthly and Spiritual Food

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About Jesus’ Flesh and Blood

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No Follower to Lack Nourishment

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Thirst and Living Water

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Notes on “Glorified” and “Living Water”

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Bread and Bethlehem

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