6 Ways Jesus Shows us The Power of I AM

 

by Barbara Latta @barbaralatta 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, the chief priests and Pharisees came to arrest Jesus and brought a crowd with them. The King James Version uses the word band. Other versions state multitude or detachment. But the word is translated from the Latin speira (Strong’s 4686) and denotes a Roman military cohort of 600 men. This shows what a threat Jesus was to the religious establishment.

 But no matter how many they had with them; Jesus couldn’t have been taken had He not submitted. God’s Son could not be contained by humans.

 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, ‘Whom are you seeking?’ they answered Him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am He,’ And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground. (John 18:4-6)

 In these verses, the word “he” is in italics to denote it was added for clarification. What Jesus actually said was, “I AM.”

 Those two words caused over 600 men to fall backward, which included Judas, the betrayer.

 What He was saying to them was “I AM the one who created the world. I AM the one who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. I AM the one who delivered them out of Egypt. IAM who I AM.

 What is the deeper meaning of I AM? In His teachings Jesus gave us 6 word pictures to reveal what I AM means to our lives.

1.  I AM the bread of life (John 6:35)

The Hebrews were fed supernatural bread that met their physical needs for 40 years. This bread contained every nutrient a human body needed for health and sustenance. Once they entered the promised land and had opportunity to grow and harvest their own food, the manna ceased. That bread’s purpose ended.

 Jesus gives us spiritual nourishment that connects us to God. This provision is also supernatural but does not come to an end the way manna did. The bread from heaven continually feeds our souls and helps us grow closer to the Father.

 Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4).

 God’s Word can sustain us where physical food can’t.

 2. I AM the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). 

Sheep are dumb animals. They have no sense of direction or thoughts of danger until it is too late. They can wander away from the pasture where they are provided and cared for because their head is always down grazing on the grass. Once they are out of sight of the flock and the shepherd, they start bleating for help.

 How much is this like us sometimes? We graze in comfort without awareness of where we are going. It’s not that we aren’t thankful, we just may forget to acknowledge our blessings, or we don’t realize we have wandered away into the enemy’s field. Jesus, our good Shepherd, herds us back to the pasture of safety and provision. He puts the needs of the sheep above His own.

 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1)

3.  I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).

Religions the world over create doctrines that claim a way to God. They all involve performance. But there is only one true way to God. And it is through Jesus.

 If there were other ways to reach God, why would Jesus go through all the torture He endured? God could just tell us to choose a way to come to Him and His Son wouldn’t have to suffer for us.

 But that is why Christ came and was obedient unto death. Because there is no other way to be saved, no other way to reach God and have eternal life. The other invented religions are not paths to God, but man’s attempts through his own works to reach heaven. And works can’t get us there.

 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

4.  I AM the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25).

As humans, we have all experienced the loss of loved ones through death. We grieve because we no longer have the earthly relationship with them we had before. But as believers, we have the hope of the resurrection where we will be reunited with our friends and families and never be apart again. Our separation is temporary.

 Because Jesus rose from the dead, He defeated the power of death over us. Our bodies will perish, but we are merely changing addresses. Our spirits and souls will live forever in a resurrected state because Jesus was the first-born from the dead.

 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)

5.  I AM the Light of the World (John 8:12). 

My husband and I toured some caverns a few years ago. The stalactites and stalagmites were illuminated with multi-colored lights which reflected off the cave walls. But when the guide turned off all the lights, the inky darkness could be felt. Fear engulfed me until he flipped the lights back on.

Soul darkness does the same thing. It imprisons the victims and paralyzes people with fear. A hurting soul reaches out for anything they think will bring relief. But unless it is Christ’s freedom, the remedy they seek only causes more pain. God’s love through Christ shines on empty hearts and translates us out of the darkness of deceit.

 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. (Colossians 1:13)

6.  I AM the Vine (John 15:5). 

A gift of flowers is an appreciated expression of love or friendship. The bouquet soaks up water and the blooms remain fresh for a few days. But over time, the petals wilt and crumble. While the plants appear to be alive, the flowers died the day they were detached from the stems.

 If we do not stay attached to Christ, our Vine, our lives can reflect death. As born- again children, we don’t die again spiritually, but without nourishment from the Vine, the fruits we produce are the brittle petals of dead works, harmful words, and sinful actions.

 That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17)

 What does I AM mean to you? Are there other examples from these word pictures that you would like to share? Join the conversation.

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What power made 600 men fall backward in the Garden of Gethsemane when they tried to arrest Jesus? (click to tweet)