The Meek Rabbi who said 'I AM the Resurrection and the Life'

You can imagine a Galilee or Jerusalem headline saying something like the title. 

An evening spent with the Meek Rabbi who said 'I AM the Resurrection and the Life'.

How do we get our heads around this young Rabbi known as Jesus Christ?

What's He like? Is He humble? Gentle? Or arrogant, domineering? Well, He seemed gracious and gentle most of the time. But some of the things He said are hard to take.

I AM

John the disciple and apostle wrote down many things less noticed by the other Gospel writers. John's Gospel is the place to go for profound, deep, mysterious spiritual truths. 

In John, Jesus makes several unpredicated (i.e. 'straight off the bat') 'I AM' statements. See them with fresh eyes and they are utterly preposterous. Unless He was who He said He was of course!

And Jesus said unto them, I AM the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.                 

John 6:35

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.

John 8:12

Then Jesus spoke to them spoke again, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 8:58

I AM the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I AM the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

John 10:9-11

Jesus said unto her, I AM the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he be dead, yet he shall live: And whosoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to him, I AM the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but through me.

John 14:6

There are other 'I AM' statements in John. I've listed some which are particularly profound, they came direct from Heaven! It must've seemed perplexing. Who was this Man? Who did He think He was? The religious Jews hated Jesus, in part because of His 'I AM' statements. He was blaspheming.

Jesus was saying:

-He is the eternally satisfying food for our souls

-He had existed before Abraham, the Jewish patriarch born over 2000 years before 

-He is the one true light, allowing things to be seen as they really are

-He is the unique good shepherd, the one spoken of by David in Psalm 23.

-He is the door into the Kingdom of God

-He is Resurrection and Life. He was and is the very essence of eternal, resurrected life beyond this mortal life.

-He is the only way to God the Father, Creator of all. 

Each 'I AM' in the verses above in written in the original Greek texts as 'ego eimi'. (This was he language of formal recording, Jesus may have actually spoken Aramaic).

God introduced himself to Moses as 'I AM who I AM'. In Hebrew, Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh.* 

A rigorous Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament was made about 250 years before Christ. Known as the Septuagint, and commissioned by Ptolemy II, it was very likely known to the Jewish priesthood in Jerusalem in the time of Christ. The Septuagint scholars also used the Greek, 'ego eimi', for God's self-disclosure to Moses. So 'ego eimi' is used in all the John quotes above and also for the 'I AM', in Exodus 3v14.**

From this we can see that Jesus made outrageous statements about Himself, with very clear implications. He made unpredicated 'I AM'  statements using the same words God introduced Himself to Moses with!

The Meek One

Was Jesus puffed up with self-importance?

Come to me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus was gentle and compassionate, He was meek, humble. We are to be like Him.

..whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

1 John 2:6

So meekness is not grovelling. It is not low self-esteem. It is not self-loathing. But it is gentle, compassionate, understanding.

Jesus carried His Divinity in an unpretentious, straightforward, rested manner. He was devoid of pomposity and pretence. He was not 'full of Himself'.

Who We Are

Why say this? Jesus and the apostles make some very high statements about us; believers in and followers of Christ; those who are Born Again. I intend to look at some of them soon. First it's worth saying some are uncomfortable about making these declarations about themselves. But God has extended His family and His nature to include us. The virtue certainly did not come from within ourselves alone. 

It is tempting to try and sound 'humble' as a Christian. However, humility is simply a straightforward and accurate view of yourself. As someone said, it is not humility to say you are useless at Chess when you know full well you are brilliant at it. That is either low humour or setting up a cruel ambush.

We can have a very high view of ourselves, and yet be completely free of the charge of arrogance before God. (Man may still accuse us of arrogance!) Why? Because it is all about Christ in us! 

*    From this statement, theologians have derived the term 'aseity'. This is an attribute of the God who has an uncaused existence. He requires no justification, and has no derivation. He is not created.
God has inherent permanent indestructible existence. To attempt to evaluate Him from inside the Creation is futile, unless He chooses when and how to reveal Himself. He has. It is just that He has chosen how. He has done so supremely in Christ. Science by contrast attempts to evaluate God with an inadequate tool; human knowledge and reason). 
**     To be thorough, the Greek Septuagint uses 'I AM' only once in the translation of I AM who I AM, which it renders ‘ego eimi ho on’. The reason is not clear, it is an interpretative rendering. It is used again for the second part of the verse, where God tells Moses to say 'I AM' has sent you.

The language Jesus actually spoke in was probably Aramaic, Koine Greek was used by the writers.