Read:
The leaders of Israel were always asking, “Who is this man Jesus?” Jesus used lots of situations to show the people who he was.
The Israelites held a strong sense of identity as members of God’s chosen people who had descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Who had been enslaved in Egypt and led out by Moses. Who had conquered the Promised Land, and who had survived exile. This was a lineage deeply ingrained into their identity.
Jesus challenged this identity, declaring,
“Before Abraham was, I am!”
His use of the name “I am” is deliberate. It’s the same name God described himself by when Moses encountered him as a burning bush. In this exchange, God told Moses to lead the people out of Egypt. When Moses asked, “Who should I tell them sent me?” God said, “Tell them I AM sent you.”
Any Israelite would know of this story. And any Israelite would know the name “I Am.”
Jesus also loved to use common scenarios to help people understand who he is. One of his most well-known uses the image of a shepherd with his sheep. Jesus told them, “I am the Good Shepherd.” Not only were people generally familiar with what shepherds did, but these words would have brought to mind the Scriptures they all knew: “The LORD is my shepherd, I have all that I need.”
By using these words, Jesus is telling them he is God. I Am. The Good Shepherd.
Jesus tells us who he is in the Bible, but there’s also modern evidence we can look at to learn more about him and his time on earth. Check out The Evidence Podcast for a deep dive!
Pray: Dear God, I want to know you as you really are, not the way I think you should be. The leaders of Israel couldn’t understand, but I want to understand! Please open my eyes so I can see. Amen.