An Invitation to Read: “I AM”

It was on the mountaintop that Moses had his first experience with God. Standing before the burning bush that could not be extinguished, Moses asks for a name. I AM. No beginning. No end. Eternal existence and sovereignty (Exodus 3:14). I AM that I AM. Yahweh, considered the most sacred name for God in the Old Testament. “Take off your shoes. The very ground is holy"…

It was no coincidence that Jesus used the same words to explain to His disciples who He was and why He came. I am the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Door, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Truth, the Vine. And in the Revelation to John and all Christians - I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning, the End. The First. The Last.

The examples Jesus used may not necessarily have the same meaning to us today. The implication they had for the culture of that time might seem to carry little weight in the computerized atmosphere of our daily experiences. In a time of connection, information, and instant response, what do we understand of the protection of the shepherd, the security of the door, the nourishment of the bread, or the importance of the vine? And yet, His words bring peace and assurance in the 21st-century world.

Mark records Jesus’ question to His disciples: “Who do people say that I am?” Their answers reflected the mindset of the people concerning Jesus—John the Baptist, Elijah, a prophet. “But,” He asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Like His followers of old, we too must decide. May we, like Simon Peter reply, “You are the Christ.”

Join us in the next weeks as we consider the “I Ams” of the scripture, realizing that our identity lies in our understanding of the One who reminds us, “Before Abraham was, I Am.”