A Very Special "I Am” Of John’s Gospel – "Ego Eimi” – "I, I Am” – So Much Comfort In It – Part 1 Series

A VERY SPECIAL “I AM” OF JOHN’S GOSPEL – “EGO EIMI” – “I, I AM” – SO MUCH COMFORT IN IT – PART 1

SHORT INTRODUCTION

In John’s Gospel there are found very crucial sayings of the Lord Jesus all containing “I AM”. These relate to His Person and work and ministry. They are essential for our faith. So far, as have progressed in these great revelations, we have looked at “I am the way, the truth and the life,” and “I am the resurrection and the life,” and I am the Door and the Shepherd of the sheep.” The one for the current study is not so obvious, but is every bit important as the others.

This is all contained around the “I AM” itself and we take great comfort in that fact. John constantly brings out the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ and these “I AMs” are important in doing that. With that small introduction, let us continue with this next examination of these beautiful truths.

ALMIGHTY GOD IN THE MIDST OF THE WIND STORM

Let us open at John 6 and read verse 16 to 21. {{John 6:16 “Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea John 6:17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. John 6:18 The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. John 6:19 When therefore they had rowed about three or four miles, they beheld Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat and they were frightened, John 6:20 but He said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” John 6:21 They were willing therefore to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.”}}

You must note here in verse 20, the tense the Lord used. It is a present tense. The thing with this statement, “It is I”, is that if I say it right now, today, in the same way as the statement, “I am” – then the application to the immediate present is obvious, but if I say it tomorrow, then the application at that time is just as relevant to the present then, tomorrow. Jesus is the I AM through all of time and space.

The great comforting aspect of all this is the Greek that is used in the Gospel. The Greek translated as “It is I” is “e?µ? ???” (eimi ego). It means “I am - I”, or “I, I AM”. Now understand the picture in this event. The night was dark and the wind was howling. The disciples were afraid as they battled every inch of the way. Then Jesus came and was walking on water! No man can do that! He came and declared Himself to be the great I AM.

To a devout Jew the term “I AM” was powerful and clothed with awe and fearsomeness. It was the very presence of the living God! Their minds would go back to the incident in Exodus - {{Exodus 3:13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”}}

This is the One they knew about, the “Elohim” God, who had the encounter with Moses. The One who is the “I AM WHO I AM”, the Existent One, the All Powerful and All Present One is – this is the very same One who was standing before the disciples in the tossing boat and said to that fearful bunch, “I – I AM.” The whole creation would bow to that Name.

Did they grasp the dynamic significance of that? The very One who was the Creator of the universe in Genesis 1 – the One who spoke the universe into being – this is the One who could move them from the raging waters of the sea, to their destination on land IMMEDIATELY. Just like as in the twinkling of an eye. How mighty is that. The awesomeness of very God in their presence! The great I AM of the Old Testament is Jesus their Lord and Master!

There is a fantastic truth contained here as well. We are now as the disciples were - tossed about by the raging winds of the storm but it is the I AM, the Lord Jesus Christ who shall come to us, and immediately, in the twinkling of an eye, remove us from the sea to the land of His dwelling place. The “sea” in scripture in prophecy means the world, more specifically, the Gentile world. There we have it. Jesus shall come in the Rapture to remove us from our little “boats in the raging world” and take us to be with Him in the place of safety. That is, to His home in heaven. That is such a beautiful thing. What a magnificent type this incident is for us. The great I AM is always near, always with us until the end of the Church age, and personally, shall come for/to us and take us to our destination – the Father’s House in which are many rooms.