August 2006 What's a Woman to Do?
investigating truth, instigating bold living
I AM
  Deborah Brunt - www.keytruths.com Deb photo
The guy who showed up at our home Bible study once, and only once, could spout reams of Scripture.

Yet the guy refused to submit himself to the very simple rules of the group, though they were clearly explained to him. In particular, he ignored our primary policy: to focus on the Scripture passage in front of us, letting God speak to us through it, not interjecting other Scriptures except on those rare occasions when the Lord led us as a group to do so.

Arrogantly, the guy persisted in (a) letting us know how much of the Bible he had memorized, (b) announcing how Spirit-filled he was, and (c) assigning himself (as the only male attending that night) the role of showing us women the correct way to do Bible study.

Ah, but the Scriptures the guy quoted freely and at length did not shed light on John 18, the passage at hand. In fact, to us his words didn't make sense at all.

We tried gently, tactfully, to keep the discussion on track - until one unmistakable indicator made clear: This man was filled with a spirit, all right, but not the holy one.

I AM Jesus of Nazareth
  Key truths
As John 18 begins, Jesus in the Garden is approached by Judas, the betrayer. With Judas are a battalion of Roman soldiers, along with temple guards, carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. In verses 4-9 (NIV) we read:

Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"

"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.

"I am he," Jesus said. . . . When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?"

And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."

"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go."

Notice in these verses who asked the questions and who gave the orders. Notice also what happened when this Person identified Himself. Contrary to most English translations, Jesus did not say, "I am he." No. The statement that knocked hundreds of armed men to the ground and resulted in their releasing the disciples on command, was simply, "I AM."

I AM the unpronounceable Name
  Key truths
Centuries earlier, on the far side of a desert, a shepherd named Moses encountered God in a burning bush. When Moses asked God's name, God answered:

"I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" Further: "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation" (Ex. 3:14- 15).

Frankly, these words bewilder us. To our way of thinking, it doesn't seem particularly significant that the Lord's name is LORD, written in all caps as if shouting.

Ah, but Bible translators have a quandary here. The Name God announced to Moses isn't spelled out in the Hebrew text. Instead - here and throughout the Old Testament - only the four consonants appear, transliterated YHWH.

So wherever in Scripture you see the all-caps LORD, it basically means, "The Name we don't have a clue how to pronounce." Yet, the one true God who has revealed Himself through numerous names has told us unequivocally: This Name - this enigmatic, unpronounceable Name - is the one you are to remember forever.

How can we remember a Name we cannot even say? We let the letters YHWH (whatever English form they may take) act as arrows. Whenever they appear in Scripture, we see where they point, knowing they will take us to God Himself.

Here in Exodus 3:14-15, the Name YHWH points to another enigmatic phrase, "I AM WHO I AM." If we would know YHWH, we must know I AM.

Emphatically I AM
  Key truths
Centuries later, a man named John wrote a little book about Jesus of Nazareth. In John's gospel, Jesus utters one significant phrase more than 20 times. In Greek, it is "ego� eimi (pronounced eg-oh i-me). It means, "I am."

According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the pronoun "I" does not usually appear as a separate word in Greek. It's understood from the verb form. Thus, "where the pronoun ego is added to the verb, it is almost invariably . . . emphatic."

Twenty-plus times, Jesus declared emphatically: Recall My Name. Know who is speaking to you. I AM.

Ponder the seven word pictures Jesus paints using this declaration. In each case, something is required of us in order to experience who He is (the all-caps are my addition).

  • John 6: "I AM the bread of life" (vv. 35,48). "I AM the bread that came down from heaven" (v. 41). "I AM the living bread that came down from heaven" (v. 51).
  • John 8: "I AM the light of the world" (v. 12).
  • John 10: "I AM the gate" (vv. 7, 9).
  • John 10: "I AM the good shepherd" (vv. 11, 14).
  • John 11: "I AM the resurrection and the life" (v. 25).
  • John 14: "I AM the way and the truth and the life" (v. 6).
  • John 15: "I AM the vine" (vv. 1, 5).

Believe that I AM
  Key truths
English translations don't show it, but eight times in John's Gospel, Jesus simply, powerfully, calls Himself the Name. Where He said, "I AM," translators have written, "It is I," or, "I am He." In the passages below, I've used the literal rendering of the Name as in the original text. I urge you: Read and reread, pause and ponder these proclamations of Christ.

Twice, Jesus identified Himself by this Name to His disciples. The first time, the disciples were in a boat on a very rough sea. Imagine: Howling wind, crashing waves, Jesus in the midst of it all, walking on the water toward His wet, exhausted, terrified followers. In a voice heard distinctly above the storm, Jesus spoke: "I AM. Don't be afraid" (John 6:20).

The night before His crucifixion, Jesus sorrowfully informed His disciples that one of them would betray Him. He said, "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I AM" (John 13:19).

Three times in John 8, Jesus called Himself the Name reserved for God alone.

  • "If you do not believe that I AM, you will indeed die in your sins" (v. 24).
  • "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM" (v. 28).
  • "I tell you the truth . . . before Abraham was born, I AM!" (v. 58).

Jesus was speaking to religious leaders who searched the Old Testament scriptures faithfully and tried to follow them religiously. They knew exactly what He was claiming. Did they, like their forefather Moses, take off their sandals and hide their faces when they found themselves standing before the One whose Name they dared not even say? No. They "picked up stones to stone him" (v. 58).

I AM whom you seek
  Key truths
But perhaps the most remarkable announcements of the "I AM" Name of Jesus in John are the first and the last.

The first - completely hidden in most English translations - shows Jesus' breathtaking tenderness. Before speaking the Name to His disciples, before announcing it to the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus identifies Himself to a broken, discarded Samaritan woman.

"The woman said, 'I know that Messiah' (called Christ) 'is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.'" Jesus responded (literal translation): "I AM who speak to you" (John 4:25-26).

The woman, who had been quite talkative up to this point, said not one more word. Stunned, she left her waterpot behind, ran back to her village and boldly, exuberantly invited the folks there to come see who she had met.

The last announcement of the Name shows Jesus' breathtaking authority. In John 18, when the soldiers and temple guards arrive to arrest Jesus, He asks, "Who is it you want?" They answer, "Jesus of Nazareth."

He says, "I AM."

En masse, those well-armed, well-trained men fall backward. As they struggle to get up and brush themselves off, He repeats the question. They repeat their answer.

He says, "I told you that I AM."

Then He orders them to let His disciples go - and they obey. The only reason they cart Him off to trial and death is that He chooses to go.

I AM has sent me
  Open Gates
The man visiting our Bible study read the same words the rest of us did. Yet he insisted vehemently that Jesus was the one falling backward, cowing down, conquered.

This guy who claimed to have the Spirit of God literally could not see what the Scripture said. He repudiated the witness of the Son, the Spirit and the Word. He denied the Name.

You too may know lots of Scripture, or you may not be able to quote a verse. You may be seeking to follow Jesus or to oppose Him. You may be moral and well-respected, broken and discarded or buffeted on a very rough sea. Regardless, I AM has sent me to you. He says:

Everything - everything - hinges on how you respond when Jesus stands before you and pronounces His unpronounceable Name.

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Scriptures quoted are from NIV, unless otherwise indicated.

  Tidbits Focused Living cover
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Pray for God. Join in fervently, specifically asking, "May your name be honored as holy." Twelve prayer suggestions focused on God's declaration, "I am the LORD," will remain posted until August 31.

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To sign up for Deborah's weekly column, "Perspective," go to the Perspective page of www.keytruths.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click where indicated.

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