Nancy guthrie interviews andrew sach on how to teach jesuss i am statements and how knowing the old testament is essential to. For example, one does not observe jesus making his i am statements in the synoptics that are so prominent in john, such as before abraham was, i am john 8. Jesus reveals throughout the gospel of john that he is the messiah and gods son in human form as he performs miracles and calls people to believe in his name. Here jesus makes two improbable claims that rocked the world of the jews to whom he was speaking, and should give us pause. The eight i am statements in the gospel of john kindle. The bestloved but least understood of the gospels, john presents a uniquely. They are called the i ams because each one of them starts with the same 2 words, i am. These usages have been the subject of significant christological analysis. John 1, new american standard bible nasb the bible app. An introduction to the gospel of john i have started to discuss jesus views of the afterlife, and it has occurred to me, based on some readers comments, that it may not be clear why i am not appealing to what jesus says about such things in the gospel of john. He said that he existed before abraham who had died perhaps 2000 years prior to jesus of nazareth. This summary of the gospel of john provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the gospel of john.
There are certain words or phrases that create a recurring theme in the gospel of john. John is the only gospel that uses the i am statements of jesus as a framework for presenting his gospel. In the gospel of john i am is used by jesus in three different ways. The gospel of johns portrayal of jesus as the god of the old testament is seen most emphatically in the seven i am statements of jesus. The gospel of john reveals that jesus is god in human form.
Then, jesus follows the words i am with a phrase to describe himself to those who are listening. Does i am always refer to god in the gospel of john. Yet only onethe gospel of johnclaims to be an eyewitness account, the testimony of the unnamed disciple whom jesus loved. An introduction to the gospel of john the bart ehrman blog. Johns gospel includes a number of passages that include two greek words together, ego eimi, i am. Jun 06, 2018 why theres doubt on the jesus i am statements in the gospel of john. John doesnt follow their outline and his style differs in being deeply poetic, contemplative, and.
Twentyfour of these are emphatic, explicitly including the pronoun i greek ego eimi bold references, which would not be necessary in greek grammar. I am the good shepherd, i am the door, i am the bread of life, i am the way, the truth and the life, i am the light of the world, i am the vine, i am the resurection and the life. How to teach the i am statements in john the gospel coalition. After they had further proclaimed the word of the lord and testified about jesus, peter and john returned to jerusalem, preaching the gospel in. Just like his dad god was in christ reconciling the world to himself ii corinthians 5. An emphatic i am statement is one in which the subject i is strongly emphasized in the greek text by stating it explicitly using in addition to. He was a leader in the early church, and he probably wrote his documents after most of the other new testament books were already written. The author is the apostle john, the disciple whom jesus loved. So it is in john s gospel and john s gospel alone that you find the i am statements of jesus. The guru s feet are the two elements in the mantra soham which means i am that. Each i am is a description jesus gave of himself and is recorded in johns gospel.
The seven i am statements of jesus in johns gospel find this and more great catholic infographics and quotes. The 7 times that the lord jesus said i am in johns gospel, eg. The i am s are statements that jesus made in the gospel of john. So lets explore these two aspects in relation to the i am statements of jesus. John s gospel is a mystical reflection on the word made flesh, jesus christ. Many are familiar with the famous i am statements of jesus recorded in john s gospel. Jan 25, 2012 this is the new king james version of the new testament book of john. The seven i am statements in john grace thru faith. While intense scholarly debate surrounds the book, christians can benefit immensely from a prayerful. Each i am is a description jesus gave of himself and is recorded in john s gospel.
The extraordinary view of jesus found in the gospel of john. Harner, the i am of the fourth gospel, p 715, as summarized by mark ball, i am in john s gospel, p 202 discussion of jesus i am statements in john. The gospel of john is a unique perspective of the life of jesus christ. You can call them part 2 of john s underlying message to the church. In john s book, are paired together 7 signs from jesus, and also 7 i am sayings that john links together. All the ot and gods redemptive acts were pointing to the coming of jesus as the godinflesh, the true and better israel, and the fulfillment of all the ot types and shadows. The gospel has been depicted in live narrations and dramatized in productions, skits, plays, and passion plays, as well as in film. In addition to this gospel, the church traditionally associates john with three new testament letters first, second, and third john and the prophetic book of revelation. It contains a variety of statements and information about jesus not contained in the synoptic gospels. Since the statement is not before abraham was i was, it is easy for some moderns reading through certain metaphysical assumptions to conclude that this is a statement of the atemporality of god, or about the nature of time in general. The seven i am sayings of jesus from the gospel of john jesus said i am on seven occasions.
The koine greek term ego eimi literally i am or it is i, is an emphatic form of the copulative verb. Their focus is on what happens after we become believers. They are called the i am s because each one of them starts with the same 2 words, i am. In the gospel of john, jesus makes seven statements beginning with the words i am. Below is a list of jesus seven i am statements in the book of john. The importance of the gospel of john can scarcely be overestimated. I am sayings in the fourth gospel catholic resources. Ubs, 1980, page 124, in those passages in john s gospel where jesus uses i am in an absolute sense, he is identifying himself with god. The gospel of john contains 14 occurrences of the word feet. They actually prove that jesus is god and was the god of the old testament. Jesus himself says i am greek eimi fortyfive times in johns gospel including when other characters quote jesus words. Signs in the gospel of john confirm the i am sayings.
Sep 28, 2016 there are seven or eight i am statements in johns gospel depending on how you count them. John was also the writer of the book of revelation where there are some more i am statements of jesus that are less well known. Jun 21, 2014 the gospel of john 2003 full movie hd. Twentythree times in all we find our lords meaningful i am ego eimi, gk. They are so stunned by what they see as blasphemy that they fall backwards. The eighth i am statement in johns gospel david bahn. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The most recent such portrayal is the 2014 film the gospel of john, directed by david batty and narrated by david harewood and brian cox, with selva rasalingam as jesus.
The purpose of johns gospel jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. It is used in the gospel of john both with and without a predicate nominative. I am the door of the sheep learn more about the door 7. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the eight i am statements in the gospel of john. John s gospel is followed by the acts of the apostles in the new testament of the bible st. The koine greek term ego eimi, literally i am or it is i, is an emphatic form of the copulative verb. After brief background from john s gospel this piece will concentrate on these examples from revelation. As an eyewitness to the love and power displayed in the miracles of jesus, john gives us an upclose and personal look at christs identity. In the book of john we find jesus demanding that we believe he is the christ, the divine son of god that was sent from heaven. Emphatic i am statements of jesus in the gospel of john. In this chapter, jesus establishes a pattern that continues through john s gospeljesus makes a statement about who he is, and he backs it up with something he does. Jesus says i am several times in johns gospel, in a play on words that has jesus claim to be god. Jesus himself says i am greek eimi fortyfive times in john s gospel including when other characters quote jesus words. Emphatic i am statements of jesus in the gospel of john what is an emphatic i am statement.
The gospel of john there is another i am statement in the book of revelation, but these i am statements in the gospel of john point back to the old testament and also into the kingdom. The i ams are only found in one of the gospels so straight away you know it has to be the gospel that is unique. The i am statements of johns gospel twentythree times in all we find our lords meaningful i am ego eimi, gk. There are many nonjohannine features in the language, and there are also many doubtful readings within the passage. This is a tool for people outside of the christian faith to understand who jesus said he is and also for those who. The idea of undertaking an i am series of carvings came to me some years ago, when i was studying and teaching the gospel of john to a group of bible students. I am the good shepherd, i am the door, i am the bread of life, i am the way.
Mar 21, 2010 what are the seven signs and seven i am statements in the gospel of john. In the gospel of john, an allimportant phrase, spoken by jesus, is repeated seven times. Jesus christs seven unique i am metaphorical statements about himself in the gospel of john have corresponding details in the circumstances of his birth, and corresponding signs miracles. New testament scholars would here discuss whether these are the exact words of jesus or john s style of structuring the teaching of jesus. The eight i am statements in the gospel of john kindle edition by lee jr, james thomas. This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true john 21. The seven i am statements in john might best be understood as falling under and echoing this initial, ultimate claim of jesus. And then we have the multiple i am sayings scattered throughout john s gospel. The gospel coalition exists to equip the next generation of believers, pastors, and church leaders to shape life and ministry around the gospel. In part 1, the seven miracles in john, i showed how john selected these seven miracles specifically for their ability to help us believe that jesus is who he claimed to be, and that by believing we might have eternal life. The title i am is the divine name revealed to moses by the lord in exodus 3. And judas, his betrayer, was standing there with them. As barclay newman and eugene nida describe it in a translators handbook on the gospel of john ny. John 1 niv the word became flesh in the bible gateway.
Gospel of john bible study i ams of jesus short and easy. The genius of the gospel lies in the way in which john conceives of the relationship between the human and the divine. Then jesus spoke to them again, saying, i am the light of the world. The eight i am statements in the gospel of john lee jr, mr james thomas on. The i ams are statements that jesus made in the gospel of john. The seven i am sayings help us better understand the divinity of jesus christ. The gospel of john is a delightful book, full of theological insight and spiritual life. Though the first occurrence of ego eimi is strangely phrased, the reader may not see any hidden meaning in jesus words.
John s gospel, written in greek, often uses plays on words and, in this case, has jesus say i am when the priests think he is telling them that he is god. The gospel of john is one of four gospels in the holy bible and is the fourth book in chronological order presented in the new testament. Jun, 2019 these are exactly the tools sach brought to the i am statements in john in our discussion, helping us as teachers to go deeper into what jesus was communicating about himself through vivid images such as bread, light, shepherd, door, and vine. John does this to show that not only did jesus perform the miracles of elisha, and better, but he also affirmed himself as god, and as the i am of the old testament ex. It varies from the other three gospels of matthew, mark and luke also known as the synoptic gospels, by focusing more on spiritual. In addition to these seven miracles, johns gospel contains seven i am statements. A western texttype insertion, attested mainly in old latin translations, it is found in different places in different manuscripts.
When the jewish authorities came asking for jesus, he answered i am, using the absolute form. The other three gospels matthew, mark, and luke read like very much like historical narratives. Jun 24, 2012 the 7 times that the lord jesus said i am in john s gospel, eg. This quiz is part of the free vine university bible college program. The seven occurrences with a predicate nominative that have resulted in some of. The gospel of john is the fourth of the four gospels of the new testament matthew, mark, luke, and john. The seven i am sayings of jesus from the gospel of john. The gospels, the first four books of the new testament, tell the story of the life of jesus. In this repetition we see the fullness of his character. The gospel of john contains 14 occurrences of the sohami am that statement greek words. Clements church manchester, the i am sayings of jesus in scholarship the i am sayings of jesus found in the gospel of john are quite controversial. A multimedia devotional series on the i am statements of jesus in the gospel of john curated by esteban shedd in partnership with streetlights bible. Because of their similarity in structure and content scholars group them together as the synoptics.
Throughout christian history, it has been read and cherished far more than any of the other preserved accounts of jesus life. The seven i ams of jesus what christians want to know. Ap 28 this all happened at bethany on the other side of the jordan, aq where john was baptizing. Why theres doubt on the jesus i am statements in the. These are exactly the tools sach brought to the i am statements in john in our discussion, helping us as teachers to go deeper into what jesus was communicating about himself through vivid images such as bread, light, shepherd, door, and vine. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly bible studies to share with family and friends. The gospel of john shares much about the approaching ministry of the holy spirit after jesus ascension. John s gospel is followed by the acts of the apostles in the new testament of the bible. While john s content may be unique, he presents a different side of jesus that is complimentary to the other three gospels and helps provide its readers with a. What are the seven i am statements in the gospel of john. The gospel of john is the fourth gospel in the new testament. This is an 8 week study on the i am statements made by jesus in the book of john. Here are the seven metaphorical i am statements found in john s gospel. We have spent the past 5 weeks discussing these passages.
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