“I Am”: What Did Jesus Say About Himself?

In the last two lessons we heard what others said about Jesus: amazed disciples in a boat, and John, who begins his Gospel “in the beginning”. Today we hear Jesus himself. In John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about himself in sayings that begin with two simple words: “I am”. Most of these sayings are pictures from everyday life, understood by anyone who has lived in a home, walked a road or looked after sheep.

1. The bread of life

After Jesus had fed great crowds, people came to him the next day asking for more bread. He said to them: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). We know the value of bread; it is the first thing put on the table and the last thing cleared away. Jesus is saying that there is a hunger in us deeper than the hunger of the stomach, a hunger for God, and only he can satisfy it.

2. The light of the world

He also said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Anyone who has walked a mountain path at night without a light knows what these words mean. Jesus does not promise that every difficulty will disappear from the path of those who follow him. He promises that they will not be left lost in the darkness, because they have “the light of life” to light their steps.

3. The good shepherd

And he said: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). In the villages, a shepherd knows his flock one by one; he leads them out to pasture and brings them home again. But Jesus goes further: the good shepherd does not protect himself and abandon the sheep when danger comes. He lays down his life for them. This points to what would happen on the cross.

4. The Resurrection and the Life

Jesus spoke these words to a grieving woman named Martha, whose brother Lazarus had died and been buried four days earlier: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25). Jesus did not give her a cold explanation of death. When he saw those weeping over Lazarus, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), and then he raised Lazarus from the dead. His words here are a promise to everyone who stands at a grave: death is not the last word for those who believe in him.

5. The Way, the Truth and the Life

On the last night before his crucifixion, his disciple Thomas asked him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5). Jesus answered, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). He did not say, “I will show you a way.” He said, “I am the way.” So the way to God is not a list of deeds we try to complete, but a person we come to and trust.

What do these sayings reveal?

If an ordinary man said he was the bread of life, the light of the world, and the resurrection and the life, people would think he was exaggerating or had lost his mind. But those who lived with Jesus saw his life and his works, and they found that his words and his works bore witness to each other.

Once Jesus said to those who were arguing with him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). Notice that he did not say “I was”, but “I am”. His hearers understood the weight of what he was saying, and they grew so angry that “they picked up stones to throw at him” (John 8:59), because they saw him claiming for himself what belongs to God alone.

To understand why they were so angry, we go back to an ancient story in the book of Exodus. When Moses asked God his name, God answered, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14), a Hebrew phrase meaning “I will be who I will be”, that is, the One who always is. So when Jesus said that he existed before Abraham, his hearers heard in his words an echo of this name. That is why the “I am” sayings in John’s Gospel are not just beautiful descriptions, but a pointer to who Jesus truly is.

The five sayings are not decorative titles but promises: whoever comes to him will not hunger, whoever follows him will not walk in darkness, the shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, whoever believes in him will live even though he dies, and through him alone a person comes to the Father. Each promise asks the reader a quiet question: Are you hungry? Are you walking in darkness? Do you feel lost or far away?

You don’t need to memorise the five sayings today. Just hear them as Jesus spoke them to real people at real moments: hungry crowds, a grieving woman, and disciples afraid of tomorrow. Perhaps you will find yourself in one of them.