John Bible Study

Day 17 - Monday, March 23

I AM

DAILY READING - Jn 8:12-59

In this pericope of Scripture we read today, Jesus is proclaiming, once again, that He is the light of the world and the light of life. The Pharisees use the very words of Jesus, spoken in John 5:31, against him. Read John 5:31 again. Then read John 5:19-24 again.

What are the similarities between Jn 5:19-24 and Jn 8:14-18?

Jesus is repeating the same ideas in different words. The Pharisees just can’t see what is right in front of them. They are looking for the literal and Jesus is speaking in the eternal. Remember, the Pharisees are trained to be concrete, critical thinkers. Their education has been to know and mind the letter of the law. The shift in thinking from critical to ethereal is not easy. Think about your own mindset for a minute. Are you more of a concrete or abstract thinker?

What is easier for you to grasp: logical and sequential or creative and intangible? and

How you think will impact how you read Scripture and how you approach Jesus. The Pharisees have a hard time grasping the celestial ideas that Jesus is professing. Their mindset is getting in the way. They are also judging Jesus by human standards. The Pharisees, it seems, have gotten so caught up in the letter of the law that they have lost connection with God, or YHWH. The religious leaders have put the religion before God. This is why Jesus says, “You do not know me or my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

In what ways have you seen the rules of religion inhibit your relationship with God?

Jesus cuts straight to the point of our problem in understanding His message. He says, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (Jn 8:23). I can’t think of anything more true. We exist physically in the world. We move day to day in the physical realm. We have physical needs and necessities. Sometimes the things right in front of us seem so pressing, it is hard to see beyond them. Our physical world, though, is just the beginning. Our physical world provides portals to see God’s Kingdom orchestrations. Often, we ask, “Why is this happening to me?” If you peer through God’s Kingdom portal, you might see the deeper things God wants you to learn. We are from below. But, Jesus calls us to look above and beyond.

Can you think of a time when you saw a deeper truth of God’s orchestrations in the midst of a very physical, worldly problem?

We will never understand the fullness of Christ if we apply worldly logic to the Truth of Christ. The Truth of Christ exists beyond what we see in this world. God calls us into looking deeper. God’s orchestrations are all around us but the knowledge of our brains will not lend the vision necessary to see them. Jesus says, “..if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins” (Jn 8:24).

Read Exodus 3:13-14. How does God name himself to Moses?

Read Isaiah 43:10. What is God saying in this passage of Scripture?

When Jesus says, “I am he”, He is equating himself with God. He’s using the very words of God to define himself. Keeping that in mind, search the “I am” statements of Jesus in the following verses and finish the sentences:

John 6:35 I am the

John 8:12 I am the

John 9:5 I am the

John 10:11 I am the

John 11:25 I am the and the

John 14:6 I am the the and the

John 15:1 I am the

Now, peering through the portal into Kingdom vision, think past the metaphorical use of each “I am” statement. Go back and think about how each statement reflects Jesus as God. Write below each statement the deeper revelation of what Jesus means to us.