Sermon Tone Analysis

*The “I AM” Statements of the Gospel of John*

 

| *The “I AM” Statements of John’s Gospel* |

| Twenty-three times in all we find our Lord’s meaningful “I AM” (/ego eimi/, Gk.) in the Greek text of this Gospel (4:26; 6:20, 35, 41, 48, 51; 8:12, 18, 24, 28, 58; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 13:19; 14:16; 15:1, 5; 18:5, 6, 8).

In several of these He joins His “I AM” with seven tremendous metaphors which are expressive of his saving relationship toward the world.

|

| “I AM the Bread of life” (6:35, 41, 48, 51).“I

AM the Light of the world” (8:12).“I

AM the Door of the sheep” (10:7, 9).“I

AM the Good Shepherd” (10:11, 14).“I

AM the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25).“I

AM the Way, the Truth, the Life” (14:6).“I

AM the true Vine” (15:1, 5).

|

 

*The Bread of Life*

 

John 6:22–51

 

John wrote his Gospel to persuade people to believe in Jesus (20:30–31).

From the opening verses he declares that Jesus is God, stressing his unique relationship with God the Father.

He focuses on seven of Jesus’ miracles, to demonstrate his divinity.[1]

In Exodus 3:14 the Greek Translation of the OT renders God’s personal name – in Hebrew /YHWH/  (Jehovah) - as Ἐγώ εἰμι (I AM WHO I AM).

John uses the same phrase 23 times in his gospel and makes it clear each time that Jesus is claiming divinity.

In seven of these passages, John joins this phrase to tremendous metaphors which are expressive of Jesus’ saving relationship toward the world.

The first of these is found in the 6th chapter of John.

The occasion on which Jesus delivered it takes place the day after the Lord had performed two notable miracles – the Feeding of the 5,000  (John 6:1-15) and Walking on the Water (John 6:16-21).

The feeding of the 5,000, by the way, is the only miracle that appears in all four of the gospels (Mark 6:31–44; Matt.

14:13–21; Luke 9:10–17).

This crowd follows Jesus across the Sea of Tiberius (read vv.22-25 ESV) to Capernaum seeking Jesus.

Jesus, however, cuts directly to the heart of the matter when they question Him as to how and when He came to be in Capernaum.. His response to their questions speaks directly to their motivations for seeking Him.

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you don’t look for Me because you saw some miracles, but because you filled your stomachs with bread.

Don’t work for food that spoils, but for the lasting food that gives eternal life.

The Son of Man can give you such food, because God the Father has placed His seal of approval on Him.”115 [2]

 

In the King James, this passage reads, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

27 Labour nota for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.[3]

(John 6:26-27)

Jesus’ response (6:26) to the people’s question (6:25) relates to their mistaken notion that Jesus came to meet all their physical needs.

The problem Jesus sought to correct concerned the people’s inability to see that the signs he performed pointed not to material prosperity but to spiritual wholeness and eternal life.

Notice what question on the part of the multitude did our Lord’s words about laboring “for that meat which endureth, etc.” awaken?

How did they evidently think the bread was to be obtained?

Matt.

19:16 – Story of the Rich Young Ruler

Luke 10:25 – Parable of the Good Samaritan

Acts 2:37 -  the Jews reaction to Peter’s sermon on Pentecost

Acts 16:30 – the Philipan jailer’s response to Paul & Silas

Jesus’ response to this question verse 29 is telling.

“This is the work of God, /q/that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

(Cf John 3:17) *17 *For /l/God did not send his Son into the world /m/to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.[4]

The people wanted Jesus to do what Moses did—give them manna (6:30–31).

This was a common mistake among Jews of the time.

Jewish expositors had already often used manna as a symbol for spiritual food, God’s law, or Torah~/Wisdom~/Word.

The dead would be raised to eternal life “on the last day,” the day of the Lord, when God would transform the world and inaugurate his eternal kingdom.[5]

But Jesus helped the people realize that the ultimate source of manna was not Moses, but the Father (6:32).

Then he identified himself as the Father’s true bread (6:35).

(For more on the manna in the wilderness, see Exodus 16:15 and Numbers 11:8.)

Jesus contrasts Moses’ manna, which was life sustaining but not life giving.

*He is the true bread, which is life-giving and permanently satisfying.*

Note the phrase “raise them to eternal life at the last day” (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54).

Throughout, the option of resurrection to eternal life or resurrection to eternal judgment lies behind Jesus’ words.[6]

6:35 Now *Jesus* stated the truth simply and clearly.

He is *the bread of life*.

Those who come to Him find enough in Him to satisfy their spiritual hunger forever.

Those who believe on Him find their thirst forever quenched.

Notice the words *I am* in this verse and recognize that the Lord was making a claim to equality with Jehovah.

It would be folly for a sinful man to utter the words of verse 35.

No mere man can satisfy his own hunger or thirst, much less satisfy the spiritual appetite of the whole world!

[7]

6:37 This verse is very important because it states in a few words two of the most important teachings in the Bible.

The first is that God has given certain ones to Christ and that *all* those whom He has given will be saved.

The other is the teaching of man’s responsibility.

In order to be saved, a man must come to the Lord Jesus and accept Him by faith.

God does choose some people to be saved, but the Bible never teaches that He chooses some to be damned.

If anyone is saved, it is because of the free grace of God.

But if anyone perishes forever, it is his own fault.

All men are condemned by their own sinfulness and wickedness.

If all men went to hell, they would be receiving only what they deserve.

In grace, God stoops down and saves individual people out of the great mass of humanity.

Does He have the right to do this?

He certainly does.

God can do as He chooses, and no man can deny Him this right.

We know that God will never do anything that is wrong or unjust.

But just as the Bible teaches that God has elected certain persons to salvation, it also teaches that man is responsible to accept the gospel.

God makes a universal offer—that if a man will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, he will be saved.

God does not save men against their will.

A person must come to Him in repentance and faith.

Then God will save him.

No one who comes to God through Christ will be *cast out*.

[8]

6:40 The Lord now went on to explain how a person became a member of the family of the redeemed.

God’s *will* is *that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life*.

To /see/ *the Son* here means not to see Him with the physical eyes but rather with the eyes of faith.

One must see or recognize that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world.

Then, too, he must believe on Him.

This means that by a definite act of faith, he must receive the Lord Jesus as his own personal Savior.

All who do this receive *everlasting life* as a present possession and also receive the assurance that they will be raised *at the last day*.

[9]

John 6:35-40 is one of the great passages of the Fourth Gospel, and indeed of the New Testament.

In it there are two great lines of thought that we must try to analyze.

First, what did Jesus mean when he said: “I am the bread of life”?

It is not enough to regard this as simply a beautiful and poetical phrase.

Let us analyze it step by step.

(i)                  Bread sustains life.

It is that without which life cannot go on.

(ii)                But what is life?

Clearly by life is meant something far more than mere physical existence.

What is this new spiritual meaning of life?

(iii)               *Real life is the new relationship with God*, that relationship of trust and obedience and love of which we have already thought.

(iv)              That relationship is made possible only by Jesus Christ.