NeoTheism
I AM
Exodus 3:14
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”
And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I
AM has sent me to you.’ ”
NKJV
It is near the end of Christ’s earthly stay. Jesus is summoned to Bethany. Lazarus has become fatally ill. In fact, he dies! His sisters, Mary and Martha, have sent for Jesus. The Lord tarries in responding to the call – or so it seems in human terms. Then, on the fourth day after Lazarus’ death, Jesus and the disciples travel to Bethany.
Martha comes forth to meet Him. She chides Him for not being there. Jesus says Lazarus will live again and Martha shows her belief in the future resurrection from the dead. Then Jesus responds:
John 11:25 (NIV)
Jesus
said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes
in me will live, even though he dies;
This is one of the great statements of Scripture. Jesus proclaims Himself to be God through the use of the emphatic “I AM.” This usage draws from Exodus 3:14 and is clearly recognized by the Jews to be a declaration of divinity on Jesus’ part (cf. John 8:58ff).
Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus uses “I AM” statements act as descriptive terms of His role as God on earth. These are akin to the compound names of God found in the Old Testament. Here, Jesus declares that He is both Resurrection and Life. Earlier, at John 14:6 Christ declared He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Further, this latter passage explains to us that “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the only way to God!
But, while John 11:25 may be familiar to many, I want to focus on the next two verses.
