Explore The Meanings Of The I Am Sayings Religion Essay

Explore The Meanings Of The I Am Sayings Religion EssayIntroductionFor the children of Israel the depot I am was very signifi trampt, for it was with this name that perfection revealed Himself to Moses in the sunburn bush encounter when He had commanded him to deliver the deal of Israel, (Exodus 36,14 ). In this case divinity fudge would be seen as a mighty saviour or the adept who brought buyback to His people from their bondage. In Johannine context, whether it is in the certify or infinite form the I am maxims essenti tot allyy were write to reveal God finished the Naz atomic number 18ne so that Israel and by telephone extension the world could receive salvation.The purpose of this discourse is to explore the meanings of the I am constructions and their implication for salvation. To accomplish this, the work of various actors along with relevant biblical ease upages will be examined and a balanced conclusion will be reached. To accomplish the above objective t he writer will explore the ii forms of the I am sayings, i.e. the predictive and absolute forms and explain their significance to salvation.The import of the I am SayingsThe I am sayings are associated with the Greek word, egoeimi, which actor, it is I, and this counsel that it is a mode of identifying oneself.1The I am saying are twain fold in temper, one is with the pronoun ego used for emphasis. This is essentially the I am sayings with predicates or those followed by a noun. Bauckham cited in Longenecker, argued the predicates were used by John to describe deliveryman as the one through which people could receive salvation. The new(prenominal)(a) assign of I am sayings were characterized as the absolute which the author stated were used by John to reveal the Nazarene divinity or deity.2The predicated I am sayings include examples such as I am the Bread of Life, I am the igniter of the World, etcetera These sayings represent descriptions of saviour as the author of the ever becomeing(a) and the symmetry of the Godhead, for example, as in John 633.3Bauckham cited in Longenecker also pointed that the heptad predicated I am sayings, were significant in Jewish culture. He concluded that seven represented completeness in Jewish culture, gum olibanum the seven I am sayings above represented completeness in christ.4This point of look on although debate up to(p), speaks to the inadequacy of Judaism.Kysar examined the sayings from a cultural-historical context and argued that the, I am sayings was an essential part of Hellenistic unearthly panorama, thus John whitethorn spend a penny intentionally written them in that way as a method of affirming rescuer identity in contrast to the holds of Hellenistic gods.5This plausibly means that John got the attention of the Hellenist because he wrote about something that they were familiar with but from a several(predicate) perspective, which was to introduce savior. The author concedes to this office when he argued that the I am sayings introduced Jesus as the ecclesiastic revelation of God, for example, the use of predicates like the Good shepherd, promoted Jesus in some(prenominal) the Hellenist and Jewish customs dutys. For followers of the Jewish tradition it meant that just as Yahweh is one True God, so is Jesus the one True Revealer, none other is compar satisfactory.6Mc Grath rendered correlations of Johns I am sayings in Old Testawork forcet traditions. For example, he claims that they allude to fundamental themes in the Old Testament, and apply them to Jesus. therefrom when God revealed Himself as I am to Moses and Jesus uses the term, I am He is implying that He is God or He was declaring His divinity.7It would seem that thither was a correlation between the I am sayings and some of Jesus miracles. The resurrection of Lazarus is an example, mayhap this miracle was used to allow the earshot to see that He is truly Lord. This may be seen in the number o f days for which Lazarus was had been dead.A similar view is proposed by Kaysar who conceded that the I am sayings were concurrent with the signs or miracles fareed by Jesus for example, the feeding of the five thousand and Lazarus resurrection were both used to declare different aspects of the somebody of Christ.8From the above it is seen that the I am sayings, were essential in bring out Jesus in a descriptive way so that the audience could connect to His divinity. The degree to which this aim was achieved is sometimes questionable because a plumping section of the Jews appeared oblivious to Jesus declaration which culminated in hostility and lastly His crucifixion. At this juncture the predicted I am sayings will be discussed.The predicated I am Sayings1) I am the Bread of Life- John 635This saying refers to Jesus as the source of unfailing life. It also implies that the human race race is in a perpetual state of hunger, fronting for food for thought to satisfy the soul, this hunger refers to the emptiness that a person feels without Jesus in their lives.The above view is supported by Quast, who suggested that Jesus used this saying to make a comparison between Himself and Moses in terms of the temporary nature of the Manna which Moses offered. harmonise to him Moses manner was used to satisfy the fleshly hunger, whilst Jesus as the Bread of Life satisfies spiritual hunger. Additionally Quast storied that Jesus used this saying to prove that He transcended Moses, perhaps hinting to His deity. The author also makes reference to other Old Testament links to this sayings, by proposing that it is related to the Wisdom tradition of Solomon, as seen in (Proerbs 95) and Isaiah, (Isaiah 551) where God is described as Bread.9This wisdom then can be seen as a way of giving life because much swelling is pulln to it in the Proverbs, for example, Proverbs 17, Proverbs 212 and galore(postnominal) more. Quast added a different perspective to this view when he concluded that this is more differentiate of Jesus deity which shows that He pre-dated the prophets of old.10Perhaps this is indication that Jesus was set up to usher a new paradigm which the Jews were not ready for, which is, picture in Him would result in their salvation and satisfaction so that there would be no need to keep looking for salvation in the works of the Law.Some authors ease up theorized that Jesus used this saying to encounter the Jews into an intimate relationship with Him. This is seen when He challenges them to eat the Bread of Life and sop up His bring downning, (John 653).11This intimacy would result when the Jews came into a relationship with Jesus, but they distinctly missed the point as in indicated in the negative reaction of some of the Jews, (John 666). This confirms that they had an ulterior motive for following Jesus who was want to address their error in thinking. This also shows that there was a lack of sync between Jesus proclamations and the understanding of what He meant, evanescely, He was having a difficult time reaching them.This passage has been reinterpreted as communion for the Christian however, this view has come under attack from Casey who contended that it was meant to rivet on Christ and belief in Him.12Caseys criticism is weak because in communion the focus is on Christ, (1 Corinthians 11).The main message of this saying is that anyone, who receives Jesus, will have eternal life. Thus there will be no need to search for alternative means of satisfying this spiritual hunger.2) I am the Light of the World John 812This saying suggests that Jesus is the yet true Light, as indicated by use of the. The use of the word a light would have conveyed, something different, meaning one of many lights with no peculiar(prenominal) significance. Thus it is this one True Light who is able to dampen salvation, the delay of the explanations below provides support for this viewpoint.When Jesus refers to Himsel f at the Light, He is indicating that He is the source who can bring illumination in the lives of people. This illumination means that He can bring profound spiritual understanding in the lives of men and women which can lead to salivation.13This is seen in the healing of the blind man in whom both fleshly healing and spiritual brain wave about Jesus deity was received. Furthermore it underscores that Jesus is seeking to cure the inner sightlessness of man which can lead to eternal death. Winstanley confirms this view by last-place that, Jesus is able to give deliverance from inner blindness, vestige and ignorance to the insight and vision of faith.14The idea of Jesus giving spiritual insight is testament of His deity.Ridderbos took a more critical view of this saying by signifying that it shows a contrast between day and night. Day in this context means opportunities for Jesus to work presumably to bring the Jews toward Him as the Light, where as darkness refers to the limitat ions of time which constrained how much could be achieved.15This view is confirmed in John 1235. Clarke also presented a pessimistic view by suggesting that Jesus intentions were to use His authority to bring condemnation and to expose all their iniquities and sins.16Clarkes idea shows a clear deficiency in understanding of Jesus motive. Jesus boldly stated that He does not pass head in John 815.Some of the Jews rejected Jesus try to bring illumination into their lives. Winstanley contended that despite the Light of the Gospel presented to people they may still fail to learn and understand.17This is probably because people may favor to persist in bondage than to receive deliverance.3) I am the admission for the Sheep John 107I am the gate for the sheep this word parallels the mass exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus1213). This deliverance was accompanied by the sprinkling of the blood of a spotless lamb on the door post of both Israelite (Exodus1213). Keller postulat ed that everyone who went through this sprinkled door was guaranteed protection from Gods judgement. He further claims that a person went out through that door to liberty, freedom and a new proportionality of life under Gods direction.18Kellers claim is synonymous with Jesus salvation, for example, the door way in Israels case is similar to Jesus as the way or gate to salvation. Similarly, the blood on the doorpost parallels the blood of Jesus which was shed. Consequently, when an idiosyncratic comes through Jesus salvation is received, (John 1019).Weaver conceded with the above epitome by stating that this saying implies that Jesus is the barely way to salvation, He is the access to the Father.19This is probably because many others proclaimed another way, they are referred to as thieves, strangers because they cannot give salvation. Jesus thus had the task of correcting the falsehood associated with Jewish religious tradition but they fail to perceive His intentions. Weaver su ggested that Jesus explanation may have been double because of the use of Greek terminology, paroimia which means proverb. He claims that this may have been deliberate on Jesus part because this saying was intend for His disciples.204) I am the Good Shepherd John 1011Here Jesus is seen as the ultimate guide to the Father, the extraordinary have it away for the sheep or humanity led Him to become a lamb so that this guidance to the Father may be possible.Harris confirms the above by suggesting that for a literal sheepherder with a literal flock, the shepherds death would have spelled catastrophe for the sheep in this instance it spells life for them.21Tiat argued from a similar persuasion by noting that Jesus became a lamb to save the sheep.22OGrady proposed that Johns use of the word shepherd was to convey the reciprocal relationship between Jesus and the exclusive sheep. fit to him this signifies intimacy in the Christian Jesus context and in the unity which is characteristic of the relationship between Jesus and the Father. This union is what leads to eternal life.23A similar idea is proposed by Brown who suggested that this intimacy qualifies the shepherd to perform duties on behalf of the sheep.24MacLaren added that these duties included guidance, guardianship, companionship, sustenance. He continued by stating that in response to these duties the sheep simply obeys and trusts the shepherd.25This idea suggests that Jesus is able to meet all the needs of the person who will trust in Him, Tait stated that this is because the Shepherd has intimate knowledge of the sheep,26this intimate knowledge is only possible with someone who is Omniscient, thus proving that divinity of Christ, as seen in the many instances where He was able to perceive what people thought, Luke 1117.Jesus identified Himself as a true shepherd which denotes exclusivity, i.e. He is the only shepherd who can give eternal life, and all the others are false. Sanders cited in Barrett supp orted the above by noting that the Sheep referred to Israel who was bombarded with many false messiahs.27Thus it is seen that Jesus used this saying to set Him apart from the false messiahs so that Israel may believe on Him.This salvation is not only exclusive to Israel but is extended to the entire world. This is seen in John 1016, the idea conveyed by use of the term, other sheep, is that salvation is extended to the Gentile world.285) I am the Resurrection and the Life John 1125This saying was in conjunction with Lazarus resurrection. This showed that Jesus has authority over death and able to give life beyond the natural, which is basically eternal life.Guardinis work confirms the above when he stated that, mortality has no footing on Jesus.29He extended his view by proposing that the person who is in Christ has a life which will transcend death. The authors view clearly confirms that the eternal life and resurrection of the Christian is only possible in Jesus. Clarke veritabl e this argument by examining the concept of life, which he contended is the life of the soul which surpasses the thought of death and only attained in Jesus.30In response to this claim Micklem concluded that our redemption is completed beyond the grave, but it must begin in our hearts now.31Micklems view suggests that external life and the resurrection on the last day is only possible when a person has received Christ in this lifetime.This resurrection also infers the glorified body that the Christian will have when resurrected. Martini supports the above by noting that Christians will one day possess the physical and spiritual embodiment of a resurrected life just like Christ.32This is the completion of eternal life for the Christian, escape from eternal damnation which is described in Matthew 25.6) I am the Way the legality and the Life John 146In this saying Jesus points to Himself as the only caterpillar tread to salvation.Martini suggested that term I implies exclusiveness, meaning that Jesus is the only means to salvation, the only truth and the only life.33He went on to describe Way as the direction and process of salvation which involves acknowledgment of the Way and then repentance. Micklem agreed, by hinting to Jesus mediatory capacity in which He leads those who receive Him to the Father.34In addition Martini concluded that Jesus illustrated truth by making predictions which came to pass in other words, He substantiated everything He said about Himself.35Micklem added the saying means deliverance from falsehood, error, judgement and blindness from the truth. He continued by stating that Jesus exposes the truth of the soul in relation to the verity of God.36This implies that He exposes the hopelessness of the soul without Him and His ability to give eternal life. This exposure of the Truth of soul sometimes produces hostility as in the case of the Pharisees, thus there must be a corresponding acceptance of Truth for salvation to occur.7) I am th e True Vine John 151This imagery shows that Jesus as the Vine gives life to the branches, thus the Christian can only be sustained in Him.37Meyer makes a similar card by noting that the use of the word True is used to make a distinction between the eternal and the temporal.38This is perhaps to contrast the temporal nature of Judaism or religion with the enduring nature of Jesus salvation.The branches or the Christians are also sustained by producing fruit. Talbert speculated that this refers to evangelism and manifesting all the fruits of the Christian life.39OGrady and Hylen reached a similar conclusion by noting that fruits refer to cope which is a sign of Christianity. This love is able to sustain the Christian. He also noted that the Christian is able to bear fruit only if they remain faithful to Gods word.40This suggests that the bearing of production has eternal implication which is if a Christian does not live a holy life the result is eternal damnation.The Christian is p runed to promote fruitfulness.41This thin out is necessary for salvation, John 152, 5-6. Thus, the only guarantee of salvation is to remain in Christ daily, not merely receiving Him and living carelessly. This is perhaps because God expects the Christian to make disciples as is commissioned in Matthew 2819-20.1) The coercive SayingsThe absolute sayings essentially relate to Jesus divinity. However some have ordinary meanings, for example, John 620, I am should be soundless as Jesus identifying Himself to the disciples to calm their fears. This is in contrast to the reactions of the soldiers at Gethsemane who savage to the ground when Jesus used the term. I am.42The reaction of the soldiers clearly proves the deity of Jesus. The I am sayings in the absolute sense prove the deity of Christ as is seen in John 839, where Jesus constituted that He predate Abraham,43a statement which prompted the Jews to accuse Him of blasphemy. This reaction probably shows that they were clearly not prepared for the change which Jesus was ushering.Some authors have attacked the validity of the I am sayings by hinting to its absence in the other synoptic Gospels.44Casey noted that in some instances Jesus appeared to be ambiguous which probably led to a misinterpretation on the part of the Jews. From this view this misinterpretation informed their unbelief. Barrett also noted that some of the sayings lack illuminance such as I am the Good Shepherd, which is difficult to understand. According to him this is because John combines several themes which do not express a clear thought.45Brown criticized this view by stating that the I am Sayings, are honest of truth and of grace too. They are transparently clear and unfathomably deep.46Browns view holds relevance because the criticisms above do not apply to all the sayings which in many cases correlated with miracles to inspire the Jews to believe, so that if the sayings were ambiguous then the miracles would provide clearness thu s, it is the Jew who chose to disbelieve.ConclusionThe main theme of the I am sayings is salvation through Christ. These sayings promote various aspects of Jesus character and deity and simultaneously show how people could resist the gospel because of religious traditions or ideology. In rig words the pride produced by self righteousness can be a major hindrance to a persons salvation. This is because in such instances the individual defines themselves righteous consequently, the gospel may be seen as an offense to them. Thus the method used to present the Gospel should be one where Christ is the central message and not an attack on religious ideology.