Metaphors of the Messiah

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

(John 20:30-31)

The above passage tells us that John wrote his Gospel to demonstrate that Jesus was the Son of God, so that his readers might believe and receive eternal life. One of the ways John does this is to recount seven miracles, or signs, that Jesus preformed that reveal Him to be the long-awaited Messiah. Despite these signs, opinions varied about Jesus’ identity. This is evident in Jesus’ question to His disciples in Mark 8:27; “Who do people say that I am?” However, Seven times in the gospel of John, Jesus provides His own answer to this question, using the words; “I AM.” The significance of this is underlined in John 8:58, when Jesus says to the Pharisees; “Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am!” John tells us that the Pharisees were so outraged by Jesus’ words that they tried to stone Him. Why? Because these two words, from the Greek Ego Eimi, are two of the most powerful words spoken in the Bible. In Exodus 3, God calls Moses from a burning bush to lead His people from bondage in Egypt into the Promised Land. Moses responds to this calling by asking in verse 13; “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them? 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.’” God is the great I AM—He is the eternal and unchangeable One–the One with no beginning or ending. He is YHWH, Jehovah, the God of the covenant–the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

By identifying Himself with these words; “I AM”, Jesus is identifying Himself with God–He’s saying something about who is He and why He came. He is God in human form, coming to save and redeem a fallen humanity. I am the Bread of Life, I am the Light of the World, I am the Door, I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Resurrection and the Life, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, I am the True Vine. These metaphors are rich in meaning and, although spoken 2000 years ago, they continue to hold great significance and remind us of what the Lord has provided for us through His death and resurrection. Over the next 7 weeks–during the season of Lent–we will be looking at these Metaphors of the Messiah. As we do, I pray that you will let Jesus reveal Himself to you in a fresh new way so that in believing in Him, you may have life in His name.

SERMONS

Sermon: I AM the Bread of Life

Preacher: The Rev. Christopher Doering

Date: Sunday, March 10, 2019

Scripture: John 6:25-35

Handout: Part1.HO