In the gospel of John, Jesus makes seven “I am…” statements that connect Him to Old Testament concepts about God and the promise of the coming Messiah. The Jewish people living at the time of Jesus would have been fully aware of the significance of the terms used in these statements. With these statements, Jesus was declaring that He was the One they had been waiting for, the Messiah, the One whom God had promised to send.

The Seven “I Am…” Statements

1. I am the Bread of Life.
2. I am the Light of the World.
3. I am the Door (or Gate).
4. I am the Good Shepherd.
5. I am the Resurrection and the Life.
6. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
7. I am the Vine.

In part 1, we examined the first 2 statements: I am the Bread of Life and I am the Light of the World. In part 2, we looked at the next 2 statements: I am the Door (or Gate) and I am the Good Shepherd. Now in part 3, we’ll dig into the final 3 statements: I am the Resurrection and the Life; I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and I am the Vine.

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”  John 11:25-26

Jesus made this statement to Martha, the sister of Lazarus who had died. Jesus said this before He raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus said this before He Himself died on the cross and rose again. The people hearing this statement would have associated life and returning to life after death (resurrection) with God. After all, it was God who had created all life (Gen. 1) and breathed the breath of life into Adam, the first man (Gen. 2:7). It was God who returned two dead boys to life through His prophets Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:8-37). The people knew that life comes from God and that only God can provide life after death, and this concept was understood throughout the people’s history. 

Moses declared it:

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”  Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Job knew it:

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!  Job 19:25-27

Daniel was told of it by an angel:

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.  Daniel 12:2

Isaiah prophesied of it:

Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.  Isaiah 26:19

By saying that He was the resurrection and the life, Jesus was clearly stating that He was the Messiah, the Son of God, the source of life. In addition to His words, Jesus provided the people with further evidence by raising many dead people back to life. The Bible tells us of several occurrences including the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), the daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:40-56), Lazarus (John 11:1-44), and many saints immediately following His own resurrection (Matt. 27:52-53).

Because of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, all who trust in Him have the promise of resurrection and eternal life.

This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  John 6:39-40

I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.  John 14:6

We looked at how Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life in the section above, so in this next section, we’ll focus on the other two concepts in this statement: Jesus is the Way and the Truth.

Once again, the people would have associated the terms “way” and “truth” with God. After God had delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He provided the way through the Red Sea and He showed them the way to the Promised Land.

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.  Exodus 13:21

“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.”  Exodus 23:20-21

The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.  Deuteronomy 1:30-33

Many verses in Psalms, Proverbs, and the Prophets show that the people understood God’s way was to be followed.

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.  Psalm 25:8-9

Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.  Psalm 27:11

God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.  Psalm 67:1-2

The way of the LORD is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.  Proverbs 10:29

In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.  Proverbs 12:28

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.”  Isaiah 48:17

They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.  Jeremiah 32:38-39

The Scriptures also show that the people would have understood that truth comes from God.

Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.  Psalm 31:5

Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle.  Psalm 43:3

He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.  Psalm 57:3

But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, hear me in the truth of Your salvation.  Psalm 69:13

For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!  Psalm 117:2

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus leads the way for believers to find the truth of God and the gift of eternal life.

I Am the Vine

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:1, 5

This statement of Jesus is interesting as historically the nation of Israel was referred to as a vine throughout the Scriptures. The people would have recognized this term as referring to themselves, God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel.

You have brought a vine out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations, and planted it. Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; look down from heaven and see, and visit this vine and the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, and the branch that You made strong for Yourself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.  Psalm 80:8, 14-16

Now let me sing to my Well-beloved a song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.  Isaiah 5:1-2

Yet I had planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality. How then have you turned before Me into the degenerate plant of an alien vine?  Jeremiah 2:21

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will set My face against them. They will go out from one fire, but another fire shall devour them. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I set My face against them. Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have persisted in unfaithfulness,’ says the Lord God.”  Ezekiel 15:6-8

Israel empties his vine; he brings forth fruit for himself. According to the multitude of his fruit he has increased the altars; according to the bounty of his land they have embellished his sacred pillars. Hosea 10:1

However, the vine of Israel rebelled and failed to stay true to God. Because of this, they needed a Savior, a Messiah, to be the true vine instead. Jesus, the true vine, always followed the will of God. 

Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; look down from heaven and see, and visit this vine and the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, and the branch that You made strong for Yourself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance. Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; revive us, and we will call upon Your name.  Psalm 80:14-18

Jesus is the man of God’s right hand, the Son of Man who was sent to be the true vine, to bear fruit which no one can produce apart from Him.

In summary, the 7 “I am…” statements of Jesus are declarations that He is the Messiah, the One who was prophesied of throughout the history of the nation of Israel. The people at that time would have understood the terms used in these statements and associated them with God. 

Jesus made one other “I am” statement when He was being questioned by the priests shortly before the crucifixion:

But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”  Mark 14:61-62

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