Meaning of I Am

 

In the Book of Exodus, Moses is tending his father-in-law Jethro's flock in the land of Midian when he sees a bush that is on fire, but does not burn up. Moses goes over to the burning bush to investigate, and the voice of God calls to him. God explains that he has seen how miserable his chosen people, the Hebrews, are in Egypt, where they are being held as slaves. God has come down from heaven to rescue them. He picks Moses to carry out that task.

God told Moses that he was going to Egypt to bring his people out of slavery. If the Pharaoh were to ask which God sent him, Moses was to say “This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'"

God refers to himself as “I Am” to indicate that he can become what we need him to become. In the case of delivering the Israelites out of Egypt, God would become what they needed him to become.'

***

When they came to arrest Jesus, Jesus initially asked who they were looking for. He was told "Jesus". That's when Jesus said, "I am." It might lead one to speculate if there is some sort of a parallel with that answer. After all, when God directed Moses to say, "I am" sent him. 

***

When Jesus was hung on the cross, they had written the inscription. “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”. The Jews demanded that instead the words "I am the King of the Jews" be put on there. It's a very interesting observation. Surely there is a parallel. In both cases, the use of the word "I am" is a powerful declaration of identity. Jesus is declaring that he is the Son of God, and God is declaring that he is the one true God. The fact that the Jews demanded that the inscription on the cross be changed to "I am the king of the Jews" is also significant. It shows that they understood who Jesus was (at least on a subconscious level even though they demanded he be crucified). They knew that he was claiming to be God, and they were afraid of what that meant. 

The use of the word "I am" in the Bible is a very important one. It is a reminder that God is the one true God, and that Jesus is his Son. It is also a reminder of the power of Jesus' words.