What Did Jesus Mean When He Said 'I Am'?
- Lori Stanley Roeleveld Contributing Writer
- Updated Apr 02, 2024
What does Jesus mean when He uses the phrase “I am” to describe himself? Is there biblical significance to this, and is He invoking this significance every time He uses it? To understand the “I am” meaning, it’s wise to explore where it first appeared in the Bible and then to study not only when Jesus used the phrase but also to observe how others reacted to His use of “I am.”
When Is the First Time the Bible Uses the Phrase “I Am”?
In Exodus 3, Moses is confronted by a burning bush on Mount Horeb. Exodus 3:2 describes what Moses saw: “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” (ESV)
During this exchange, God tells Moses that He has seen the suffering of His people in Egypt and the time has come for their deliverance. He informs Moses that Moses has been chosen to appear before Pharaoh and that he will be the one to lead God’s people to deliverance.
Moses doesn’t feel up to such a task. He has, after all, spent 40 years in self-imposed exile after murdering an Egyptian slave driver who was abusing an Israelite. Moses is an Israelite, but Pharaoh’s daughter raised him. He hasn’t spent his life among his people and says he speaks poorly. He responds to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11 ESV)
God promises to be with Moses and tells him the sign of assurance will be that they shall serve God on this very mountain once Moses has delivered the people out of Egypt. Moses asks God what he will say to the people when he goes to them to tell them he will deliver them in God’s name, and they ask him what the name of this God is.
God replies in Exodus 3:14: “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (ESV) As most study Bibles note, this pivotal phrase means “I am what I am” or “I will be what I will be.” This name of God was precious to the Israelites and would have been known by even the youngest child old enough to learn the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
Why Does “I Am” Have a Special Meaning?
In Hebrew, the word God used in Exodus 3:14, hāyâ, means “to be or to exist.” By it, God is saying that He is eternal and that His existence does not depend on anyone or anything. He was not created. He is without beginning and has no end. “I am,” meaning I was, I am, and I am to come.
This holy name is sometimes written in its Latinized version as Jehovah. The Hebrews used just four letters or YHWY (what some modern believers pronounce as Yahweh).
“I am” is an assurance that God is ever-present. He promised to be with Moses and was present with His people. As He was present with them in the past, He is present with us now because He does not change. “I am” remains and always will.
In Greek, “I am” is translated ἐγώ εἰμι, ego eimi. According to Gary Manning Jr. of Biola University, Jesus only uses this phrase directly to refer to His deity in three instances (John 6:19-20, John 8:58, and John 18:6-8). In these three cases, the phrase does not have a “predicate nominative,” a noun completing the meaning.
Manning notes that the other recorded times when Jesus uses “I am” about Himself do not exclusively focus on Jesus’ deity. They focus on another aspect of His identity.
However, they do have predicate nominatives in places like John 6:35: “I am the bread of life.” Here, “the bread of life” is a predicate nominative. Other examples are John 8:12, John 10:7-9, John 10:11, 14, John 11:25, John 14:6, and John 15:1-5. These are often called the “seven I am statements” in John: I am the bread of life, the light of the world, the door of the sheep, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, and the true vine.
All of these I am statements are significant. We must focus on what Jesus is saying about Himself in each one. It’s interesting to note these instances all come from John’s gospel. The apostle wrote to present a record of Jesus’ activities as other gospels did and to defend Jesus’ deity against false teachers.
John clarifies this in his opening: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5 ESV)
While the 10 “I am” instances may have distinct purposes, they are all essential truths about Christ revealed by Jesus himself.
Where Does Jesus First Use “I Am” for Himself?
In John 6:16-21, the disciples rowed a boat to Capernaum in the middle of a storm. They were frightened when they saw Jesus walking near them on the water. “But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” (John 6:20 ESV)
This is the first appearance of the phrase ego eimi, I am. Jesus is clearly doing something only God could do: walking on water. Job refers to God’s authority over even the waves in Job 9:8, “who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea.”
The disciples were reassured once Jesus spoke these words and took Him into the boat. Then John writes that “immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” (John 6:2) This could indicate an instance of miraculous travel.
Not much further in John 6:35, John records the first of the “I am” statements with predicate nominatives:
Jesus says to a crowd, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” The crowd considered this a statement about His origin: John 6:41-42 states that they grumble about Him calling Himself “the bread that came down from heaven.” They don’t apparently accuse Him of blasphemy in this instant.
When Jesus uses the “I am phrase” again, it is in John 8, at the end of a long and contentious debate with the Jews gathered at the temple. The discussion took a dangerous turn, which pivoted on the utterance of ego eimi.
“‘Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.’ So the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” (John 8:56-59 ESV)
In this instance, the “I am” phrase is clearly a reference to Jesus’ divinity, hence the unsuccessful move to stone Him.
Did People See What Jesus Meant When He Said “I Am He”?
Clearly, from the reaction of the Jews who heard Jesus make the I am statement in John 8, they understood Him to be using the same statement that appeared in Exodus 3:14. The statement incited them to stone Him for blasphemy.
The other notable reaction to Jesus’ use of the phrase comes at Jesus’ arrest in John 18. In verses 4-6, John writes, “Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’ They answered him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am he.’ Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, ‘I am he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.” (ESV)
The reaction of the guard sent to arrest Jesus indicates they understood He was using a phrase of divinity about Himself or the phrase itself carried such power at that moment they fell to the ground at its utterance.
Who Do You Say Jesus is?
It’s important when exploring this biblical topic that it moves beyond a linguistic, translation, or research exercise. Who Jesus said He is and His statements indicating He and the Father are One carry truth that can change lives. John emphasizes these statements to be sure readers understand that while Jesus was human, He was also fully God.
The other three gospels record Jesus asking His disciples, “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” (Luke 9:20, Matthew 16:15, and Mark 8:29).
Since Jesus is the Great I Am, the God of ages who was, who is, and who is to come, what is He to you? If Jesus is the bread of life, the light of the world, the door of the sheep, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, and the true vine, what does that mean for your life? Are you living life with the eternal God or ignoring the One who created you? Are you following the One who came to deliver us from our sins and lead us into eternal life?
Everyone must one day answer this question. Today can be the day you decide.
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/KatarzynaBialasiewicz
This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.
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