Identity Crisis - The Great I AM

Exodus 3:13-15 Then Moses said to God, "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.'" Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.'"

This is the eternal and sacred name of the one true God. He is the great I AM WHO I AM.  This is known as the tetragrammaton, the name of the infinite God in just four letters - YHWH. It has been translated Yahweh and Jehovah. Orthodox Jews have such a high level of respect for this name, that they almost never write it down - instead they use the name Adonai, or Lord.

The translators of the King James Bible held the same type of respect for this name. When they came to the name of Yahweh, they translated it as LORD - all capitalized letters. If you see this word in the Old Testament, read it correctly. It isn't merely calling God "the Lord"...it is literally naming Him. I AM THAT I AM.

Before Abraham Was...

The Jews of Jesus' day had this same level of respect for this name. Their preferred term for God is Hashem (which means "The Name") or "The Blessed One." Using His name carelessly isn't something the Jewish leaders would tolerate in Jesus' day. And blaspheming that name would be a criminal offense - one that was punishable by death (if Rome would give their permission).

This became a major issue in Jesus' earthly ministry. Let's start by taking a look at John chapter 8:23-24 - And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."

This statement got the Jewish leaders thinking. First of all, this man just claimed to have come from above. And then, it seemed as if He just used the term "I AM" for Himself. (The word "HE" is italicized in the King James, which means it wasn't really there in the original text. Jesus literally said "I AM" not "I am He".) They figured that they must've misunderstood them. There's no way a such a great prophet could say something like that! So, in verse 25, they asked Jesus to clarify Himself: "Who are You?"

Well, the conversation didn't get any easier for them. Jesus used this title once again in verse 28: "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He..." (Once again, the word "He" was added by the translators.) Now they must've been even more confused, not only did Jesus call Himself the "I AM" again, but He also said that they would lift Him up? What could He have been talking about?

After some more arguing with Him, the Jews said in verse 53, "Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?"

In Jesus' response to that question, He said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad." Now they were sure of where this argument was going...they knew what this man was saying all along. And they were not happy about it.

They said in verse 57, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" This was probably more of a statement than a question. They were completely contradicting Jesus, "You are just a mere man...You're not Who You're making Yourself out to be!"

For a third time, Jesus used the name "I AM" - in the most understandable way possible: "Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." There was no mistaking it now, they knew exactly what Jesus was saying. In their mind, He had gone too far! If weren't for a miraculous escape, this crowd would've stoned Jesus to death.

The Arrest and Trial of the Great I AM

In John 18, we see another time Jesus took the name of I AM.

The High Priest sent temple guards to arrest Jesus in the garden. It's important to understand, these were not Roman soldiers, but Jewish men. These were the ones who had the responsibility of guarding the temple and the priests. They were men who were solidly rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. Tonight, they showed up to arrest a man that was accused of blasphemy.

When they arrived, Jesus asked them a question "Whom are you seeking?".

They answered, "Jesus of Nazareth."

It was a simple statement...but these men were not prepared for the response!

John 18:5-6 Jesus said to them, "I AM." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, "I AM," they drew back and fell to the ground.

The power contained in that name knocked these armed guards flat on their backs! Jesus had to stand there and wait for them to get back up on their feet so they could arrest Him!

When Jesus arrived to His trial, He was accused of all kinds ridiculous crimes and misdemeanors. The priests had found a bunch of trouble-makers to line up and lie about different ways Jesus had broken the law and deserved to be punished. But none of them could get their stories straight, and their testimonies were not enough for a guilty verdict.

Finally, the High Priest tried to goad Jesus into saying something that they could use against Him. He said this in Mark 14:61, "Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed?" Now, let's stop and think about this question for a minute...Neither of these statements would be a capital offense.

There were plenty of men who had claimed to be the Messiah. Sometimes they were believed and followed; other times they were laughed at and shamed. But no one had been executed for simply claiming to be the Messiah.

Also, there was no crime in calling yourself a "son of God". Most Jews at the time would say the same thing if they were asked. In fact, if we go back to John chapter 8, these same Jewish leaders declared, "We have one Father, God!" The Jewish nation at large believed (rightfully so) that they were God's children.

No, the High Priest wasn't trying to accuse Jesus of either of these things...he was fishing. He was trying to get Jesus to say something that they could jump on and condemn Him for. He didn't have to wait long...Jesus next words were exactly what they were hoping for. 

Mark 16:62 "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."

If you're like me, you've always read this verse as if Jesus was simply answering the High Priest's question about His identity of the Messiah. But that wouldn't explain the High Priest's response in verses 63-64, "Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, 'What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?' And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death."

As we've already said, claiming to be the Messiah or a son of God wouldn't be considered blasphemy. But, if a mere man were to take the sacred and eternal name of the I AM for himself...it would be! Jesus pulled no punches here; they asked if He were the Messiah, and He responded by calling Himself the great I AM!

Jesus was not confused about Who He was. He knew His divine identity, and He said it repeatedly. You can say He was right (because He is God).
You can say He was wrong (although that would make you wrong).

But you can never say that Jesus didn't claim to be God - the Yahweh of the Old Testament!