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In his gospel, the Apostle John had recorded eight occasions when Jesus had made metaphorical statements about Himself. In chapter one of this text however, the evidence to show that he had actually written the gospel by his name will first be presented. One should note from that discussion that this gospel has not always had his name associated with it. So there had initially been some room for doubt. One should also understand that not everyone agrees about when this gospel was written. So that will also be a matter for discussion. Finally, chapter one will also consider some of the very important reasons that this gospel was even written.
Following those discussions, chapter two will begin looking at each of the eight "I AM" statements. Jesus had initially said in John 6:35 that He is the bread of life. After that, He had said that He is the light of the world. He had said that He is the great "I AM." But the point to note about those three statements is that they had all been made during the first half of the last year of His public ministry. That is known because of John 6:4, which says, "And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh." That verse had referred to the third Passover of the four that Jesus had attended during His public ministry. It had also preceded His first "I AM" statement which, as was just indicated above, had been in John 6:35. After that, He had said that He is the door of the sheep. He had said that He is the good shepherd. Those statements had probably been in December. The final three of His "I AM" statements had been made either near the end of the final week or during the final week of His public ministry. In the matter with Lazarus and his sisters, Jesus had said that He is the resurrection and the life. A few days later, He had told His disciples that He is the way, the truth, and the life. Then before going to the cross, He had said that He is the true vine.
Those eight "I AM" statements only appear in the Gospel of John. So that means that John has given to the world descriptions of Jesus that are not available from any of the other gospels. So they are important because they help people understand more about Jesus in much the same way as the names of God in the Old Testament help one better understand more about Him. In fact, based upon the whole of scriptures, Jesus having said that He is the "I AM" during His discussion about Abraham with the Pharisees and Jewish people is probably the most important "I AM" statement of the eight. The reason is because it proves that He truly was and is the Lord and the Son of God.
There is one note, however, to be made with respect to the organization of this text. Something that the reader of this text might find useful is boxes that show the different passages that are being referenced at the times and in the places where they are being referenced. That way, he or she will not have to jump all over the place or get into or out of the scriptures to locate a particular reference. Hopefully that inclusion will help the reader in trying to understand the various events and to also put them into the right context. So it is hoped that that will make this book easier to read and that the Lord will receive the praise, honor, and glory that He rightfully deserves. In closing, the hope in writing this book will be that the reader will be drawn into a closer relationship with the Lord. He gave Himself on the cross at Calvary to pay the sin debt for everyone who will come to Him through faith in the right spirit and with the right attitude to be saved. So He is worthy of all consideration, acceptance, and worship.
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