About The I AM As Jesus Speaks For Himself

[Walter and Deborah]

Monday 10-24-22 2nd. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Tishri 27 5783 33rd. Fall Day

Christ Witnesses To The Woman At The Well John Four:1-26, I AM The Light Of The World John Eight:1-59, Christ Heals The Blind Man John Nine:1-41, I AM The Good Shepherd John Ten:1-42,

Christ Raises Lazarus John Eleven:1-44, The Messiah Teaches John Twelve:23-50, Christ Washes The Disciples Feet John Thirteen:1-38.


Love, Walter

[JohnD]

I AM the Shepherd the good (one) is how the text appears in Greek. 

Yet further evidence that there will be a shepherd the bad (one) who will claim to be the Messiah of Israel.

 

[farouk]

John 10 is a wonderful passage which ties in with the Shepherd Psalm, No. 23.......

[JohnD]

6 hours ago, farouk said:

John 10 is a wonderful passage which ties in with the Shepherd Psalm, No. 23.......

Also the contrasts to the worthless shepherd of Zechariah 11:17 which many regard as the only physical description of the antichrist.

[JohnD]

Every time Jesus said "I am" he was stating that he is the Great I AM.

John 18:1–9 (KJV)
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
2 And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples.
3 Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons.
4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?
5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.
6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
7 Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:
9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

"he" does not appear in the original Greek but is added in by English translators for textual smoothness. Good translations will make a note of it or italicize it.

The first time he admitted to being the I AM it bowled over the guards! LOL But he wasn't there to squash fleas, but to submit to them and his destiny on the cross.... 

I AM the Bread of Life (John 6:35 / 48)

I AM the Way the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) 

If you believe not that I AM, you will die in your sins! (John 8:24) ← again with the italicized "he" meaning it's not in the original text

Jesus made many I AM statements claiming to be YHVH (the LORD).

[farouk]

4 hours ago, JohnD said:

Also the contracts to the worthless shepherd of Zechariah 11:17 which many regard as the only physical description of the antichrist.

I love the Hebrews 13 passage about 'that Great Shepherd of the sheep', also.

[Roymond]

On 11/19/2022 at 3:52 PM, JohnD said:

I AM the Shepherd the good (one) is how the text appears in Greek. 

Yet further evidence that there will be a shepherd the bad (one) who will claim to be the Messiah of Israel.

 

Possibly.  But here's the situation:  Jesus is still standing and facing down the Pharisees who are angry over the healing of the blind man.  Remember that the Old Testament speaks repeatedly of God as the One Who shepherds Israel, and that Jesus has just spoken of spiritual blindness.  The Pharisees have been maneuvering in order to preserve their power.  Jesus talks about sheep and shepherds and thieves and robbers, an apparent jump in topic, leaving the Pharisees wondering what He's on about now.  So Jesus speaks right to them, and I imagine it this way:  He tells them "I am the shepherd", and pauses, looking them in the eye, the gathered crowd watching Jesus, watching the Pharisees who see themselves as the shepherds of Israel, and Jesus adds, "the good one".  Give the confrontation, Jesus is drawing everyone's minds to the words of Ezekiel where God condemns the shepherds of Israel for not feeding or caring for God's sheep.  And as Jesus continues, He uses language from Ezekiel 34, speaking of Himself as the good shepherd, implying that the Pharisees are the bad shepherds that prophet spoke of.  And everyone's minds would have leapt ahead† to the verse that follows the condemnation of the bad shepherds:

 For thus saith the Lord God, "Behold, I will seek out my sheep, and will visit them."

Did you catch that?  The Pharisees certainly did:  by saying He is the good shepherd, he has contrasted Himself to the Pharisees, calling them bad shepherds, and He lets His audience take His words to the next step -- and that next step is that Jesus just claimed to be the Lord God who has sought out His sheep and is "visiting" them.

He just claimed to be God, and they knew it. 

And worse, to their minds, He had just drawn a line: on one side, they were the bad shepherds Ezekiel spoke of; on the other, Jesus was the Shepherd of Israel.  Remember where Jesus says that anyone who is not with Him is against Him?  He just tossed down a gauntlet that challenges them to decide whether to acknowledge Him and become at least acceptable shepherds of Israel, or to reject Him and condemn themselves.  He has just declared that the judgment from Ezekiel has come to pass, that God was turning against the bad shepherds who were only interested in feeding themselves instead of feeding the sheep.

The text continues that the Pharisees and the crowd broke into groups arguing about what Jesus had just said.  And in the minds of the astute another passage of the Old Testament would come to the surface, and they would have shuddered as they remembered:

"Choose this day whom you shall serve."

And Jesus had just announced that He was the One on one side of that choice.

. - = - .

† teaching a lesson without stating the final point but rather letting the audience understand that point on their own was a common way that rabbis used for their students and sometimes for a wider audience.  Part of the intent was that only those who could make the right conclusion would understand, because once a student understood or knew the lesson he became responsible for living according to it.