Jesus made seven “I am” statements recorded in the book of John. We come across His final “I am“ statement right after the last supper and prior to His crucifixion. In John 15:1-8, He says, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.” “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” This statements come on the heels of Jesus telling His disciples, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—(John 14:16) and “I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20).
The True Vine “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Abide means to “remain, abide, stay, wait”, a term Jesus used to describe His relationship with His Father and the relationship we have with the Holy Spirit. “Stick with Me”, Jesus is telling His disciples, “Wait for my resurrection. The next few hours are going to be the most difficult thing you will experience, but abide in Me, remain in Me, as I abide in My Father.”
We too must “Stick with Jesus”, as it is they way in which we too will get through the toughest aspects of life. We remain in Him and He in us, so when trials hit, our source of strength is found in Him and we are attached to the Vine that cannot be uprooted.
The seven “I am” statements of Jesus tell us who He is in our lives and how we can trust in and rely on Him in all circumstance.
- Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35) Only in Jesus is our spiritual hunger and thirst satisfied. “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive” (John 7:37-39).
- When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Jesus will illuminate our lives when we follow Him. He brings clarity and opens our eyes to the spiritual truths found in the Bible.
- “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.” (John 10:9) Jack Kelly writes, “This is a reference to the Kingdom and recalls the words of Psalm 23:2, “He makes me lie down in green pasture.” Salvation is found through Jesus, He is the gate to the Kingdom, and no one can enter except through Him (John 3:3, John 14:6). Having entered through Him, we will have the freedom to come and go as we please, dwelling in a state of peace in the midst of plenty. Surely goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).”
- “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) Jesus has laid down His life for all the world, to bring restoration and forgiveness. We are given the choice, to accept Him as our Shepherd and receive His eternal care, or reject Him and remain separated from His eternal love and grace.
- Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26) Only through Jesus can we live forever in His presence. He has done it all, paid it all, provided it all for us, and all we must do is believe in Him.
- Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) There is no other name by which humanity can be saved. Jesus is it.
- “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) Once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we abide with Him and He in us. We are sustained through Him. Our nourishment is found in Him. He is our tether in the storms of life and we produce fruit for His glory and His kingdom through Him.
Jesus’ “I am” statements succinctly tell us our need and in Whom our need is met. We need Him. He is our nourishment. He is our light and guide through life. He is the only way into heaven. He is our provider, protector, and Good Shepherd. He gives us resurrection life. He is the only way to God the Father. He is our vine and our root system; in Him we grow and are nourished.