Daily Thoughts: I Am

Monday, April 13, 2026

Who Are You?

"Jesus said, I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." Mark 14:62

"I AM"

God said these words to Moses in Exodus 3:14, "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.’ ” God established His identity to the Israelites at that time. They would forever know that "I AM" means the sovereign Lord, Yahweh, Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. No mortal could make such a statement, a claim of divinity, as to declare equality with the Father.

Yet, in Mark, as well as Matthew 18:20, 28:20, and John 8:58, Jesus claims this very thing. It ends up being the final straw that condemns him to the cross. Standing before the High Priest, Caiaphas, with Pharisees and Sadducees all around, they point-blank asked him, and in his response set his fate. Their claims of blasphemy resounded through the halls that night, and without haste, they moved to have him judged by Pontius Pilate.

Pundits will say Jesus never claimed to be God. This argument is empty, though, because they don't take the time to study the completeness of the scriptures. Jesus made claims throughout his ministry that were relevant to the audience at that time. These Jewish leaders knew without a doubt that Jesus was claiming to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God. In their understanding, this meant he was claiming to be equal to God the Father, and have the authority of God the Father. Yet, they knew him as a humble man, from a small fishing village in the north, Nazareth, and the son of Mary and Joseph. They could not in their simple minds, piece together the fullness of God's plan of redemption through this humble man. They had seen him turn over the tables, argue pointedly with the Pharisees on the temple mount, and call them all hypocrites in the public square. They despised him in his ministry for accomplishing miracle after miracle to the point that their authority had been challenged.

When Jesus claimed I AM, they had one of three thoughts. 1) He was truly who he claimed, and they had been accused justly, therefor he was a threat to their authority, or 2) He was a deceiver, a con man, and therefore a threat to the children of God, or 3) He was crazy, insane, and needed to be removed. Because of his wisdom of scriptures and his previous preaching in the temple, they knew he wasn't insane. We all know they pressed in to have him crucified, claiming option 2 as their reason. There must have been some concern amongst them, though that option 1 was a real possibility. They had witnessed his miracles, they had witnessed his parables, they had witnessed his preaching, they had taught him in the synagogues as a young man, and were astounded by his wisdom. They had respected his faith right up to the point that he started accusing them of unrighteousness.

I feel many of us are the Pharisees of today. We believe we know the heart of God and what God would say in any situation, based on our understanding of the scriptures. But, do we really? There is only one authority over heaven and earth, and we are not it. Jesus claimed to be the great I AM. When he returns, he will judge the righteous and unrighteous. Until then, we are to live by his words of truth and love our neighbor as ourselves. Condemnation is the Lord's; we are here to serve and love. Let us not fall into the trap of the Pharisees by allowing our perception of right/wrong and righteousness to become a judgment over our neighbor.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

I AM WHO I AM

Read It, Learn It, Live it, Share It

“God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM' has sent me to you." – Exodus 3:4

Cassius Clay was not a humble man. As a matter of fact, to this day he is quite boastful and filled with pride and arrogance. It was a necessity in his line of work. In life he became world renown for his rope-a-dope and his fancy footwork. He fought hard to win his place in the hearts and minds of people all over the world through the sport of boxing. You might know him more formally as Muhammad Ali, arguably the best boxer of all time. He actually published a book and an audio recording titled, I Am the Greatest, in which he proclaimed himself to be the greatest boxer in history. In his career he won 56 times, and only lost 5; the last time in 1981. He is now 70 years old and doesn’t quite “float like a butterfly or sting like a bee” (a famous quote from his boxing days), but his record has stood the test of time, even though he has slowed in his maturity. He still boasts of his past, and still holds true to his words, I Am the Greatest. Is he? It’s certainly debatable, and many could argue soundly on both sides, but the truth remains – it’s only boxing.

One man stood in a courtyard, beaten and bloodied one day many years ago. He stood amongst a crowd of enemies and was spit upon and ridiculed. He was posed this question from his accusers; “Are you the King of the Jews?” to which Jesus replied, “Yes, it is as you say.” (Mark 15:2 They charged him with blasphemy and after flogging him mercilessly, they led him off to be crucified. Unable to accept that the Messiah walked amongst them, they feared his presence in their midst. He wasn’t a rebel like the others who had come before him, in the sense that the others had wanted to overthrow the government by violent means. He came in peace, love and the word of God was constantly upon his lips. They were unable to find any unrighteousness in his actions, so why were they blind and afraid of this man? He spoke the truth, that is why. He saw into the hearts and minds of the leaders in that day and called them out for their iniquities. He challenged them to clean their own soul before they tried to “save” and lead others to Jehovah.

Jesus claimed the following:- "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;"
- "You are from beneath; I AM from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”
- "I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
- "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."
- "I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."
- "I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep”
- "do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
- "I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”
- "I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
- "I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”
- 'He said, "I am the King of the Jews."'
- "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

Having made all of these claims during his life, we are led to believe that: a) he was delusional, b) he was a liar or c) he was telling the truth. If a) then he would have been banished to a remote area of Israel to live amongst others who were likewise delusional or crazed. If b) then his legend would have died with him, for who would have continued telling the lie to the point of their own death after he was crucified. If c) then we each need to take a stand for his truth and follow his examples, his teaching and commandments. Jesus, self proclaimed in truth, his divinity. He was challenged by the Pharisees, the Priests, the people on the street, the Rulers and even his disciples. Yet, through his actions, his love, his death and resurrection he consistently demonstrated the truth in his claims.

Each of us must decide which of these we believe. I wholeheartedly, without a doubt, believe option C. Jesus Christ, is the Son of God, and my Savior and Lord. What do you believe?