We pick up our study of the Gospel of John at verse 23 of Chapter 8. But let me give you a little background of where Jesus is coming from as He tries to tell the Jewish religious leaders at the Festival of Tabernacles in Judea, who He is:
In chapter three of the Book of Exodus, we have the story of God’s call to Moses to be the one who would deliver the children of Israel from the bondage of slavery. “Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’ 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.’…”This is my name forever; the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 13-14, 15)
Now back to the Gospel of John: “But He continued, ‘You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I Am He, you will indeed die in your sins.” “Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. (John 8: 23-25)
God had told Moses that I AM, is the name by which He was to be remembered from generation to generation. That is who He is, and He will never cease to be. I AM is our Abba Father, and He will never forsake us. And just as He had sent Moses to set His people free from bondage, and give them the Law, He had sent Jesus to set His people free from the Law because it had served its purpose, and was now being terribly abused by the Religious Leaders to control and manipulate. Jesus was telling the Leaders, who should have known the words of Father God, that HE was the I AM. For when they asked Him “Who are you?”, He did not answer “who”, but rather He said “Just WHAT I have been telling you from the beginning.” Not Who I AM, What I AM.
Jesus was I AM in person. The full Deity, -Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,- in the mortal body of this man called Jesus. (Colossians 1: 15,16, and 2:9.) He told them clearly that they were from below, that is the clay they were formed from into the natural body, and that He was from above. That they were of this world, and He was not of this world. He had come down from heaven, that He was THE I AM, and that He could set them free from their sins, and give them eternal life if they believed in Him. The promised Messiah IS the Great I AM Himself.
So it is for us, God’s Beloveds. When we believe that Jesus came from above and that He is above ALL things; that He is I AM Himself; that He is our Messiah, our Savior, and ask Him into our heart as Lord, we are set free from sin and death. As we say ‘yes’ to Him, and walk with Him and He walks ‘with’ and ‘in’ us, He says ‘yes’ to our every need. Body, soul, and spirit. It comes in His time, and in His way as we grow daily in His righteousness, and power, and love, and knowledge of Him. Let us say, “I believe”, and ask and receive Him into every part of our life. Let there be nothing held back. Let Him love you UNCONDITIONALLY through and through, inside and out. Let Him deliver you. HE will. He IS the I AM.