Sunday, March 29, 2020

30 New Days - Day 12

The 12th  day of a 30 day devotional Bible Study by the Rev. Tracy A. Siegman, Senior Pastor FCC, Covington, KY.  Shared with her gracious permission.

If you read the suggested passage each day, by the end of 30 days you will have read the entire New Testament.

Day 12
30-day reading plan: John 8 – 13

Daily Verse: John 8: 18
I am the one who testifies for myself, my other witness is the Father, who sent me.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, Moses is the first prophet called by God to speak a Divine word. When he is called by God to go speak to the Egyptian Pharoah to convince him to free the Hebrew slaves who have been crying out to God in their suffering, Moses asks, "Who should I say sent me?" God says tell them "I am who I am" (Exodus 3:14).

The Jewish Christians, to whom John writes, know that God's unspoken name is I Am. In the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals who He is in relationship to God by drawing on God's name, I Am. Seven times, Jesus says, "I am" and a metaphor for those listening to understand who He is as the Son of God.

In these sayings, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” (6:35), “I am the gate” (10:7), “I am the light of the world” (8:12), “I am the good shepherd” (10:11), “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25), “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6), and “I am the true vine” (15:1). In all of the “I am” sayings, Jesus tells us about His relationship with God.

In the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz, the gang journeys together along the yellow brick road to meet the great and powerful Oz. They are disappointed to find that it was all the show of a man, smoke and mirrors. Jesus is not just a man behind the curtain whose wisdom comes from age or miracles are just show. Jesus is the Son of God speaking the Truth and Wisdom of God and performing signs by the Power of God, because He is one with the Father.

Question for reflection:
Which of the “I Am” sayings helps you best understand Jesus’ relationship to God?

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