13 - CHAPTER TEN

THE JEHOVISTIC TITLES OF CHRIST “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am “ (John 8:58). The Bible records many statements concerning the deity of Christ, but perhaps none were so impressive to the early church as those which identified Him with Jehovah in the Old Testament. Although the name “Jehovah” was used before the time of Moses, it was not until then that God revealed the uniqueness of its meaning (Exo 6:3). It was the covenant name of God in the Old Testament and a form of the verb “to be” repeated twice. When Moses maintained he did not know the name of God, God revealed His name as “I AM THAT I AM” (Exo 3:14). Jehovah is the I am. This name is printed in the English Bible by the title “LORD,” in which all four letters are capitalized.

“Jehovah” was the most respected name of God in the Old Testament. When scribes were copying the Scriptures and came to this name, they would change their clothes and find a new pen and fresh ink to write the name. They refused even to pronounce the name as they read the Scriptures; they substituted for it the name Adonai. As a result of this misguided expression of reverence, considerable debate has arisen over the actual pronunciation of the name. Although most conservative theologians argue it should be pronounced Je-hov-ah, many liberal teachers argue it should be pronounced Yah-weh. It is impossible to resolve this debate now at a time when the name has remained unpronounced for generations. Even if the Hebrew language included vowels, our task of deciding about how to pronounce this name would be difficult. Dialects change within languages over years of use, so that the same word pronounced one way today may sound totally different two hundred years from today. If we did not know the history of the region, it would be hard for us to believe that the original settlers of the Southeastern United States spoke English with a thick British accent. Over the years and generations since they first settled, they have developed their own unique dialect of English. The same thing no doubt happened to the Hebrew language over a long period.

Jesus used the expression “I am” in eight contexts within the Gospel of John in which He revealed something about His character as Jehovah. The Greek words which John used on those occasions, ego eimi, emphatically draw attention to their significance. The following listing identifies the eight contexts in which Jesus called Himself “I am” and is the group of names which this chapter discusses: THE JEHOVISTIC NAMES OF JESUS IN THE GOSPEL OF John 1:1-51. I AM the Bread of Life John 6:35 2. I AM the Light of the World John 8:12 3. I AM the Door John 10:9 4. I AM the Good Shepherd John 10:11 5. I AM the Resurrection and the Life John 11:25 6. I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life John 14:6 7. I AM the True Vine John 15:1, John 15:5 8. I AM ... I AM John 4:26; John 8:58; John 18:5-6, John 18:8 THE BREAD OF LIFE The Jews widely believed they would recognize the Messiah because He would find the lost ark of the covenant hidden by Jeremiah and produce the jar of manna hidden therein. Hence, Messiah would be identified with manna or bread. Also, the Jews thought that being a Prophet like unto Moses (Deu 18:15) meant He would produce the bread from heaven. One rabbinical saying declared, “As was the first redeemer, so was the final redeemer; as the first redeemer caused the manna to fall from heaven, even so shall the second redeemer cause the manna to fall.” Further the Jews thought that manna would be the food in the kingdom of God. In the Jewish mind, manna excited Messianic expectations. In light of this cultural context, it is not surprising that those who were one day ready to declare Jesus to be the Messiah should the next day raise the subject of manna. Twice in a meeting with Jesus, they requested that Jesus produce this manna (John 6:30-31, John 6:34). In response, Jesus identified Himself as the manna when he declared, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). In the discourse in which He revealed this Jehovistic title, Jesus explained He was the bread of everlasting life (John 6:32-34), the bread of satisfying life (John 6:35-36), the bread of resurrection life (John 6:37-47), and the bread of indwelling life (John 6:48-59).

Just as a person eats bread to sustain his physical life, so the Christian must “eat” the Bread of Life to sustain his spiritual life. In His address on the Bread of Life, Jesus used two different verbs for eating, showing two responses to the Bread. First, He used the verb phagein, always in an aorist tense and with reference to eternal life (John 6:50-53). When a person receives Christ as Saviour, he is, in this context, “eating his flesh.” This is a reference to “onceand-for-all” salvation. The second verb, trogon, is a present active participle, which emphasizes a continual or habitual eating. It was used of munching on fruit, vegetables, or cereals. The change in tense which accompanies the change in verb emphasizes the continual satisfying of a spiritual appetite through constantly or habitually munching on the Bread of Life (John 6:54, John 6:56-58). If the first act of once-and-for-all eating speaks of our salvation, this constant munching speaks of our uninterrupted communion with Christ. THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD On several occasions the religious leaders in Jerusalem tried to destroy Jesus. One attempt involved bringing to Him a woman caught in the act of adultery and calling on Him to pass judgment. It created for the Lord what they thought was an impossible situation. If He condemned her as required by the Law, the people would be disappointed and stop following Him. If He failed to uphold the Law, He was guilty of teaching contrary to Moses and could be thrown out of the Synagogue and stoned for blasphemy. Jesus upheld the Law in its true spirit by bringing conviction to the woman’s accusers and salvation to the guilty woman. At the same time He increased His already growing popularity with the common people.

Immediately following that incident, Jesus announced, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). That simple statement was rich in meaning in the context in which it occurs in this Gospel. Jesus uttered it in the court of the women, where He had been teaching. At that place were located the four golden candelabra, each with four golden bowls. As part of the previous week’s celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, these bowls had been filled with oil and lighted. Contemporary observers affirmed that the light was so brilliant as to illuminate the entire city of Jerusalem. Those who gathered around Jesus that morning would no doubt still remember the spectacle of the night before. By calling Himself “the light of the world, “ Jesus may have been alluding to the cloud/pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness. The ceremonial illumination of a temple was a reminder to the people of that cloud/pillar. Most Jews would have considered that phenomenon a theophany, a manifestation of God Himself. If Jesus was thinking of this background, then His claim to be the Light of the World is a clear title to deity.

Jesus may also have been referring to the rising of the sun. He had begun teaching very early in the morning-that is, just before sunrise (John 8:2). By the time Jesus made this claim, the sun would be bursting over the horizon. Because of the mountainous terrain, the sunrise in Palestine is sudden and spectacular. Within an hour, the degree of light changes from the darkest hour of the night to the brilliance of the day. It was this unique sunrise which caused David to compare the sun to “a bridegroom coming out of his chamber” (Psa 19:5).

Another possible context for better understanding Jesus’ statement about the light of the world is that of the Old Testament prophecies which associate the coming of the Messiah with light. On the preceding day, Nicodemus’ colleagues in the Sanhedrin had mildly rebuked him with the statement, “Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet” (John 7:52). It may be that Jesus called Himself “the light of the world” in order to remind these Jewish leaders of very important prophecies they seemed to have forgotten (Isa 9:1; Isa 42:6; Isa 49:6; Isa 60:1-3; Mal 4:2). These prophecies concerning the light specifically named Galilee as the place in which the light would particularly shine.

One other context clarifies the sense in which Jesus is uniquely the Light of the World. Jesus is the light that repels the sinner who will not repent of his sin but that attracts those sinners who will. In the confrontation prior to this statement, Jesus spoke so as to bring conviction to the self-righteous Jewish leaders who had sought to exploit the woman caught in the act of adultery. The word John uses in this context for “convicted” is elegchomenoi, literally meaning “to bring to the light and expose” (John 8:9). It describes the act of holding a letter to a lamp so as to see what was inside. Jesus was the Light of the World in the sense that He could hold up men’s lives to the light to expose the sin hidden deep within. When He convicts of sin and men are not willing to repent, they cannot remain in His presence. Many people today are trying to run from God because they are convicted of some sin for which they will not repent.

Jesus is the Light of the World, and one of the primary functions of light is to shine so as to reveal what was otherwise hidden. Christ shines to reveal Himself (John 8:12-20), the Father (John 8:21-27), and the cross (John 8:28-30). He not only exposes the hidden sin in man but shows him how the sin problem can be ultimately resolved. He is the light in a world of moral darkness. THE DOOR When Jesus identified Himself as the door, He was comparing Himself to the purpose or function of a door (John 10:9). A door was the means by which the sheep entered into the fold . By way of application, Jesus is the door to the fold of salvation. In this context, He emphasizes the exclusiveness of Himself as Saviour by using the definite article he (“the”) and by identifying salvation exclusively with entering into the fold through that door. The Greek expression di’emou (“by me”) stands in an emphatic position so as to identify clearly the door by which men may find salvation.

There are at least three specific applications of this particular title of the Lord in the Christian life. “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (John 10:9). First, Jesus the Door provides salvation when we enter. Secondly, we have liberty to go in and out--in for salvation and out for service. Thirdly, we shall find spiritual food in Him. THE GOOD SHEPHERD

Jesus twice identified Himself as “the good shepherd” (John 10:11, John 10:14). In doing so, He used the Greek word kalos, which carried with it certain moral overtones. In classical Greek, this word was used to describe that which was beautiful, useful, auspicious, noble, wholesome, competent, and morally good. It would be correct to use any or all of these adjectives to describe the Good Shepherd. This word emphasizes the essential goodness of the Shepherd which, because it is evident to the observer, results in the Shepherd’s being admired, respected, and loved by others.

Many commentators believe this title is a reference to Jehovah Rohi of the Twenty-Third Psalm. The primary emphasis of the title, however, is the Shepherd’s giving His life for His sheep and, therefore, is probably better understood within the context of Psa 22:1-31, the first of the trilogy of Shepherd Psalms (Psa 22:1-31; Psa 23:1-6; Psa 24:1-10). The title “Shepherd” was a church name of Jesus, for Scripture occasionally identifies the church as the flock of God (1Pe 5:2). THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE When Jesus met with Martha just prior to the raising of her brother Lazarus from the dead, He introduced another of His Jehovistic names. “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). Martha had expressed her faith in the resurrection as a principle, but Jesus revealed to her the resurrection as a Person, that Person being Himself. One of the titles of Christ is “Life,” and Jesus is the resurrection because He is life in its fullest sense. This title carries with it a twofold promise for the believer. First, those who have experienced physical death shall rise to immortality. Second, none who believe shall be hurt in the second death. Although we commonly hear this title of Christ at funerals where these promises are repeated, they are conditional promises, and this name for Christ has meaning and benefit only to those who believe. THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE

Alone with His disciples on the last night of His life here on earth, Jesus revealed two additional Jehovistic titles. The first of these is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The Greek word hados literally means “road” or “highway.” In the context of the language of a journey, Jesus is the highway to Heaven. Further, He is the only highway to Heaven. The New Testament consistently teaches an exclusiveness with respect to Christ as the only Saviour. Christ claimed to be the only Saviour (John 14:6), and the disciples acknowledged it also (Acts 4:12). This description of Christ was so characteristic of the nature of New Testament Christianity that followers of Jesus were described as being “of the way” or “this way” (Acts 9:2; Acts 19:23; Acts 22:4; Acts 24:14, Acts 24:22).

Christ was not only the way but also the truth in its most absolute nature. He is the fountain and standard of truth. This was important to the Jews. One Jewish legend reports a group of rabbis were praying in order to determine the essential nature of God when God sent a scroll down from Heaven with the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet on it. These three letters spell the Hebrew word for “truth.” Although the story is no doubt apocryphal, it does serve to illustrate the importance of truth to the Jews, especially as an attribute of God. And Jesus is the life. He is unique among men in that He has life in Himself. He is described in the context of His resurrection as a “quickening” or life-giving spirit (1Co 15:45). Life is fundamental to His being and is described early in the fourth Gospel as the life which was the light of all men (John 1:4). THE TRUE VINE The second Jehovistic title Jesus revealed that night in the Upper Room was “I am the Vine” (John 15:1, John 15:5). Vineyards were so plenteous in Israel that the vine became a national symbol. A golden vine had been engraved over the temple-gate area, and it had been used on coins minted during the Maccabean revolt. Throughout the Old Testament, God had used the image of a vine or vineyard to describe the nation (Psa 80:8; Isa 5:1-7; Jer 2:21; Eze 15:1-8; Eze 19:10; Hos 10:1) . When Jesus called Himself the true vine, He was obviously drawing a parallel between Israel and Himself. The Greek word alethine, meaning “true,” is repeatedly used in the Gospel of John to distinguish the reality and genuineness of Jesus in contrast to that which is false and unreal. Although in the Old Testament God often talked of Israel as a vine, the image always appears in a negative sense. In contrast, Jesus is the real or genuine vine, a vine that is cared for and carefully pruned by the husbandman and a vine characterized by consistent fruit-bearing. Israel was never a vine like this; the nation was a spurious vine that produced sour grapes.

IAM...IAM The Greek expression ego eimi is used in the context of each of the above Jehovistic claims of Jesus. Simply using the verb eimi would have been enough if Jesus had wanted only to draw a parallel between Himself and something else, but the addition of ego to this expression draws attention to emphasis. On several occasions Jesus used the expression which includes an emphatic subject and verb but failed to supply the predicate (cf. John 4:26; John 8:58; John 18:5-6, John 18:8). This was not a failure on the part of Christ to complete a sentence but, rather, an affirmation of His being Jehovah (cf. Exo 3:14). On at least one occasion His statement was understood by those who heard it in this light, for they responded by picking up stones to kill Jesus for blasphemy (John 8:58-59). On another occasion, the uttering of this name was apparently accompanied by a revelation of His glory, which caused the soldiers who had come to arrest Him to fall back under His power (John 18:5-8). Jesus used this expression not just to assert His claims to be like Jehovah but to demonstrate that He was Jehovah.

CONCLUSION

Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. All of the names of Jehovah in the Old Testament, therefore, may be applied legitimately to Him (see appendix). He is the eternal contemporary who meets our every need. G. Campbell Morgan once suggested that we could better understand experientially the name Jehovah, I Am, if the verb “to be” were translated “to become.” The significance of this name is that Jehovah (Jesus) is and will become to us exactly what we need when we feel that need. In this sense, it is an intensely personal and subjective name of Jesus. What has Jesus become to you recently? For Discussion:

1. What is important about the I AM’s of the eight Jehovistic titles of Christ? How do they reflect His deity?

2. What is the purpose of bread? How does Christ fulfill this purpose for believers?

3. What did Christ mean when He described Himself as light?

4. Relate the function of a door to Christ’s ministry. What does it mean to go in and out?

5. How is Christ a good shepherd?

6. What twofold promise is extended because of Christ’s title of Resurrection and Life?

7. When Christ said “I am . . . I am,” what did He imply? What do we know about Christ because of these Jehovistic titles?