This summer, as a camp, we explored several of the I AM statements made by Jesus in the book of John. It was a wonderful way for campers to dive into who Jesus really is. As we understand Jesus and his love for us, we start to then recognize how we can love others in the same way. The word pictures and metaphors given by Jesus to explain who he is helped campers understand their relationship to Jesus more deeply.
Of course, if you are going to study the I AM statements of Jesus, the first place to start is actually the book of Exodus when Moses sees a burning bush in the desert. When he goes to investigate, he finds a bush that is on fire but is not consumed. He is standing in the very presence of God. And through the bush, God speaks to Moses. God asks Moses to go back to Egypt, where God’s people are enslaved, and demand that Pharaoh let them go. “What shall I say when they ask me the name of my God?” Moses asks. “Who shall I say sent me?” And God replies simply, “I AM.” It sounds less like a name and more like a statement or a description. But God was telling Moses, “I AM eternal, uncreated, ultimate, and unchallenged. Before the world was, I AM. Nothing has life apart from me. I AM the only one, I AM the only true God, not Pharaoh.”
When Jesus enters the scene thousands of years later, he begins to respond to the people’s questions with these I AM statements, bringing to mind for his hearers God’s name. By sharing the I AM statements with the crowds, Jesus was making a bold claim—the He was also God. And through these statements, he demonstrated the character of God.
On Monday, we studied the I AM statement “I am the light of the world.” Campers went on a nature hike to look at the way plants respond to light. They identified plants and trees that had grown to physically face the light. They identified areas where lack of sunlight had limited growth. And through these examples in nature, they learned about how the light of Jesus is what gives us life. Campers then dove into Jesus statement that “we are the light of the world.” We talked about what it means to bring life-giving light to our worlds.
On Tuesday, we studied the I AM statement “I am the bread of life.” Campers learned about the crowds of people who followed after Jesus because they were looking for things that would satisfy them temporarily—healing, food, blessing. But Jesus promised them something greater when He said that He was the bread of life and all who partook in Him would never go hungry again. He promised them life that would never run out, eternal life. Campers discussed how hunger pangs can tell us of our need. We have physical hunger, but we also have spiritual hunger. Only Jesus can satisfy our spiritual hunger.
On Wednesday, we studied the I AM statement “I am the Good Shepherd.” They looked at how shepherds care for their sheep, even putting their own lives in danger to protect them and keep them from harm. We talked about how Jesus is a Good Shepherd to us by dying in our place and providing us forgiveness and redemption from sins. On this day, we saw God’s compassion, love, and unrelenting pursuit of those of us who are God’s sheep. We learned that God will never abandon or forsake us.
On Thursday, we studied the I AM statement, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Through the story of Jesus raising his friend Lazarus from the dead, we learned that through Jesus, we have both physical and spiritual resurrection. Just because God is slow to answer prayers sometimes, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t hear us or listen to us. God is always working for the good of those who love him. Again, on this day, campers were able to go on a nature hike to identify resurrection narratives in creation around them such as leaves that die in the fall and are reborn in the Spring.
On Friday, we studied the I AM statement, “I am the vine.” We learned that just like a vine of a plant brings nourishment to the branches, when we are connected to Jesus, we receive nourishment and love. We will produce fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, not by our own power, but by an outpouring of the work of the Spirit working in an through us.
There are actually two more I AM statements that we didn’t have time to cover this week. These include “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” and “I am the gate.” We’d encourage you to look up those passages as a family at home to keep learning more about who Jesus is and what that means for us!
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