Jesus is the Great "I AM"

It is often puzzling to observe how many of us Catholics, even practicing ones, are not aware that Jesus is God!  But this is the key to the entire work of salvation.  The reason why the Sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross is perfect is precisely because he is God and therefore All Perfect.

The Church certainly emphasizes this as we said in the Creed and declares it with authority in many places within the teachings of the Church.  Countless entries that make reference to the divinity of Jesus are found within the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Also take notice of the way that attacks against the Christian message of salvation center on denying the divinity of Jesus.  This is because; if attacks like this can successfully convince people that Jesus is not God, then the entire argument for salvation falls apart.  That is why it is critically important to make clear that Jesus is God!

So first let’s explore the many references within Sacred Scripture declaring Jesus as Messiah and Son of God.  Here are some obvious ones that you will find familiar.

“After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him.And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:16-17

Now some might claim that this Bible verse shows Jesus as Son of God but not as fully God.  So let’s explore some Bible references that most are not familiar with, but do in fact show Jesus as revealing himself as fully God.  Recall in the book of Exodus the conversation that Moses had with God at the burning bush.

“But,” said Moses to God, “if I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what do I tell them?” God replied to Moses: I am who I am. Then he added: This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you. God spoke further to Moses: This is what you will say to the Israelites: The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is my title for all generations.”  Exodus 3:13-15

Therefore, the name that God gives to himself is “I AM.”  Now let’s fast forward to Jesus and listen carefully to what he says.

“That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.”So they said to him, “Who are you?”Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning.I have much to say about you in condemnation. But the one who sent me is true, and what I heard from him I tell the world.”They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father. So Jesus said (to them), “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me.” John 8:24-28

“So the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?’Jesus said to them, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.’”  John 8:57

“So Judas got a band of soldiersand guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and said to them, ‘Whom are you looking for?’They answered him, ‘Jesus the Nazorean.’He said to them, ‘I AM.’ Judas his betrayer was also with them.When he said to them, ‘I AM,’ they turned away and fell to the ground.So he again asked them, ‘Whom are you looking for?’ They said, ‘Jesus the Nazorean.’Jesus answered, ‘I told you that I AM. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.’”  John 18:3-8

“The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus, saying, ‘Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?’But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said to him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the son of the Blessed One?’ Then Jesus answered, ‘I AM; and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.’ At that the high priest tore his garments and said, ‘What further need have we of witnesses?’”  Mark 14:60-63

In every one of these instances, Jesus is intentionally using the name that God gives to himself forever, I AM.  Jesus is revealing himself as God!  Notice how when the temple guards went into the Garden of Gethsemane looking for Jesus the Nazorean, the temple guards turned away and fell to the ground.  Why?  Because Jesus used the Holy Name that God gives to himself!

Notice also how the high priest tore his garments when Jesus responded with “I AM” to his question and asked, “What further need have we of witnesses?”  He correctly interpreted that Jesus was claiming that he was not just sent by God, but that he was God!  And so he tore his robes claiming that what Jesus said was blasphemous.  Jesus is God and he reveals it to us every time he uses the name that God gives to himself, “I AM”.

For completeness, recall the many other instances where Jesus uses this same phrase.

“I AM the bread come down from Heaven.”

“I AM the bread of life.”

“I AM the light of the world.”

“I AM the good shepherd.”

“I AM the resurrection and the life.”

“I AM the way, the truth, and the life.”

“I AM the vine and you are the branches.”

And in this famous quote from Sacred Scripture, he poses this question to the Apostles just as he does to us today, “Who do you say that I AM?”  Notice how the answer is in the question!

There are also references to Jesus declaring that he is God in the Book of Revelation.  John is describing his encounters with Jesus long after Our Lord’s Ascension into Heaven.

“When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as though dead.He touched me with his right hand and said, ‘Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.’”  Revelation 1:17-18

“To the angel of the church in Smyrna, write this: ‘The first and the last, who once died but came to life…’”  Revelation 2:8

“I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”  Revelation 22:13

As previously mentioned, there are also an abundance of references to the divinity of Jesus mentioned in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  We will enumerate two of the most important entries here.

“The unique and altogether singular event of the Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, nor does it imply that he is the result of a confused mixture of the divine and the human. He became truly man while remaining truly God. Jesus Christ is true God and true man. During the first centuries, the Church had to defend and clarify this truth of faith against the heresies that falsified it.”  “Catechism of the Catholic Church” paragraph 464

“The Church thus confesses that Jesus is inseparably true God and true man. He is truly the Son of God who, without ceasing to be God and Lord, became a man and our brother.”  “Catechism of the Catholic Church” paragraph 469

Let this leave no doubt that Jesus is fully God and this is why his sacrifice on the cross satisfies all the necessary requirements; it comes from the human race and is a perfect sacrifice!