I AM the Gate and I AM the Good Shepherd

by Jacob Roberts

As we saw with His declaration “I AM the bread of life” and “I AM the light of the world,” Jesus used much of the imagery associated with the Jewish festivals to reveal His identity and, consequentially, shed light on ours as well. His third and fourth I AM statements maintain this pattern. For it is during the Feast of Dedication, more commonly referred to today as Hanukkah, that Jesus declares both “I AM the gate for the sheep” and “I AM the good shepherd” (John 10:7,11).  

The feast of dedication was a time of both reflection and celebration, marking the rededication of the temple in 165 B.C. During the 160s B.C., many of the temple priests had become “Hellenized,” that is they took on Greek cultural and worship practices. This Hellenization became so pervasive that they even allowed Greek idols to be set up in the temple itself. As a result, a war broke out between the conservative Jews who abhorred the idols and the Hellenized Jewish leadership. In 165 B.C., Judas Maccabeus captured the temple in Jerusalem for the conservative Jews, removing the idols and rededicating the temple to God. It is during this time that God performed the miracle now associated with the lights of Hanukkah, burning Judas’ lamp for eight nights even though he only had enough oil for one. 

Now, I know what you are thinking. What does any of this have to do with gates and shepherds? Why would Jesus use this festival as the context for these two I AM statements? 

As well as celebrating the rededication of the temple, Jews also used the Feast of Dedication to reflect on the consequences of bad leadership. One of the passages that was commonly read and discussed was Ezekiel 34, which denounces and describes Israel’s past poor leaders as bad shepherds, men who fulfilled their own desires rather than serve their sheep. 

It is within this context that Jesus tells His parable of the good shepherd. In the parable, Jesus contrasts a good shepherd with thieves, asserting that good shepherd’s use the gate to let the sheep out to peace and plenty while the thief instead hops over the wall of the pen with the intent to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). He then moves from a general parable—which the people do not understand (John 10:6)—to specifics, inserting Himself into the parable to explain His point more clearly. 

The first way Jesus inserts Himself into the parable is by declaring “I AM the gate for the sheep,” which demonstrates His identity of protector and provider. He asserts, “if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10: 9). The image Jesus uses here is of a sheep pen used in the middle east: a low walled enclosure that backs up to a hill or the end of a ravine. The gate on the front, then, was the only way the sheep could enter the pen to find protection from the wild animals at night. Similarly, the gate was also the only way to find their way back out to the lush pasture in the morning. When Jesus declares that he is this gate, He claims to be the only means to protection and provision. 

The second way Jesus inserts Himself into the parable is by stating, “I AM the good shepherd.” Though this phrase has inspired many a cute picture of Jesus cuddling little lambs, the word use for “good” (καλός) here could just as easily be translated “noble.” When Jesus calls himself the “good shepherd,” He does not necessarily paint himself as a cute lamb coddler. Rather, He contrasts Himself with bad shepherds from Israel’s past—such as the ones mentioned in Ezekiel 34 or the Hellenized Jews fought by Judas Maccabeus—as well as the corrupt leaders that proliferated the temple during Jesus’ own life time. These bad shepherds seek their own good and flee when the sheep are in danger. The good or noble shepherd, instead, “lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). As the “good shepherd,” Jesus is the self-sacrificial protector of his flock. 

So, if Jesus is “the gate for the sheep” and “the good shepherd,” two images that declare His identity of protector and provider, then what does that make us? We are His beloved sheep who depend on Him for both protection and provision.

Rather than implying some sort of cute image, this conveys a dire situation. Picture it. It’s the middle of the night and the sheep are asleep in their pen. All of a sudden, a group of wolves approach. One attempts to jump the wall and, as he comes down with jaws open wide, the shepherd spins around and strikes the wolf in the face with his staff, breaking the animal’s jaw. With one swift move, the good shepherd jumps over the wall to confront the other beasts. He looks and it seems as if he is hopelessly outnumbered. Yet the good shepherd stands his ground, fighting to defend the flock even as his own flesh is ripped from his bone. 

This is what it means to be a good shepherd. And this is the identity of Jesus, the Son of God “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant” (Philippians 2:6-7). Like the shepherd from His parable, Jesus provides for and protects His sheep, even to the point of giving up his own life. 

Jesus fulfilled his identity of gate and good shepherd, but are you willing to be one of His sheep? Do you see Him as the only gateway to protection, or do you build up emotional and physical barriers in an attempt to protect yourself? What about provision? Are you willing to enter through the true gate to find provision that will truly satiate your desires, or do you seek fulfillment in another direction? Are you willing to follow Jesus as the good shepherd, or are you going to follow your own feelings or the leading of others? 

And think about that last question carefully. The image of the shepherd’s provision is one of his leadingthe sheep to pasture. The shepherd does not drive the sheep like one would cattle. No, he lovingly leads, only taking the sheep where He himself has gone first. I pray that we are all willing to follow such a noble shepherd.  

I AM the Light of the World

by Jacob Roberts

In last week’s devotional we saw how Jesus used the festival of Passover as a context for his first I AM statement. Echoing many of the images from the Old Testament passages about the Passover and the Israelite’s journey through the desert, Jesus declares, “I AM the bread of life,” denoting his role as perfect provider and, consequentially, our identity of a receptive child (John 6:51). 

Jesus’ next I AM statement—I AM the light of the world—comes only two chapters later (John 8:12). In reality, though, these events would have been separated by several months. We know this because Jesus uses another festival for the context of this I AM statement. Rather than Passover which takes place during the spring, Jesus uses the festival of Sukkot, or the feast of tabernacles which takes place in the fall, as his context. By using this festival as a context for his statement, Jesus not only more intricately reveals who he is, but also sheds light on our identity as well. 

Sukkot celebrates, among other things, the fall harvest, which was a reminder that the long days of summer were over and the longer nights of winter were fast approaching. Even though dark days were on the horizon, the Jews knew that God would always act as their guiding light. Specifically, they would often recall how he guided their ancestors in the desert by manifesting as a pillar of fire, lighting up a desolate and dangerous land (Exodus 13:31; Numbers 14:14). 

To help remember that God would always serve as Israel’s guiding light, Sukkot included lavish and complex light ceremonies. As part of those ceremonies, the temple priests would place four extremely large lamp stands in the Court of Women: the part of the temple where all Jews could enter, but Gentiles were forbidden. Each stand held four very large golden bowls filled with oil. As the sun would set, the priests would light the lamps and, according to Jews who wrote during the life of Jesus, the whole city was filled with light. Given that most of the buildings in Jerusalem were (and are) made of limestone and would have reflected light well, this statement doesn’t seem too far-fetched. In fact, the passages of the Mishnah that describe Sukkot say that “whoever has not seen these things has never seen a wonder in his life.”

When Jesus declares, “I AM the light of the world,” he would have been standing by these very lamps, devices that gave light to a whole city during a time period where there was no organized public lighting of any kind. We specifically know he was in the Court of Women at this point because the Pharisees bring “the woman caught in adultery” to Him right before he makes his declaration (John 8: 1-11). Rather than just lighting up one city, something that people during the period considered “a wonder,” Jesus demonstrates his supremacy by saying that he will light the entire world. 

And Jesus goes beyond providing physical light—although he does just that in the next chapter when he heals the man who was born blind—by providing spiritual light so that we can see and understand spiritual matters. Paul describes this idea in the opening of his first letter to the church at Corinth, stating that those who are not made alive in Christ cannot truly understand the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:18). Thus, without Jesus, it is impossible to reach or understand the Father, something that we will see emphasized even more in Jesus’ next I AM statement. 

But if Jesus is the light of the world, what does that make us? After all, I have said repeatedly over the past three weeks that we discover our own identity by first understanding God’s. Who are we if Jesus is the light? 

If He is the light of the world, then we are His light bearers, His ambassadors in a dark realm (2 Corinthians 5:11). We testify both to who He is and what He has done for us. We, in harmony with creation, declare the glory of God (Psalm 19: 1-6). And although this sounds like something we would do naturally, the reality is that there are barriers that attempt to prevent us from living out our identity as light bearers. 

First, many of us believe that we are too broken to be light bearers, that our past sin or current temptations disqualify us from serving God at all. The reality is that nothing could be further from the truth. One of the ways that we bear the light is by testifying to how the light has opened our eyes and transformed our lives. By acknowledging who we once were and declaring our victory over temptation through the power given to us through the cross, we bear Christ’s light in the world, ministering to those who desperately need the hope that we possess. 

Now, do not misunderstand me. There are situations that can place us into direct temptation and we would be foolish to purposefully place ourselves into such circumstances under the pretext of “ministry.” For instance, given that I struggle with same-sex attraction, I probably don’t need to be the light bearer in the men’s locker-room at my gym. Sure, the guys in there need to hear about Jesus, but there are other men who do not struggle like I do that can share the light of Christ there.

The second barrier we face as we attempt to live out our identity as light bearers comes from a simple yet profound misunderstanding of this identity. If we are light bearers, then it would stand to reason that we are not actually the light. Remember, Jesus is the one who is “the light of the world,” not us. Yet often we are filled with anxiety because we try to take on the job of being the light itself. We feel that if we don’t do our job right, then people will not experience the transformative power of Christ. The reality is that we were never created to fulfill that role and, consequentially, we are crushed by the weight of trying to take it on.  Instead of trying to be the light, we must simply reflect the light and testify to His glory, power, and goodness. 

What about you? Are you embracing the identity of light bearer? Are you testifying about the way that the light has transformed you or are you content to keep that hope to yourself? Do you believe that you are disqualified from serving God because of your past? Are you foolishly attempting to bear the light in a situation that you know is placing you in direct temptation? Or are you trying to be the light itself, placing the pressure of restoring, transforming, and saving people on your shoulders? 

As you think about these questions over the coming days, remember that Jesus is indeed the light of the world, the restorer of the tribes and a light to the Gentiles so that God’s salvation may reach the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). 

I AM the Bread of Life

by Jacob Roberts

Last week’s devotional addressed the name of God and what I AM can teach us about both God’s identity and our own (To read last week’s devotional, click here).  While the name I AM reveals a wealth of information about God, I concluded the devotional with two main takeaways. First, the name shows us that God possesses a level of objectivity that cannot be matched by anything or anyone else, meaning that He is the standard by which everything else must be judged. Consequentially, we cannot make God into who we wish Him to be, but rather we must worship Him for who He is. The second takeaway follows logically from the first. If we cannot make God into who we want Him to be, then we must be conformed to His will, not He to ours.

It is through these two points that we will explore the seven I AM statements made by Jesus in the Gospel of John. While Jesus uses the phrase “I AM” in many places to declare his divinity, John records seven times when Jesus follows the phrase with a predicate noun to describe and explain what it means to be I AM. And just as we saw how Moses’ crisis of identity was answered by understanding God’s character, so also will we find clarity in Jesus declaration of I AM.

In John 6, Jesus provides his first such statement, declaring, “I AM the bread of life” (6:35). The full meaning of this statement comes into focus if we keep in mind the group of people he speaks to. In verse 4 we are told that it was close to the start of Passover, meaning that the Jews interacting with Jesus in this passage would have been studying the scriptures about the exodus from Egypt and the flight into the desert.

Specifically, we know that they would have read about God’s gift of manna. This bread was given to the children of God in response to their concern about finding adequate food in the desert. In response to what they perceived as their greatest need, God provides them with “bread from heaven,”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily. (Exodus 16:4-5)

Through the restriction of “[gathering only] a day’s portion,” God provides not only for the physical need that the Israelites felt was so pressing, but also for a more important need, to learn dependence upon Him. Despite God’s command, some of the Israelites rejected God’s instruction to only collect a day’s worth. In doing this, they metaphorically declare that they knew how to provide for themselves better than God, that He should conform His plans to their will and provide for them in the way that they deemed best.

It is within this context that Jesus asserts, “I AM the bread of life,” revealing himself to be the ultimate gift of provision from the Father. As many Midrash glosses indicate, the Jews of Jesus’ time understood that there would be a connection between the bread of heaven and the coming messiah (e.g. Midrash Rabbah Eccles. 1:9). Jesus declares that He surpasses the manna of the desert because “he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35).  Thus, those who come to Jesus are utterly satisfied as Christ banishes both spiritual hunger and thirst.

Jesus intensifies this declaration to be the bread of life by clarifying how He has come into the world to fulfill not his will, but rather the will of the Father.  He explains, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:38-39). Just as God was sovereignly good in His gift of the manna—providing for the true need of His people to learn dependence upon Him—He has also sovereignly sent Jesus into the world, providing for the true need of the people: attornment and spiritual restoration. 

After Jesus finished speaking, however, John records that the crowd began “grumbling about him” (John 6:41). Just as the ancient Israelites questioned God’s provision through the manna, so also did the crowd question God’s choice to provide Jesus as messiah. But why would anyone disapprove of Jesus?

Similar to the ancient Israelites who mistakenly believed that their greatest need was food, many of the Jews of Jesus day mistakenly believed that their greatest need was political restoration. As a result, they wanted their messiah to be a political or military leader that would restore the glory of the nation of Israel, which had lost nation status and fallen to Roman control.  This Jesus standing before them, the man claiming to be the messiah through his declaration to be “the bread of life,” was nothing like the messiah they had in mind.

This reaction, however, contradicts the truth found in Jesus’ I AM statement. By asserting “I AM the bread of life,” Jesus declares that He is God’s perfect provision, meeting needs that align with the will of God rather than the will of man. In this way, Jesus reveals His identity as perfect provider, which, in turn, reveals our identity of receptive child.  

But what about you? Do you accept God’s provision as He has given it, or do you expect God to provide for you in the way you have envisioned? Have you been praying for God to meet a temporal need in your life when there is, in reality, a much bigger spiritual need that He is attempting to address? Do you try to abandon your role as receptive child and take on His identity, exasperatedly attempting to be the perfect provider that you were not created to be?

In his perfect will, God has provided everything we need, even eternal life through His Son. It is not our job, then, to provide for all of our needs, but rather to “believe in [Christ]” so that we might “have eternal life” (John 6:40). May you rest this week in the knowledge that he is indeed the bread of life.

Who am I – I AM

by Jacob Roberts 

I am who I am. Exodus 3:14

Arguably one of the most discussed and known passages of the Old Testament, God’s answer to Moses’s inquiry about His name must have been perplexing in the moment. Yet the name implies more than a person could ever hope to discuss in a book length study, let alone a devotional. It is my hope, however, that we can begin to scratch the surface of I AM.

The Hebrew word used in the Exodus 3:14 passage (הָיָה) is used a total of 2,808 times in the Old Testament. Now, not all of those instances are references to the name of God. The word is often used to refer to something that is (i.e. be, being, is, are, etc.), something that was, or something that becomes. In Exodus 3, the phrase is used back to back in four instances: verse 14a, 14b, 15, and 16. God reveals this “memorial-name to all generations” after Moses inquiries about his mission to free Israel: “Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”

Yet Moses’ question comes out of an important context. Just two verses before he asks God’s name, Moses questions his own identity: “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?’” (Exodus 3:11). Did you catch the parallel? In the English translation, Moses’ question reads, “who am I” and God responds, “I am.” The name of God, thus, has large implications as we seek to understand our identity. Namely, to fully understand who we are, we must first understand who God is.

But who is God and how do we understand who he is? While this is a complex question, I believe we can find many of our answers by looking at the response God gives to Moses: I AM. God’s name reveals very important truths that we must keep in mind as we attempt to understand our own identity.[1]

First, I AM assigns to God an absolute level of objectivity. In other words, God does not change with feelings or circumstance, but is instead the standard by which everything else must be judged. This idea of objectivity can be difficult for us to understand because our feelings are in continual flux. Yet God exists outside our own subjective feelings and desires. This also implies that we cannot make God into who we wish Him to be. Rather, he is who he is, whether we like that or not.

The second implication of I AM builds from the first. Because God is completely objective, we must be conformed to Him, not Him to us. In his discussion of I AM, John Piper notes that “if players should learn their moves from the coach and not the coach from the players; if soldiers should learn their strategy from the general and not the general from the soldiers; then surely it is plain that creatures should conform all their lives to the will of their Creator.” Yet so few of us live out this basic truth. We instead argue with God, informing Him of all the ways He has messed up our life and instructing Him on how to fix it.

If we truly seek to understand our identity, if we really want to know who we are, if we actually want to know what God created us for, then we must embrace the reality of I AM. We must understand that I AM is the standard by which everything else is measured and that we must conform to Him, not He to us.

Think about your own relationship with God. How have you attempted to conform God to your own will and desirers rather than you conforming to Him? How have you tried to make God into who you want Him to be rather than worshiping Him for who He is?

Over the next seven weeks, we will take these ideas and apply them to the life of Christ. Specifically, we will explore the seven I AM statements of Jesus found in the Gospel of John. It is my prayer that in doing so we will better understand both Jesus’ identity as well as our own.

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[1] I base this next section loosely on a teaching delivered by John Piper in 1984 in which he discusses seven implications of the I AM name of God. For that teaching in its entirety, see https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/i-am-who-i-am