{"id":63,"date":"2021-11-08T05:07:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-07T21:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/?p=63"},"modified":"2021-11-24T17:17:01","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T09:17:01","slug":"the-i-am-declaration-in-john635-48-51-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/ptr-art-calaguas\/the-i-am-declaration-in-john635-48-51-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cI AM\u201d Declaration in John6:35, 48, 51 \u2013 Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Ptr. Art Calaguas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shalom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same chapter, after the episodes of our Lord feeding the 5,000 and then walking on the Sea (Lake) of Galilee, the Gospel of John 6:22-25 narrates that the crowd looked for the Lord and found him at Capernaum. The contextual discussion in John 6:26-59still flowed from the previous miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. One can see that as in his night time meeting with Nicodemus in Chapter 3 and his discussion with the Samaritan woman in chapter 4 there is a sense that in much the same way, the Lord Jesus was kept busy educating the throng about things that were more than what meets the eye. In our previous trips to Israel, I took some pictures of a 4th<\/sup> century AD White Synagogue at Capernaum which was built on top of a 1st<\/sup> century Jewish synagogue. The 1st<\/sup> century synagogue might have been the one that our Lord Jesus visited and where he taught (see my photos below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the synagogue at Capernaum, the Lord Jesus in the course of his teaching used the words \u1f18\u03b3\u03ce\u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9,\u201cI AM\u201d again but this time with the accompanying expected and explicit nominative predicate which is presented as a metaphor. This time also in John 6:26-59, he repeats these words 3 times; giving the \u201cI AM\u201d and the metaphor greater emphasis. The Lord Jesus only repeats his \u201cI AM\u201d and the metaphor here in Chapter 6; and also in Chapter 10 (where he uses 2 different words but related metaphors); and in Chapter 15. My ESV and NIV Study Bibles collectively classify and label these declarations containing the \u201cI AM\u201d and the metaphorical phrases as \u201cThe 7 Great I AMs\u201d of the Gospel of John.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the 3 Greek verses and my translations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John 6:35: \u1f18\u03b3\u03ce\u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9<\/mark><\/em>\u1f41\u1f04\u03c1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2\u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2\u03b6\u03c9\u1fc6\u03c2\u00b7 (\u201cI AM<\/mark> the bread of life<\/em>;\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John 6:48: \u1f10\u03b3\u03ce\u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9<\/mark><\/em>\u1f41\u1f04\u03c1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2\u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2\u03b6\u03c9\u1fc6\u03c2\u00b7 (\u201cI AM<\/mark> the bread of life<\/em>;\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John 6:51: \u1f10\u03b3\u03ce\u03b5\u1f30\u03bc\u03b9<\/mark><\/em>\u1f41\u1f04\u03c1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2\u1f41\u03b6\u1ff6\u03bd\u1f41\u1f10\u03ba\u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6\u03bf\u1f50\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd\u03bf\u1fe6 \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03b2\u03ac\u03c2\u00b7 (\u201cI AM<\/mark> the living bread, the (one) having come down from heaven;<\/em>\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[It should be noted that in John 6:41 the \u201cI AM the bread of life<\/em>\u201d statement is used and it is also mentioned that the crowd was grumbling and arguing among themselves about the Lord\u2019s first utterance in John 6:35 and his accompanying teachings, specifically John 6:33 and 6:38. But the Gospel of John says that the people were quoting and summarizing what the Lord said so we should not count it as another distinct and direct declaration apart from what is listed above (6:35; 6:48; and 6:51).]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One should recognize that an outcome of this discussion about \u201c\u1f41\u1f04\u03c1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2\u03c4\u1fc6\u03c2\u03b6\u03c9\u1fc6\u03c2\u201d (\u201cthe bread of life\u201d) was the fact that some of the disciples of the Lord decided to turn away and not follow him anymore. There are some prophecy teachers\/writers who say that the Anti-Christ of the Book of Revelation is alluded to in John 6:66 where former believers fell and turned away (becoming apostates in the process). Although the chapter ends with the Lord already hinting of his betrayal by his close-in \u03b4\u03ce\u03b4\u03b5\u03ba\u03b1 (\u201cdodeka,\u201d Twelve), these disciples and others made a faith affirmation and continued to follow our Lord after this. Indeed, it is clear that the \u201cthe bread of life\u201d metaphor and the teaching about its meaning had an apparent polarizing effect on some of the people who were fed miraculously just the previous day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us now look closer at these verses and their context which caused such a sharp reaction among the \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9 (\u201cIoudaioi\u201d).This term would normally just mean the Jews, in general. But the Gospel of John uses this noun as a negative way of pointing at the Jewish authorities, their instrumentalities and those people who ended up vehemently opposing the Lord Jesus and his teachings\/message in narratives featuring controversies and conflicts. So as not to refer to the Jewish people in general, we can just use \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9 as we encounter it in context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his teaching at Capernaum\u2019s synagogue, in John 6:26 the Lord may have been partly addressing the \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9 when he chided them for not properly discerning the sign of his being the Messiah but only concentrating on their satisfaction with the physical feeding with bread (and fish). The Lord asks them not to toil for \u03b2\u03c1\u1ff6\u03c3\u03b9\u03c2 (\u201cbrosis,\u201d food) that perishes, but for food that is for eternal life that the Son of Man gives from the God the Father (John 6:27). The people then ask him what they must do so that they may do the works of God. The Lord responded by saying that they must believe the One sent by God. Then the \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9 asked him for a sign (John 6:28-31). And they mentioned the feeding of the Hebrew nation with manna (\u201cbread from heaven\u201d) in the wilderness (Exodus 12). The Lord corrected them that it was not Moses who fed the nation but his Father who gives the true bread from Heaven. The Lord added that the bread of God is the One coming down from Heaven giving life to the world (John 6:32-33).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their reaction is an analogy of the episode with the Samaritan Woman at Jacob\u2019s well. They asked in John 6:34 that this \u201ctrue bread from Heaven\u201d to be always given to them as the Samaritan woman asked for the \u201cliving water\u201d to be given to her. It is not clear whether there was an undercurrent insinuation here that in the minds of the \u1f38\u03bf\u03c5\u03b4\u03b1\u1fd6\u03bf\u03b9 asking for a sign, the Lord\u2019s feeding of the 5,000 for only for a day pales in comparison with the Exodus feeding that went on for 40 years for many more people. But similar to his truthful revelation to the Samaritan woman, it is precisely at this point that the Lord Jesus responds and makes his declaration in John 6:35 using the first metaphor. The verse also states that the one coming to the Lord Jesus shall never hunger and the one believing in him shall never thirst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have already seen the great significance of the emphatic \u201cI AM\u201d used by the Lord. Now we momentarily turn our attention to bread. Is it an important word in scripture?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Old Testament (OT) alone, bread is mentioned 392 times. OT scripture reveals many other names aside from ordinary bread or food (\u05dc\u05d7\u05dd \u201clechem\u201d) and unleavened bread (\u05de\u05e6\u05d4 \u201cmatzah\u201d). Hebrew names exist for showbread, cake (for offering), leavened (bread), morsel, manna, disc of cake, white bread, and flat cake\/wafer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, bread in the New Testament (NT) is mentioned 106 times. There is basically a noun: \u03b1\u03c1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2 (\u201cartos\u201d meaning \u201cbread\u201d) and an adjective \u03b1\u03b6\u03c5\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2 (\u201cazumos\u201d meaning \u201cunleavened\u201d). But there are also other Greek names for food (i.e.,\u201cbroma,\u201d \u201cbrosis\u201d and \u201cmanna\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So as it turns out the word(s) for bread in the Bible are mentioned nearly 500 times and are found in both the OT and the NT. There seems to be 2 basic types and names. And like the \u201cI AM\u201d we shall see that the metaphor has deep symbolic significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will continue next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God bless us all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Ptr. Art Calaguas Shalom. In the same chapter, after the episodes of our Lord feeding the 5,000 and then walking on the Sea (Lake) of Galilee, the Gospel of John 6:22-25 narrates that the crowd looked for the Lord and found him at Capernaum. The contextual discussion in John 6:26-59still flowed from the previous…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[6,7,16,18,17,9,8,5],"class_list":["post-63","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ptr-art-calaguas","tag-church-of-the-risen-lord","tag-crl","tag-i-am","tag-jesus","tag-john","tag-spiritual-refreshment-of-the-day","tag-upcemi","tag-upcrl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63\/revisions\/68"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}