When the reluctant Moses stood at the burning bush (cf. Exodus 3) trying to wiggle out of God’s call to return to Egypt to emancipate the people of God, he asked God a remarkable question. “What is your name?” he inquired. That seems like an odd thing to ask. Did Moses not know God that well? Was he stalling? Or was he looking for something else? Names are important to us. I can remember the endless hours Lisa and I spent trying to pick the right name for each of our children. Names give a sense of permanence.
Names can also be descriptive. Bible characters have fascinating names, and more often than not, their names are a pretty good fit. Come to think of it, I’ve never known a blonde named “Rusty.” As I think about it though, I believe the most important thing about names is that they convey reality. A person’s name makes them tangible beings in our world. There’s a difference between “that guy” and “Tim.” Perhaps this is what Moses was looking for. Maybe he wanted to know if God was personal and tangible…vested in the world He created.
God’s response to Moses’ question? “I AM THAT I AM.” When God described himself as the “I AM,” He was letting Moses know that He was real, personal, tangible, and ever present. Not only that, He wanted Moses to know that He was fully self sufficient and without need. God needs nothing outside himself to exist.
There are seven times in the Gospel of John where Jesus referred to himself as “I AM.” This is not accidental or incidental. Jesus knew exactly what He was doing when He referred to Himself as the “I AM,” and so did His hearers. During these weeks that lead up to Easter, I’m going to preach a series of sermons on these seven statements from John. My goal is to convey that Jesus is the Jesus of our present reality, tangibly vested in our lives and completely able to satisfy the longings of our hearts. Last weekend our youth handled the first one where Jesus declared “I AM the light of the world” (John 8:12-20). Here is the rest of the series:
March 4: “I AM the Bread of Life” (John 6:35-40)
March 11: “I AM the Gate” (John 10:1-10)
March 18: “I AM the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11-18)
March 25: “I AM the True Vine” (John 15:1-7)
April 1: “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:1-14)
April 8: “I AM the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:17-27)
If you live in central Iowa, I’d like to invite you to join us for worship each Sunday at 9:30 am. If not, check in each week and you’ll find some reflections from each of these messages posted here at this site.
