JOHN, THE "I AM" BOOK....

See note at bottom of my post.*

THE WORD, "I" appears 134 times in the gospel of John.  John often uses the pronoun when quoting Jesus, thus focusing the reader's attention on Jesus.
  I am...
   The bread of life-sustains us-John 6:35
   The light of the world-illuminates our way- 8:12
   The gate for the sheep-admits us to life-10:7
   The Good Shepherd-cares for us and guides us-10:11
   The Resurrection and the life-provides us life-11:25
   The Way, The Truth and the Life-guides us-lamp-14:6
   The True Vine-makes us productive- John 15:1
When I was studying John in my second year of study, I had difficulty memorizing the "I Am" chapter.  So I made up a little song about it:
   The Word was made Flesh,
   I am the Bread of Life,
   I am the Light of the World,
   I came so that they might have life.
   I am the good shep-herd,
   Washing the disciples feet,
   Love one another as I have loved you,
   The Spirit will guide us into all truth,
   The high Priestly Prayer.

John 6:35  Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger and who believes in me shall never thurst." Is this not comforting to you?
  When Jesus said this, the Jews then said of him, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?"  Much written in the bible is symbolic and the Jews did not understand this.  They asked, "how does he now say he has come down from heaven?"
  Jesus answered, (vs 34) "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day."
  Jesus is the nourishment that we partake of to attain eternal life.  We follow his teachings and are brought closer to his father.  The more we partake, the more we are filled with his love, understanding and light.  When we celebrate the body and blood of the savior, we are not being cannibalistic as some would translate, we are doing this "in Memory" of Him.  Just as you would keep a tradition within your own family to remember your Father.  Some of the symbolism was for protection, much as the sign of the Fish so that Christians could identify one another without being persecuted.  Though much of the Bible is a mystery to most, it need not be.  When you study, ask God to guide you, ask Jesus to guide you and he will.
   One of my daughters likes the mystery of the Bible and does not want any of it's miracles explained by practicality.  But I am happy to solve a mystery-ha!  Not in its entirety but for example, I loved it when I learned that certain plants in the desert have such a high oil content in their leaves that they can spontaneousy combust from the heat of the sun!  I liked learning this because it brought to me the reality of God speaking from the burning bush!  The burning of the bush got the attention and God spoke.  I like thinking that a burning bush was not a common thing but it was a reality!
  If you like Christian Historical Fiction, I have a book for you!  I just finished reading a new author's book, "The Preacher's Bride" by Jody Hedlund.  This is an account of the Puritan's struggle in the 17th century in England.  It is based on the life of John and Elizabeth Bunyan and their family during a brutal time of persecution.  My heart was pounding as I was transported back in time and felt the suffering they endured because of their belief in Christ.  You can see my review on my Kerrie's Korner, SC Blog  http://kerrieskorner.blogspot.com/
       Thank you for visiting and come back soon.  Please leave a comment as I love reading them.  Blessings to you,

    *Wood carving by Kerrie of the head of Christ.  This is my interpretation of what Christ looked like in his Crown of Thorns.  It is at least 30 years old and I only did 2 of these.  I had the other on Display at a Craft Show.  A little girl kept passing by it and finally, I said to her, you like that, don't you?  She said yes, she did, very much.  So I gave it to her.  I kept this one original and it has warped through the years carved from a pine board and the color has become much richer than its original light varnished pine.  I like it better now than when I first carved it...
                        ♥Kerrie♥
                     My heart to yours...