Following the Passover supper the Lord spoke to His disciples about the fruit of the vine and instituted the communion or remembrance service for the Church which we continue to observe. He likened bread and wine to Christ’s own broken body and shed blood. Now, as the Lord and His disciples leave Jerusalem for the Mount of Olives the time is fast approaching when He will be parted from His disciples, taken to the cross and made a sacrifice for the sin of His people. 

We have been thinking about the ‘I am’ sayings of the Lord Jesus as recorded in John’s Gospel and today we come to this trifecta of qualities found exclusively and uniquely in the person of our Lord Jesus. Although conceivably these attributes might be taken separately to highlight independent aspects of the Lord’s character, they are usually brought together, as the Saviour seems to have intended, in a single statement of Christ’s distinctive role as Mediator of the covenant of grace. 

Lazarus was dead. He died, as all men die, because it is appointed so for these bodies as a result of sin and as a consequence of the Fall, ‘The wages of sin is death’. Our God says, ‘the soul that sinneth, it shall die’ and ‘sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death’. Yet there was something special about the death of Lazarus. While it followed the ordinary course of fallen nature it would be employed by the Lord Jesus to bless His church. The death of Lazarus, or rather his being raised from the dead by the Lord, would inspire the faith of the Lord’s disciples, sweeten the lives of those He loved and glorify Christ’s own name.

Each one of the Lord’s seven ‘I Am’ sayings in John’s Gospel reveals aspects of the Saviour’s holy character and mediatorial work. As the Bread of Life He feeds and nourishes the souls of His people with spiritual food in the gospel. As the Light of the World He reveals divine truth, illuminates the kingdom of God, teaches God’s elect and dispels the darkness of sinful ignorance. As the Door He grants access into His Father’s presence by reconciling us to God. As the Door He also protects His sheep from their enemies. 

John 10 begins with a parable spoken by the Lord Jesus to a number of hostile Pharisees. As was often the case the deeper and spiritual meaning of this parable was hidden from these men. The Lord’s purpose was twofold. He intended, first, to expose false teachers and condemn unapproved leaders who trouble His church. Second, He wished to explain His own God-given credentials as Mediator of the everlasting covenant and Shepherd of the flock of God which had been placed into His hands for safekeeping and salvation.

There are seven ‘I am’ sayings of the Lord Jesus Christ recorded in John’s gospel. The Lord applies these sayings to Himself and in each draws on a simple every-day object or idea such as bread, a door, a vine, a shepherd. Each expression opens a precious window on Christ’s saving ministry. Each furnishes the church of God with numerous profound insights into the divine person of the Lord Jesus and the nature of His mission of redemption and reconciliation.