June 5, 2016
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Who did Jesus say He is?
Who did Jesus say He is? Interestingly, Jesus never said “I am God;” “I am the king of Israel,” “I am the prophet of Israel,” “I am the priest of Israel.” Most of those things were said of Him by others, and John the Baptist was asked if he were “that Prophet.” Instead, what the New Testament tells us Jesus did was to take the name of God upon Himself (John 8:24, 28, 58).
The Name of God comes from Exodus 3:14. “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”’” The Hebrew is the Tetragrammaton: הוהי, and the Greek of the Septuagint (LXX) is ἐγὼ εἰμί. Most English translations will have Lord instead of the Tetragrammaton or I AM. This is because that is what the Jewish scholars did for the Tetragrammaton in the LXX: κύριος (Lord). In the New Testament ‘Lord’ is used by others addressing Jesus, but Jesus favorite name for Himself is “Son of Man.” But when Jesus is explaining Himself, especially in the Gospel of John, He uses ἐγὼ εἰμί (see John 8). Without listing and explaining them all, there is another one that is special.
Jesus gave the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 concluding with the promise, “I am with you always.” Here is an instance of ἐγὼ εἰμι in the absolute, but with a significant inclusio: ἐγὼ μεθ’ ὑμῶν εἰμι. The “with you,” “μεθ’ ὑμῶν,” is wrapped up in the Divine Name, I μεθ’ ὑμῶν AM.
When Gabriel gave the promise to Joseph concerning Jesus and Mary, Gabriel said the baby’s name would be called “Immanuel.” Gabriel’s translation of the Hebrew name (from Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:8) “Immanuel” is μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν ὁ θεός: “God with you.” In Matthew 28:20: ἐγὼ Immanuel εἰμι. Before giving his name in Exodus 3:14, God’s promise in verse 12 is to be with Moses, repeated in Haggai 1:13 (LXX): ἐγώ εἰμι μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus repeated God’s “with you” promise, interlocking it with the divine Name: ἐγώ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν εἰμι. Jesus identified himself to the disciples by using both God’s name and God’s promise of himself.