The Gospel of John gives us a powerful and unique picture of who Jesus is. Unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke (the Synoptic Gospels), John tells the story of Jesus in a different way. He focuses on events and teachings not found in the other Gospels and shows us Jesus' ministry over about three years. From the very first verses, John makes it clear that Jesus is more than a great teacher or prophet, but He is God Himself. John begins by saying, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:1, 14 NIV).

John wants us to understand that Jesus has always existed! He was present at creation and has always been with God. This connects to God's words to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14: "I AM who I AM." When Jesus calls Himself "I AM" in John's Gospel, He is claiming to be the same eternal God who spoke to Moses. Throughout John's Gospel, Jesus uses seven special "I AM" statements to reveal who He is and what He came to do. John also records many miracles, conversations, and signs that point to Jesus as the Savior, such as turning water into wine, teaching Nicodemus about being born again, and offering living water to the Samaritan woman.

Over and over, John calls his readers to believe. In fact, the word "believe" appears around 100 times in this Gospel. John tells us why he wrote his Gospel: "These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31 NIV). This Bible study will walk through each of Jesus' "I AM" statements, helping us see Him more clearly, trust Him more deeply, and live fully in His name. Now let's get into it...May God bless us as we dive deeper into His Word.

Camille R. Perry