(Seven Mentions in John’s Gospel)
It has been pointed out frequently that, in the Gospel according to John, the Lord uses the expression “I am” seven times to describe His own Person and work. But it is interesting to notice that, in the same Gospel, the Lord also says seven times “I am not”. In contrast with the “I am”s, where each declaration is distinct from the others, the references to “I am not” can be seen as four separate groups.
The Lord Was Sent By The Father
I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me (7.28).
The writer to the Hebrews describes the Lord in different ways. In chapter 3, he writes “wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus” (v 1). The word “apostle” means ‘one sent forth’. The foremost, of course, is the Saviour. Then we have the 12 apostles, designated thus in Luke’s Gospel: “And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles” (6.13). Finally, in 1 Corinthians, Paul describes himself as an apostle:
… he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am (15.7-10).
The Church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, as Paul stated in the epistle to the Ephesians (2.20). In the same epistle, he describes the gifts bestowed upon the church: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (4.11). It is a mistake to think that there are still apostles today, as some would claim. Along with that of the prophet, it was a foundation gift for the establishing of the Church and, once the last apostle went to be with the Lord, that office ceased.
The Lord Was Supported By The Father
And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me (8.16).
I am not alone, because the Father is with me (16.32).
In John’s Gospel, the Lord says “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive” (5.43). History gives us countless examples of men who came, claiming to have been sent by God, but their claims had neither substance nor support. In Arabia, Mohammed affirmed that he had been sent by God and, despite the absence of any proof, countless millions of souls defend and propagate this lie. Nearer to our times, Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon sect, made the same claim. Set against this, we read that the testimony of the disciples had divine support. The great salvation of Hebrews 2 “was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will” (vv 3-4).
The Lord Was Set Apart By The Father
And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world (8.23).
I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world (17.14).
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world (17.16).
From his birth in Bethlehem, until his ascension to Heaven, He was totally devoted to the Father. At the age of 12, when His parents found Him in the temple with the doctors of the law, He said to his mother “How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Lk 2.49). When He encountered the man blind from birth, He said to his disciples “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day” (Jn 9.4).
The Lord’s separation from the world is seen in features of the Nazarite in Numbers 6. The Nazarite was a person who, during a certain period, devoted himself totally to God in observing the prescriptions set out in that chapter. There were two specific prohibitions. The first was that he was to abstain from the fruit of the vine, from the kernel to the husk, drinking neither wine nor strong drink and, secondly, he was not to cut his hair. Wine would tell us of natural joy. The Psalmist reminds us that “wine … maketh glad the heart of man” (Ps 104.15). Then, we read in 1 Corinthians that long hair is shameful for a man (11.14). Thus, the Nazarite was to refuse the natural pleasures of life, typified by the wine, and to accept the shame of having long hair. The Lord’s meat and drink was to do the Father’s will; this was His pleasure, and then He accepted the shame heaped upon Him by His enemies when they said “We be not born of fornication” (Jn 8.41), and “Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?” (v 48).
The Lord Satisfied The Father
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father (20.17).
In what sense did the Lord Jesus satisfy His Father in that encounter with Mary Magdalene? It was in the fact of His resurrection: as Paul points out: “and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Cor 15.17). The Saviour was stating a certitude to Mary; not a possibility. The reality of His resurrection demonstrates to us that, at the cross, our sins had been dealt with, and that His cry “It is finished” (Jn 19.30) was not a cry of despair but, rather, one of victory.
Why did He say “Touch me not”? We read that the disciples did indeed touch Him when they “held him by the feet” after his resurrection (Mt 28.9). However, it would seem as if Mary was fearful that He would once again disappear, and she therefore sought to lay hold upon Him to restrain Him from going away. Thus, the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ were the essential and irrefutable demonstrations of the Father’s pleasure in the Person and work of His Son. He was sent by the Father, supported by the Father, set apart by the Father, and He satisfied the Father.
(Concluded)
