Read: Exodus 3:1-14
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58)
What do you say when you are asked to introduce yourself? Your name? Your age? Your occupation? You might identify yourself by a relationship—as someone’s parent, spouse, sibling, or friend. Maybe you have a “fun fact” ready to share when someone wants to get to know you.
When God met Moses at the burning bush, Moses asked for a proper introduction. He wanted to be able to explain who had sent him when he returned to the rest of the people. But the name God gave Moses was something of an enigma: “I am who I am” (Exod. 3:14). More than a thousand years later, Jesus used the same phrase about himself. When he said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” Jesus clearly claimed a divine identity (John 8:58).
For the next 25 days leading up to our celebration of Jesus’s birth, we will be looking at 25 different names for Jesus in the Bible. Each week will have a different focus: Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming Messiah’s names, Jesus’s seven “I am . . .” statements in the gospel of John, the names given to Christ in Revelation, and the different “Son of . . .” titles for Jesus. Today, we focus on the simplest—yet most profound—name of all: I am.
Pause and reflect on the name I am. What does it mean to us that before he was born in a manger, Jesus has always been? That even now, he is? That forever his name will be I am?
As you pray, ask God to introduce himself to you once again.
About the Author
Sarah Sanderson is the author of The Place We Make: Breaking the Legacy of Legalized Hate. She lives with her husband and their four teenage children in Oregon.
