100 Truths About Jesus

The site also has, “Jesus said, "I AM the Bread of Life" - John 6:35,41,48,51”.


This is a bit misleading, in that a normal Greek construction – egō eimi (I, I myself am) – is in full caps, probably meant & easily taken to imply Jesus’ deity. By this logic the man born blind also claimed deity, for “h[FONT=&quot]e kept saying, ‘I am [[/FONT]egō eimi] [FONT=&quot]the man’” (Jhn.9:9)! There is a tie in of [/FONT]egō eimi to deity, but Ex.3:14 is probably not one of them even though in English it can look like it. Ex.3:14 highlighted ho ōn (the being): ...[FONT=&quot] Εγω ειμι ὁ ων...Ὁ ων ἀπεσταλκεν με[/FONT]/...I am the being...The being has sent me.


However there are 7 egō eimi predicates, and 7 is a symbolic number of perfection. As John very carefully crafted his Gospel we can see that recording 7 ‘I am’ predicates carried its own message of perfection sweeping in. This is in line with the idea that Jesus was Israel, a concept at last brought in after its ethnic foreshadowing. Thus whereas the Jews had a literal temple, with Yeshua the supreme prophetic message (Gk. alēthinos) of temple had been born, all previous shadows becoming redundant (cf. Jhn.2:21). In God’s plan ethnic Israel preshadowed global Israel.


The only Johnnine egō eimi that clearly asserts deity is the absolute use, which is in Jhn.8:58. To mind-blowingly say that he was before Abraham would be done by saying, “I was”, but by saying “I am” went beyond mere pre-existence & into the uncreatedness of deity.


Back to Jhn.6:35,41,48,51, much could be said & issues raised. But note the contrast between the Manna in the Wilderness, and Jesus, again by implication that the ethnic level was a prophetic shadow of the main event.
 
Oh dear, no additions since mine of Jan.06. Have I killed this off? Come on guys, add some thoughts, before I get to feeling too bad.
 
100 Down 100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 To Go.
 
Jesus draws all men to Himself - John 12:32. As put, this can seem to discriminate against women (sexism) & children (ageism). In today’s western speak, this no longer does justice to the Greek text. Boy, even the NIV has had its time and should be given burial with due honour.

So, Jesus would draw all people to himself? It seems pretty clear to me – Universalists please excuse – that not all individual people will ever welcome him, nor that any will be forced in kicking & screaming. In short, he can be successfully resisted, even by folk being prayed for.

The basis of drawing was just around the corner – the cross. The context of drawing was of non-Jews wishing to interview him (v21). He spoke of his hōra – his pivotal hour – having been announced by the occasion of this delegation (v23,27). By the cross Satan’s dominance among the nations would be overthrown in principle (v31), though even outside of ethnic Israel existed some were of his people though not knowing him by name (Jhn.10:16). The Evangel would go forth (Mt.28:19).


I think what we have in Jhn.12:32 was the meaning not of all humans turning to him, but of himself becoming the rallying point for all peoples as his mission moved from its ethnic to its global phase. This incidentally is what the twice used NT expression, lord of all ([FONT=&quot]kurios pantōn),[/FONT] means, namely lord of such Jews & gentiles as have welcomed him.
 
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