"I Am the Way" Back to Eden

The Eschatology of John Part 4: An Overview of John Part 3

Read the first article in this series here:

Eschatology: The Study of a Great Beginning

Read the previous article in this series here:

Our "I Am Not's" Become Jesus's "I AM"

I promise we will get to specific eschatological statements of John eventually, but in a way we already have. The seven signs in John was John’s way of introducing us to the new creation. The first three “I am the…” statements in John pointed to Jesus’s identity as the new Moses, the eschatological Light (cf. Revelation 21:23), and as the one who gives his people abundant life.

Today we will be looking at the final four “I am the…” statements in John: (1) I am the Good Shepherd, (2) I am the Resurrection and the Life, (3) I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and (4) I am the True Vine.

I am the Good Shepherd

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11).

We’ll split this section into two subsections: one on Jesus’s identification as the good shepherd and the other on Jesus’s comment about laying down his life. Both are significant in our study of the eschatology of John.

The Hired Hands Turned Thieves and Bandits

The Greek word poimēn is translated shepherd throughout this passage. In other passages, such as Ephesians 4:11, it is translated pastor. On the other hand we have the hired hand, the misthōtos. The distinction here, then, is between someone who is invested in their sheep as the chief caretaker and owner versus someone whose connection with the sheep is their daily wage.

This deeper relationship with the sheep means that their health and wellbeing is directly connected to the health and wellbeing of the shepherd. When one of the sheep is hurt, killed, or stolen (John 10:11), the shepherd suffers financial and emotional damage.

When Jesus saw the great crowds who followed him go unfed “he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34). Jesus isn’t contractually obligated to take care of his sheep; instead, he is primarily motivated by a sense of justice, compassion, and love.

Jesus’s love and compassion for his sheep often manifests itself in righteous anger and zeal for his flock. In John 2, Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple because they were taking advantage of people’s religious devotion to make a quick buck. Here in John 10, Jesus said something we might consider a little harsh: “All who came before me are thieves and bandits…” (John 10:8).

The leaders of Israel were called to shepherd the people, to be poimēn, but they didn’t even fulfill the role of misthōtos; instead, they were kleptēs, where we get the word kleptomaniac, and lēstēs, which was the word used in the account of the cleansing of the temple in the synoptics when Jesus says the temple had become a “den of robbers.”

Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 34 both criticize the leaders of Israel by comparing them to shepherds who scattered the flock of God. In their place, God would be their shepherd through the Son of David. We’ll read these four passages from these two prophets, and then we’ll continue on to the second half of this saying of Jesus.

I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall no longer fear longer or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD. The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.” Jeremiah 23:4–6

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 34:15

I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged, and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them; he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken. Ezekiel 34:22–24

“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes. Ezekiel 37:24

I Lay Down My Life

The second half of John 10:11 explains that Jesus is the good shepherd because he lays down his life for his sheep. As Jesus goes on to explain,

For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father. John 10:17–18

Why does Jesus lay his life down? In order to take it up again.

That is, the point of the Cross is the resurrection.

Remember that through the Cross, Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in [the Cross]” (Colossians 2:15). Through baptism, Paul argued earlier in that same chapter, we were raised together with Christ.

The flock of God was under attack. In Genesis 3, the Thief through the Original Lie slayed Adam and Eve, scattering the flock. Remember, the thief seeks to kill, steal, and destroy.

Jesus entered into our predicament by taking on flesh. He went into the depths of our delusion. As all of humanity rejected, spit upon, and mocked Jesus, Jesus offered forgiveness because he knew that it was the Thief at work.

God submitted himself to our wrath through Jesus, but this willing submission on behalf of Christ led to resurrection. God was in Jesus in order to reconcile the world to himself, and through Jesus’s resurrection everything is set right or justified (2 Corinthians 5:19; Romans 4:25). The lamb of God has taken away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

I am the Resurrection and the Life

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25–26

Before we evaluate this “I am the…” saying of Jesus, please note that I will write more on this passage in at least two more articles to come: (1) an article evaluating various times when Jesus had to explain the nature of something to his audience and (2) an article in which I eventually do discuss specific eschatological statements of Jesus. So if you feel as if something is lacking here, hang with me.

Resurrection is the reversal of death. In the story of the resurrection of Lazarus, it is the reversal of physical death. In the story of the prodigal son, it is the reversal of relational death:

“for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate” (Luke 15:24).

John 11:25-26 shows the relationship between these two kinds of death.

How can both of these statements be true?

1. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.

2. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.

I think the connection is this: when we live under the assumption that we are separated from God, that the most original thing to us is sin, then death is a scary thing. As the Hebrews writer said, Jesus came to “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death” (Hebrews 2:15).

The resurrection of Jesus shows us that death does not end in decay. Our souls aren’t abandoned to some shadowy realm.

Instead, “even though we die” we are still alive.

In this sense, we never actually “see death.” As Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death” (John 8:51).

For us, to die and be with Christ is far better (Philippians 1:23).

When Jesus said that he is the resurrection, he is saying that he is the one who brings us back into union with the Father. We no longer have to fear death because we know that when we die we will be where we are now: in the presence of the Father through Christ; we’ll just be able to see it a lot more clearly.

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life

We now come to one of the most famous of Jesus’s “I am the…” statements. This one is fond John 14:6, but before we study this statement, we need to understand the background behind it by doing a quick study in Genesis 1-3.

The Original Lie

In Genesis 1, God created the world and called it very good. In Genesis 2, God told Adam, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (Genesis 2:16–17).

In the next chapter, a serpent came to Eve and tempted her to take the forbidden fruit and eat. To do this, the serpent told a lie; it is this Original Lie that has plagued humanity ever since. Here is what the serpent says:

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4–5

There are two lies in this statement, and understanding what they are and how they are connected is necessary if one is to truly appreciate John’s eschatology.

First, notice the expression “and you will be like God.” What’s the problem with this statement? Wasn’t it, in a sense, true? Well, yes. But it is only true because of the ambiguity of the word “like.”

In Genesis 1, God said, “So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). Adam and Eve were made to be imagers of God. They were made to be “like God.” They were not made to be like God in every sense of the term, though. Which human could ever handle that burden? And who would want to?

So in telling Eve that she would be “like God,” the serpent is attacking a potential insecurity of Eve’s: “You aren’t really like God unless you do this, this, and this. Only then will you be like God. Reach out, take, and eat, and all of your dreams will come true.”

Now this brings us to the other part of the lie.

Anytime we try to become “like God” via our own righteousness, works, or acts of worship, we fall flat on our face and realize all of our inadequacies. We feel that we aren’t worthy or aren’t good enough or aren’t special or aren’t loved. How could a God as perfect as the one whom we serve ever love someone like us?

So the serpent said, “Go down this road. You will not die.”

We know what happens next: “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves” (Genesis 3:7).

When we forget our “Original Goodness” and try to become “like God” through our own power or ability, we realize we’re naked. That is, we realize we are inefficient to hold on to or grasp that identity all on our own.

This is the great delusion or what I call the Original Lie.

Adam and Eve’s reaction here is so typical; they sew fig leaves together to try and cover themselves up.

Haven’t you and I done that before too? When we realize our nakedness, we chase after get rich quick schemes or magical weight loss plans or some sort of religious ritual, but these paths never bring us the eternal peace that we are looking for, the peace we had before our eyes were opened.

Notice the effect this had on Adam and Eve:

They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8

God comes walking in the garden in the Spirit (what the translation calls the evening breeze), and instead of running to greet their Father, they hide in the bushes.

Why?

God already knew they were naked. God already knew they weren’t like him in every single way. God knew their alleged inadequacies. And God was still seeking relationship with them, but they hid. Imagine had they ran to their Father, fell before him, and asked for forgiveness! But they couldn’t even think to do that yet; the Original Lie was too strong.

Instead, they played the blame game instead of taking responsibility. Children, as well as adults, do this all the time when they are afraid of punishment (cf. 1 John 4:18).

God knew that the only way through their delusion was through the Cross.

So God sent them out of the Garden, and he placed a cherubim with a flaming sword to “guard the way to the tree of life.”

Let’s review.

Adam and Eve couldn’t follow the way to the tree of life because a lie brought death.

Jesus Retells the Story

Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Do I really need to say more than this?

Jesus is the Way back to the Father.

Jesus is the Truth that undoes the Original Lie.

Jesus not only brings life, but Jesus is life.

Now that we have seen who the Father truly is because of what Jesus has done, we can run out from behind the trees and be met by a warm embrace. Let’s walk with the Father and Son in the cool breeze of the Spirit.

We’ll return to this passage when we talk about “mansions” once we really get into our study of what are perceived to be specific eschatological statements of John.

I am the True Vine

For this last section, we will be brief, but the implications of this section will be seen in every future study.

The story of the Bible is the story of Israel. From beginning to end, God’s covenant people take center stage. When the apostles spoke of Jesus in their sermons in Acts, they always made sure to emphasize that the story of Jesus and the story of Israel are the same story. They taught that Jesus is the culmination of Israel’s story.

The first disciples also refused to say that Israel had been replaced or disregarded as God’s covenant people.

At the end of the book of Acts, Paul said, “For this reason therefore I asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain” (Acts 28:20).

In Romans, Paul argued that Israel was still part of God’s plan even though they had rejected Jesus: “As regards the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but as regards election they are beloved for the sake of their ancestors for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:28-29).

So instead of talking about replacement or displacement, a better way to talk about the relationship between Jesus, the church, and Israel is to use the word “fulfillment.”

Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower” (John 15:1).

God didn’t forsake the promises made to Israel. God didn’t cast away an unfulfilled covenant. God didn’t nail the Law with all of its promises, types, and shadows to the Cross.

Jesus is Israel.

In the Hebrews Scriptures, the vineyard of God was Israel (see Isaiah 5 and Isaiah 27).

In identifying himself as the true vine of God, Jesus promises to fulfill Israel’s role in bearing fruit for God. Jesus fulfills the feast days. Jesus is the new temple. Jesus is the great high priest. Jesus is the new Moses. Jesus is the new Exodus.

Jesus’s story is Israel’s story, and Israel’s story is Jesus’s story.

In taking on sarx (flesh), Jesus entered into the good, bad, and ugly of Israel’s history and redeemed it. This is why the New Testament authors will sometimes use strange passages that seem to refer to all of Israel to talk about Jesus, such as Hosea 11 or even some of the Servant Songs in Isaiah. They aren’t confused; they see Jesus as embodying Israel as her husband, head, and king (cf. Hosea 1-3).

Conclusion

We have now looked at three ways in which John has offered resurrection to us by learning who Jesus is: (1) his incarnation, (2) his sign-filled ministry, and (3) his teaching. While there was more we could have looked at, we specifically focused on the “I am the…” statements of Jesus.

Now, we will turn to two more aspects of Jesus’s life that show us who the Father is: Jesus’s death and resurrection. We’ll turn to these topics in our upcoming articles which will conclude our overview of the Gospel of John. Afterwards, we will begin to evaluate specific passages in John which are commonly cited in discussions of eschatology.

If you want this series to continue, please like, comment, or message me to let me know of your continued interest. Also, ask questions, point out typos, and engage in kind discussion.