Who is excited to see the end of this series and enjoys the opportunity to go through them? I AM. ;-). This is the last episode where we wrap everything up and put a bow on the point of the whole series. Hope you've enjoyed it!
We go places and we follow a way to get there, but I have never told someone that I am the way there. Jesus' bold statement of being the only access to God is foreshadowed in the greater revelation of his message all along that he is God.
"You're in me and I'm in you and the Father is in us and we are in the Father and I and the Father are one and..." (whew) There's a lot going on to Jesus claiming to be the Vine and the verses that follow. Get close and comfortable with Jesus
Frankenstein created a monster and gave him life; put life back into him. Jesus describes himself as being life itself. Not only that, but also a resurrecting life that can take something dead and put himself into them to revive.
Leading, protecting, disciplining ... These are all characteristics of an OK shepherd. The "goodest" shepherd will lay down his life for his sheep, and that's exactly why Jesus gives himself this title.
A lock protects people just like a gate. They are there to provide security and safety to those that trust in it. Jesus claims to be that gate to protect us from being "hungry", "blind", and much more.
Today we introduce the topic of Jesus' I AM ... statements. We talk about the verb "be" a little bit and what that meant in the Greco-Roman world and also in Jewish history. We discuss a little bit about what that meant for Jesus to so blatan