I AM, Therefore, We Are / John 15-21
Introduction: Seven “I AM” Statements
If you have your Bible, turn to the backside of the Gospel of John. You could start around chapter 16, but we’re going to end up eventually in chapter 21. We are wrapping up a seven-week series on the “I AM” statements of Jesus in John. There is so much that could be said about Jesus, but for a specific purpose, John chose seven statements where Jesus described Himself.
The Gospel of John is unique because it was one of the last books of the Bible ever written. The book of Revelation and the Gospel of John were both written around the early nineties AD—fifty years after the death of Christ, decades after Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John wrote with a crystal-clear agenda. He states it plainly in chapter 20: these things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
John 20:30-31 (NASB)
Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
That is why, as profound and challenging as parts of John’s gospel are, we always encourage people who are exploring the things of God to start by reading John. Years ago, when I was living in a roach-infested apartment as a college student who didn’t know Christ, I read it and thought, Man, I’m on the outside of this thing looking in. If this Jesus is real, I need to change my life, because I don’t have faith in Him at all right now. It accomplished the exact purpose it was set out to accomplish.
John records seven statements that Matthew, Mark, and Luke don’t mention at all. None of the other gospel writers give them even a whisper, but John says, No, I want you to hear these.
He shows us Jesus calling a group of misfits, normal everyday people—people like you and me—and calling them to Himself. The disciples were present in the synagogue of Capernaum when Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me shall not hunger.”
John 6:35 (NASB)
Jesus said to them, ’I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
They were there when He declared, “I am the light of the world,” shining light directly into the darkness.
John 8:12 (NASB)
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.’
They were present when Jesus said, “I am the door of the sheep,” and, “I am the good shepherd. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, but I am the good shepherd who gives His life for the sheep.”
John 10:7-11 (NASB)
So Jesus said to them again, ’Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ’All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ’I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ’The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have [it] abundantly. ’I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
They were standing right there when Jesus had the audacity to claim, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live.”
John 11:25 (NASB)
Jesus said to her, ’I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
They heard Jesus make the bold claim, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He picked a fight with the entire Roman culture, which believed all roads led to heaven, by stating unequivocally that there is only one way to the Father.
John 14:6 (NASB)
Jesus said to him, ’I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
And finally, in John 15, Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” He explained that the key to the vitality of the Christian life is abiding in Him, remaining connected to Him. In John 15:5, He looked at them and said plainly, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:1-5 (NASB)
’I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ’Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every [branch] that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. ’You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ’Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither [can] you unless you abide in Me. ’I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
The High Call and the Great Scatter
The disciples heard all seven of these statements. They watched the religious leaders react with outrage. Most of these statements were absolute mic-drop moments where Jesus picked a fight with the status quo. The disciples saw the crowds, they saw the miracles, and they heard the teaching.
In John 16, as they walk from the upper room toward the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who will come. In John 17, Jesus prays His high priestly prayer, asking the Father that they may be one. Then in John 18:1, they arrive at the Garden of Gethsemane.
John 18:1 (NASB)
When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples.
Mark gives us an interesting insight into that walk to the Mount of Olives. He tells us that after singing a hymn, Jesus told His disciples, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Mark 14:27-28 (NASB)
And Jesus said to them, ’You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP SHALL BE SCATTERED.’ ‘But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’
Peter immediately pushed back: “Even though they all fall away, I will not!” Jesus looked at him and said, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” But don’t miss that promise Jesus made beforehand: “I will go before you to Galilee.”
Just days earlier, Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey with crowds shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” The disciples were walking behind Him, proud as could be. People recognized Peter on the streets; being with Jesus gave you street cred. But Jesus warned them not to get arrogant, because when the arrest happened, they would all run.
Sure enough, in John 18, Judas betrays Jesus. Peter pulls out a sword, ready to fight, and Jesus tells him to put it away. Matthew records that at that moment, all the disciples left Him and fled. Like roaches when the lights flip on, they were gone. In His moment of greatest need, after three and a half years of following Him, they abandoned Him. In John 19, Jesus is crucified, alone and forsaken.
Matthew 26:56 (NASB)
‘But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.’ Then all the disciples left Him and fled.
Locked Behind Closed Doors
In John 20, Jesus rises from the dead. He appears first to Mary Magdalene and tells her to go tell the disciples—and Mark specifically records, “and Peter.” Why mention Peter by name? Because Peter was carrying the crushing weight of having denied the Lord three times before the rooster crowed.
Mark 16:7 (NASB)
’But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’’
When Peter and John heard the tomb was empty, they ran to see it. John outran Peter, but stopped at the entrance. Peter, being the Type-A, ready-fire-aim disciple, lumbered up and charged straight inside. Jesus later made a private appearance to Peter, as recorded in Luke and mentioned by Paul.
Luke 24:12 (NASB)
But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.
You would think that after seeing the risen Christ, the disciples would be bold and ready to conquer the world. But scripture tells us that fear seized them. On Sunday evening, the disciples were huddled behind locked doors for fear of the Jewish leaders.
John 20:19 (NASB)
So when it was evening on that day, the first [day] of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace [be] with you.’
Jesus had told them in John 15, “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you.” They were terrified that what happened to Jesus was about to happen to them. Suddenly, Jesus appears in the middle of the locked room and says, “Peace be with you.” He shows them His hands and His side, and then He gives them their commission: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I am sending you.”
John 20:21 (NASB)
So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace [be] with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’
Jesus was resetting their apostolic calling. He was reminding them that He didn’t call them on the shores of the Sea of Galilee just to give them a front-row seat to great teaching, only for them to do nothing with it. He didn’t call them so they could hide in a locked room. He called them to be sent ones.
Going Back to What Is Comfortable
Eventually, the disciples travel north to Galilee, just as Jesus instructed. Acts tells us there was a forty-day window between the resurrection and the ascension, so they were waiting in Galilee for just a few days.
Acts 1:3 (NASB)
To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over [a period of] forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
While they are waiting, what do they decide to do? Do they knock on doors preaching the resurrected King? Do they start making disciples of all nations? No. They go fishing.
John 21:2-3 (NASB)
Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the [sons] of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will also come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.
Seven disciples are there: Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two others. Peter says in verse 3, “I am going fishing.” The rest reply, “We will go with you.”
Now, this doesn’t mean they were completely rejecting Christ or abandoning their faith. But when push came to shove and uncertainty set in, they went back to what was familiar. They retreated to what was comfortable and easy. Peter couldn’t stand waiting around, so he went back to his old trade.
They fished all night long and caught absolutely nothing. Not a tadpole. Not a single fish.
As the day began to break, Jesus stood on the shore, though the disciples didn’t recognize Him. He calls out across the water, “Children, do you have any fish?” Imagine fishing all night, exhausted and empty-handed, and a stranger from the beach asks if you’ve caught anything. They yell back, “No!”
Then He tells them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”
John 21:4-6 (NASB)
But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you do not have any fish, do you?’ They answered Him, ‘No.’ And He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find [a catch].’ So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
This was not a massive ship; it was a small fishing boat. Throwing the net on the other side made zero logical sense, but they obeyed. When they did, the net was so full of fish they couldn’t even haul it in. John looks at Peter and says, “It is the Lord!”
Peter instantly throws on his outer garment, plunges into the water, and swims to shore. When the disciples arrive, they find Jesus sitting beside a charcoal fire with fish cooking and bread prepared.
John 21:7-9 (NASB)
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’ So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped [for work]), and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, but about one hundred yards away, dragging the net [full] of fish. So when they got out on the land, they saw a charcoal fire [already] laid and fish placed on it, and bread.
Breakfast on the Shore: The Great Reset
Sitting around that charcoal fire, Jesus creates a moment of restoration for Peter. Around another charcoal fire days earlier, Peter had denied Jesus three times. Now, Jesus asks him three times: “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”
With each affirmation, Jesus responds: “Feed My lambs… Tend My sheep… Feed My sheep.”
John 21:15-17 (NASB)
So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, [son] of John, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My lambs.’ He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, [son] of John, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Shepherd My sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, [son] of John, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ’Tend My sheep.
In the world, three strikes and you’re out. Peter had three denials, but Jesus met him with three restorations. Jesus wiped the slate clean. Then in verse 19, Jesus speaks the very same words He spoke when He first called Peter by the Sea of Galilee: “Follow Me.”
John 21:19 (NASB)
Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’
That is what God does for us. He hits the reset button. He says, I know I called you, and I know you faltered. I know you slipped back into your old comfort zone. But it’s not three strikes and you’re out with Me. Follow Me afresh.
These men had spent three and a half years with God incarnate, yet they were still human. They stumbled, they were afraid, and they retreated to comfort. If the disciples never failed, we wouldn’t be able to relate to them at all. Sometimes our spiritual walk feels like a wild ride with highs and lows. But God’s grace meets us in our weakness.
Stepping Out of Comfort into Obedience
We have spent this entire summer studying the profound “I AM” statements of Jesus. Now we have a choice to make. We can take what we have heard, hit the reset button, and follow Jesus afresh in genuine obedience. Or we can just go back to “fishing”—back to our routine, back to what is easy, doing nothing with what we’ve received.
If we hear the Word and do nothing, we have wasted our time. James warned us not to be merely forgetful hearers of the Word, but effectual doers.
James 1:22-25 (NASB)
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for [once] he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the [law] of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
The only way spiritual growth happens is when we step out of our comfort zones. We see a neighbor getting their mail and think, I should say something, but we don’t because it feels uncomfortable. We think about inviting someone over for dinner or sharing our faith with a coworker, but we hesitate because it feels awkward.
Jesus did not impart His life into us so that we would live in quiet comfort. He called us to take the gospel to our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and the ends of the earth. These same disciples who retreated to their fishing boat were restored by Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, and went on to turn the world upside down for Christ.
Many of you have walked with God in the past, but somewhere along the way, life happened. A broken relationship, a lost job, a season of compromise, and you retreated to what was comfortable. I don’t judge you for that, but I want to invite you out of it. Jesus is standing on the shore of your life today, offering you a reset, saying, “Follow Me.”
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [he is] a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Every single day, Jesus offers us the grace to start anew. Life is far better lived uncomfortably in pursuit of Christ than lived comfortably in complacency. Let’s be people drawn not to comfort, but to obedience.
Let’s pray together.
Father, we are challenged by Your Word. It is so easy for us to fall back into complacency and talk about the “good old days” of when we were on fire for You. Lord, why can’t today be the good old days? Why can’t our lives today be filled with stories of people coming to Christ, people invited into our homes, and people served in our communities?
Forgive us for running back to what is comfortable. Help us to lay down our baggage, our sin, our fears, and our pride at Your feet. Fill us afresh with Your Spirit and remind us that our lives belong to You. May we not merely hear Your Word, but obey it. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.