The Shepherd Who Is “I AM”

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

Many years ago, I took a Spanish class. I didn’t keep up with it, but a few everyday phrases have stayed with me. One of the first things we learned was how to answer the question ¿Cómo te llamas? The response was Mi nombre es…—“My name is….” It was a simple way of saying “I am” and offering something true about ourselves.

In today’s verse, Jesus does something similar yet infinitely deeper. When he says, “I am the good shepherd,” he reveals something essential about his identity. In claiming this role, he embraces the shepherd’s work of providing, guiding, and protecting (Ps. 23:1–4), and he names the costly love at the heart of his mission—his willingness to lay down his life for the sheep.

This isn’t the first time Scripture gives us an “I AM.” At the burning bush, when Moses asks for God’s name, God replies, “I AM WHO I AM,” and then instructs him, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exod. 3:14, NRSVUE)

“I AM” is not a title God wears but the very essence of God’s being—eternal, self‑existent, present, and faithful. So, when Jesus says, “I am,” he is not merely describing a role. He is revealing his unity with the One who spoke from the bush.

And John’s Gospel makes this revelation unmistakable. Jesus speaks seven “I am” statements—bread for the hungry, light for the lost, a gate for the vulnerable, resurrection for the grieving, the way for the searching, the vine for the weary, and the shepherd who knows his sheep by name. Each one echoes the divine voice from the burning bush and shows us what it looks like when the great “I AM” walks among us, guiding, feeding, and saving.

Great “I AM,” in your presence, we become still. You are the One who calls, the One who guides, the One who gives life. Let your voice be our peace, your love our path, your shepherding heart the place where we find our way home again. Amen.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Tim