Throughout the Gospel of John (as well as the Synoptic Gospels), Jesus continually shows people that He is, in fact, the Creator God. Jesus performed many signs and miracles to show his close connection with the Father and to demonstrate his divinity. Generally these songs were done in such a way as to demonstrate to the Jews that He was God (since that is what they asked for). Jesus, however, did not limit himself to performing signs and miracles. He also used the phrase “I AM” to show his divinity. To the modern reader, “I AM” simply seems like a phrase of explanation or possession. However, for the Jew, this phrase contains all that God is. In the book of Exodus, God commanded Moses to tell the people that “I AM” had sent him to deliver them from the bondage of the Egyptian. Therefore, they consider this simple phrase to be the identity of God. When Jesus says, “I AM,” He is directly stating that He is God (if not the same as God). Jesus said this phrase several times in the Gospel of John, but he did not limit himself to this simple phrase. Jesus added an ending (i.e., I AM the vine, I AM the door, etc.) to drive home a point with his audience. No matter what statement Jesus added to the end of “I AM,” He always pointed His audience toward a certain aspect of His nature and ministry. One of the “I AM” statements found in the Gospel of John is “I AM.” the light of the world." Unlike the other “I AM” sayings, Jesus spoke this phrase twice (8:12; 9:5), but his use of “I AM” occurs in consecutive narratives. The first use of this phrase occurs during the story of the adulterous woman. The story actually begins an earlier chapter where the Feast of Tabernacles is first mentioned. The Feast of Tabernacles is a joyous celebration where……in the middle of the paper……in the darkness. God showed himself countless times to Israel, yet he never sent them the one they were waiting for. However, God ultimately sent Jesus. Jesus was sent to be the light that would shine in the darkness. It will be Jesus who will bring the spiritually blind to the wonderful light of grace. Jesus showed his divinity in part by physically healing the blind man and saving the adulterous woman, but he showed his full divinity when he saved the soul. Works Cited Douglas, J.D. and Merrill C. Tenney. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Grand Rapids: Zondervavn, 2011. Köstenberger, Andreas J. Commentary on Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002. Morris, Leon. Jesus is the Christ. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1989. City, Elmer. The Gospel of John: believing and living. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2002.