True Truth: Meeting the Great I AM

As we conclude our examination of Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman, we reach the climactic moment where Jesus reveals His true identity. In a world that has relativized and pluralized truth, Jesus stands as the embodiment of what Francis Schaeffer called "true truth." Today, we'll discover what it means to encounter the Great I AM.

John 4:25-26 "The woman said to Him, 'I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.' Jesus said to her, 'I who speak to you am He.'"

We live in a world that doesn't believe in truth anymore. Truth has been pluralized and relativized. Oprah says, "Speak your truth." Social media encourages everyone to "live their truth." Even in academic settings, some suggest that 1+4 could equal something other than 5 if that's your personal reality.

But elevated above all the noise, there is a single source of truth in this world—a single source—and it's Jesus Christ.

When the Samaritan woman says, "I know that Messiah is coming," she's expressing hope in the promised deliverer. "Christ" isn't Jesus' last name; it means "the anointed one." In the Old Testament, there were three offices that were anointed with oil: prophet, priest, and king. The Samaritan woman is saying, "When that ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King comes, He will declare all things to us."

Jesus' response is breathtaking in its simplicity. In English, it reads, "I who speak to you am He." But in the original Greek, Jesus simply says, "Ego eimi"—"I am."

This Samaritan woman, who only believed in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), would have recognized these words immediately. In Exodus 3, there's a voice that speaks to Moses from the burning bush, identifying Himself as "I AM." That same voice that commissioned Moses is now revealing Himself for the first time in John's Gospel—not to the religious elite, not to the Pharisees, but to an adulterous Samaritan woman!

This is the undeniable expression of Jesus' deity. Twenty-three times in John's Gospel, we'll see Jesus use the phrase "I am," and seven of those times, it will be accompanied by a metaphor that helps us understand who He is:

"I am the bread of life" (John 6)—the only one who can truly satisfy your soul. "I am the light of the world" (John 8)—the only one who can dispel your darkness. "I am the door" (John 10)—the only way to salvation. "I am the good shepherd" (John 10)—the only one who can lead you safely home. "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11)—the only answer to death. "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14)—the only path to the Father. "I am the vine" (John 15)—the only source of spiritual life and fruit.

In Matthew 12, Jesus makes three remarkable statements. He says, "Something greater than Jonah is here," because He is the greater prophet. He says, "Something greater than the temple is here," because He is the greater priest. And He says, "Something greater than Solomon is here," because He is the greater and ultimate King.

Jesus doesn't just speak truth or teach truth—He is truth. In a world of competing voices and relative claims, Jesus stands as the absolute, unchanging standard of reality.

This leads me to ask you three questions:

First, have you ever been confronted and convicted in repentance over your sin? Maybe someone offered you the living water of Jesus without ever telling you that you needed to come to terms with your sin. But that's a necessary prerequisite to experiencing the living water that Jesus offers.

Second, have you ever truly worshiped God? The Christian life is ultimately all about worship. Jesus says you don't have to make a pilgrimage, you don't need to change your race, you don't need to go to a certain place. What you need to do is bow down before Jesus Christ and deny the idea that you could ever earn your way to Him.

Third, have you ever come to the Great I AM? He's the only way, the only truth, and the only life. If you've tasted that life, your response will be one of adoration and surrender—because it all belongs to Jesus.