This is the word that Jesus pronounced at the end of an argument with his religious opponents. I don't think that it is an accident that Jesus statement has reached the pinnacle of His explanation. He no longer says, “I Am” this or that: the bread of life, the light of the world, the resurrection and the life, and so on. He simply says “I Am” without further clarification. This gives his declaration an absolute, foundational truth that is beyond reproach. I believe that Jesus is intentionally recalling the word of Exodus 3:14 and Isaiah 43:10-12, in which God proclaims his divine “I Am”.
There is also the promise that Jesus being crucified is necessary to us understanding His Divinity. It is a required step toward the revelation of Jesus being awarded the authority over all things by God the Father. The name of Jesus is the name above all names, never to take a backseat to any of our "created gods" or any created being who exists anywhere in the universe.