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.
Jesus did not come to improve and perfect the idea that people have of God, but, in a certain sense, to reveal the true face of God. This is perhaps why Paul wrote: “For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:21-24).
It is staggering to try to understand the authority that Christ was given by God, bestowed upon Him after taking our sins and punishment on the cross. We speak of a God who is pure in spirit, a supreme being, and so on, but how can we see him in the annihilation of his death on the cross? God is all-powerful, no doubt, but what kind of power is it? Faced with the plan of men, God chooses to act in a way devoid of any defensive capacity, seemingly allowing the providence of man to dictate their will to the Divine.
Which is why I believe that during the Last Supper, the Father reveals the true face of his omnipotence in his Son, who knelt before the disciples to wash their feet; the greatest serving the least.
Our pithy attempt to weld power and pride in our earthly accomplishments should be recognized for what it is, a faithless attempt to inflate our own worth, at the cost of reducing those around us, including the love and grace of Almighty God. And we would be wise to also remember the temporal when weighed by the eternal.
In closing, let's attempt to try to reconcile the triumph of Jesus over sin and death and His resurrection by focusing on what He didn't do after His resurrection. He didn't appear in the court of Pilate and announce judgement over this man who condemned Him to death. He didn't lash out in power and destroy the vessels of power that He had allowed Herod and his armies to accumulate. He didn't even appear in vengeance to His most outspoken opponents, the religious leaders, demolishing their power structure and setting up His people as the true witnesses to His Way.
No, actually, once resurrected, Jesus appears only to a few disciples, and companions, for the most part keeping out of the spotlight. What we see is unlimited power exhibiting unbelievable humility. His concern was not for revenge, but to reassure his dismayed disciples and, before them, the women who had never stopped believing in him.
So as we approach this Easter holiday, let us accept the invitation that Jesus addressed to the world from his cross: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).
