XVII. The Seven "I AM" Sayings of John

John's Gospel is organized around seven ἐγώ εἰμι (egō eimi) sayings — "I AM" with a predicate complement. Each one stakes a divine claim to be something the OT promised God would give. The number seven is intentional: completeness, totality. The seven sayings together compose a single self-portrait.

Each saying takes an image already used of God in the Hebrew Bible and applies it to Jesus in the first person. He doesn't say "God is the shepherd, and I serve under Him." He says "I am the good shepherd." He doesn't say "manna came from God." He says "I am the bread that came down from heaven." The "I AM" sayings are systematic divine self-claims.

There is an eighth "I AM" in John, and it is the one that trumps the rest. In John 8:58, Jesus says:

No predicate complement. Pure ἐγώ εἰμι. The verb tense changes mid-sentence: "before Abraham came into being" — aorist infinitive, a past event — "I AM" — present tense, ongoing existence. Grammatically jarring; theologically decisive.