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SELF-REVELATION by GERALD L. GOODEN, Reference Librarian, Biola College
I T WAS A GREAT DAY in the life of Moses when, standing before the burning bush in the wilder ness in his bare feet, God re vealed Himself as “ I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Moses was not the same after that encoun ter; his life was revolutionized. Centuries intervene, prophets and priests of God come and go “ the way of all flesh.” Then into the stream o f history steps Jesus Christ, the embodiment o f Jeho vah that “ I am that I am.” Jesus presents Himself in all simplicity to the few and the multitude. All respond to His presence and mes sage, some negatively, others, but fewer, positively. To all in the lineage of Moses, off come the shoes as the Lord of Heaven re veals Himself in a new and differ ent sense to them by the use of the “ I am.” The Apostle John records these “ I am’s” of our Lord in a uniquely revealing manner, as he, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, writes down the things that will prove unequivocally that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life . . .” (John 20:31), even abundant life (10:10b). To the Samaritan woman at the well Jesus promised water to slake her insatiable thirst and concluded by revealing Himself to her by saying “ I that speak unto thee am He” — that is, the Messiah that was to come (John 4:25, 26). The promised Messiah was to satisfy the longing heart of the expectant believer even as the cool clear water from an oasis I satisfied the thirsty traveler. For
all who thirst and will come to Him He is that long-looked-for Messiah, the anointed of God, the Christ of God. The multitudes followed Jesus both for His authoritative teach ing and the miracles He per formed in their midst. The people expected Him to take care of their needs, free them from political bondage, release them from the centuries of burdens. On one of several occasions, after a long day o f teaching, Christ miracu lously fed the multitude with bread and fishes in a manner that greatly impressed the crowd. (John 6:14). This incident intro duced Jesus as the “ Bread of life” (John 6:35, 48, 51). Moses re vealed to the people during the wilderness wandering that man does not live by flour bread only (though this is necessary for physical life) but by the Word of God (Deuteronomy 8 :3 ). John reveals Jesus as the Word (John 1 :1), and the oft-recorded mira cle of the multiplying of the bread and fishes revealed Him as the Bread which alone can satis fy the spirit’s need of spiritual bread that comes from God. These two, thirst and hunger, embrace the complex and manifold va riety o f man’s unsatisfied de sires. Into the blackened night of the life of an adulterous woman a light shown that dispelled the darkness deepened by years of blacker and blacker sin. No, it was not a matter of Jesus’ wink ing at sin but o f His seeing a re pentant and believing heart that called forth forgiveness (John
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