It Is I
When Jesus’ disciples “saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. Immediately He spoke with them and said, ‘Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid’” (Mark 6:50; see also Matthew 14:27; John 6:20). The commands to have courage and to not be afraid echo encouraging words found in the Old Testament, including statements appearing in Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:9; 1 Chronicles 22:13; 28:20; Psalm 27:14; 31:24; Isaiah 41:10,13; 43:1-3; 44:1. Moreover, the command to take courage was issued repeatedly by Jesus. In addition to Matthew 14:27 and Mark 6:50, see Matthew 9:2, Matthew 9:22, John 16:33, and Acts 23:11. Finally, in Mark 5:36 (also Luke 8:50), Matthew 17:7, John 14:27, and Matthew 28:10, Jesus told various individuals not to be afraid.
Yet perhaps the most significant statement Jesus made as he walked on the water toward the boat that held His disciples was “It is I.” Of course, the obvious meaning is that Jesus was reassuring them that it was He Himself, Jesus. But the words mean, and they can be accurately translated, “I am.” This constituted on Jesus’ part a claim to deity (see Ex. 3:14; Isaiah 41:4; 43:10-11; 51:12; 52:6). Consider that He was walking on water when he said it; His actions surely were lending great credibility to His claim to be God!
This was not the only instance in which Jesus used this title to refer to Himself. In Luke 24:39, Jesus used these words to reassure His disciples in a post-resurrection appearance: “Look at My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself! Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” Moreover, John recorded in John 8:56-59 that when Jesus told the Jews that Abraham rejoiced over the prospect of seeing His—Jesus’—day, and that he rejoiced when he saw it, the Jews pointed out to Jesus He wasn’t even 50 years old. How could He say He’d seen Abraham? Jesus responded, “I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am” (v. 58). These Jews, who were Jesus’ enemies, understood Jesus perfectly and “picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple complex” (v. 59).
John 5:18 is yet another verse that indicates that Jesus’ enemies knew He was claiming to be God, even though Jesus didn’t use “I am” in this instance. John wrote, “This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill Him: Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”
If Jesus’ enemies understood what He was saying when He said, “It is I,” then we who are His followers must make sure we understand it. Properly understood, it will encourage us, inspire us, and thrill our hearts!
