Jesus said, ‘I am’ by Andrea Skevington

Positive book that explores the 'I am' sayings of Jesus in John's gospel, and will help attentive readers in their life of faith

Jesus said, ‘I am’. Finding life in the everyday
by Andrea Skevington
Bible Reading Fellowship
ISBN 978-0-85746-562-7
Reviewed by Pieter J. Lalleman

Author and amateur-theologian Skevington presents nine chapters of material on the ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus in John’s Gospel. She deals with Jesus as the bread of life (chapter 3), the light of the world (4), the good shepherd and the gate (together in 5), the resurrection and the life (6), the way, the truth and the life (7), and the true vine (8). The short ninth and final chapter is about Jesus’ saying ‘I am he’ in John 18:5.

Chapter 1 discusses the revelation of God’s name ‘I Am’ (Yahweh) to Moses in Exodus 3 and chapter 2 is about Jesus and the women at the well, to whom he says that he is the Messiah, using the same words ‘I am’.

The first part of each chapter contains the full text of the Scripture passage and a study of it, the second part offers numerous suggestions for ‘reflection and response’: questions, references to similar passages with questions about them, prayers, suggestions for activities, suggestions for further reading, and much more. For example, after ‘I am the bread of life’ we are invited to bake bread, to reflect on avoiding waste and to consider fasting.

Skevington’s explanations of Scripture are attractive and generally to the point, although occasionally driven by association rather than by strict interpretation. She fills some Greek words with more meaning than they have in themselves. The suggested responses are naturally more diverse and the ideas for further study touch on the entire Christian life. This means that in the end this positive book reaches far and wide. It will surely help attentive readers in their life of faith.

More about the author and her books can be found on her website.

The Revd Dr Pieter J. Lalleman teaches Bible at Spurgeon's College

Baptist Times, 26/04/2019

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