11 “I Am Jesus” (Acts 9:5; 22:8; 26:15)
11
“I Am Jesus” (Acts 9:5; 22:8; 26:15)
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21
When he [Bartimaeus] heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Mark 10:47
Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is Jesus, the king of the Jews.
Matthew 27:37
Then he [the thief on the cross] said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:42–43
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.… Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.
Acts 2:32–33, 36
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
Acts 7:55
Therefore God exalted him [Jesus] to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9–11
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Revelation 22:20
Strictly speaking, “I am Jesus” doesn’t qualify as an I AM statement; but I have two excellent reasons for including it: first, it is always right to magnify Jesus; and second, the statement is found three times in the book of Acts, and repetition suggests importance. I don’t want to conclude this book without again presenting Jesus our Lord and Savior, lest there be even one reader who has never trusted Him personally and experienced the new birth.
Before you read this chapter, I suggest you first read Acts 9:1–31, which is Dr. Luke’s account of Paul’s conversion; and then read Paul’s two personal accounts in Acts 22 and 26. Paul’s first account was given before an angry Jewish mob in the temple at Jerusalem, and his second as part of his legal testimony before King Agrippa II and the Roman governor Porcius Festus. The basic facts are the same in each narrative, but there are some differences that help to bring out some special truths. Keep in mind that Saul of Tarsus was converted while going on a week’s journey from Jerusalem to Damascus, a distance of about 150 miles.
This chapter is built around seven stages in Paul’s Damascus Road encounter that transformed him from Saul of Tarsus the rabbi into Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.