In the final chapter of Revelation, Jesus says,
“I AM the root and offspring of David and I AM the Bright Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16

These names are related to the other name Jesus gives Himself which is simply, “I am”.
When Jesus says that He is the root and the Offspring of David, He is saying I am the start of the line of David. I am the root which is the beginning and the sustaining life force.

Without the root, it couldn’t not survive. It is similar to when He is named the Cornerstone. He is the Creator of the line of David, the Sustainer of the line of David, AND He humbled Himself. He chose to temporarily leave His deity in heaven and be born into the earth THROUGH the line of David as Offspring of the line of David. By naming Himself the Root and the Offspring, He is demonstrating that through the humanity of Jesus, He is BOTH fully God and fully Man. He is both the source of life AND also born through as offspring of man.

In many of Jesus’s names, He clarifies that He is God. That is still hard for some to grasp. But Jesus is SO clear time and time again that He is Lord.
Here is an exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees where He almost got stoned for stating that He was God.

First, the Pharisees ask Him, “Who do you think you are?”

Jesus replied,
Your father Abraham   rejoiced to see My day,   and he saw  it  and was glad.”
John 8:56

This confused them greatly since Abraham was the beginning of the Israelites and is called the father of their faith.

How could Abraham have seen Jesus and rejoiced?

This was too much for them. They didn’t understand. They responded with an earthly response. You aren’t even old enough to have known Abraham! But then, Jesus said something that they WOULD understand. He referred to Himself by the name that was given to Moses when Moses asked God who he should tell the Israelites he was sent by.

Jesus said to them,  “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was,   I AM.” John 8:58

They recognized exactly what He was saying from an Old Testament interaction between God and Moses when God told Moses, “Tell them that I AM sent you! I am who I am. I am who I say I am. I AM. Period. And the Jews of Jesus’s time knew the Torah. They KNEW God’s name was I am.

So when Jesus said that He was “I am, ” they clearly recognized that He was telling Him that He was God. They didn’t believe Him. They picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus slipped into the crowd and away from them. It wasn’t time to give His life yet. They MISSED it!

Instead of revelation and receiving Him with JOY and GLADNESS, they accused Him of blasphemy and went back to the Levitical Law that states anyone who blasphemes the Name of the Lord shall be stoned.

And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death.  Leviticus 24: 16

The detail included in the scriptures that they tried to stone Him is very significant because it proves that they GOT the message. They knew exactly who He was claiming to be, and they chose the punishment from the law that fit.  What will you choose to do with the revelation that Jesus is, “I AM.”?

Jesus is the Lord there at Creation, there before Abraham, who revealed Himself to humanity in the form of a man in flesh.  This revelation is one you can build your life upon! Jesus Christ, the Lord Himself has revealed who He is! And our response can be to allow Him to be LORD over everything in our lives.The fullness of our lives entrusted over to Him OR we can reject His Lordship when it messes with our plans, our ways, the way we wanted things to go.

The Pharisees rejected Christ because He didn’t do what they expected Him to do. When He revealed Himself as Lord, they could have simply dropped their expectations and simply said, “Your way Lord.” Today is a fresh opportunity to repent of accepting Christ for what we want Him to do and who we want Him to be and instead begin to worship Him simply for who HE SAYS HE IS! 

Drop the agenda.

Drop the religious traditions.

Drop the fear of what others will think.

Dear Lord,
                  Let us marvel in AWE of who You are. You are the Lord, our Savior, the Brightest Morning Star and  fully I AM with no other explanation needed. I honor You today by submitting my heart to Your rule and reign. I recognize You Lord as who You say You are.  May I trust Your Word even when I don’t understand, even when I don’t get it. May I have bold faith to simply say, “If He said it, I will believe it.” Lord, strengthen me to simply BELIEVE You and every Word You have spoken. When I am confused by hard teachings, may I not dismiss it, but ask for discernment and help to grasp that which you are trying to teach us. And today I trust that You are I AM. You are who You say You are!
                                       In Jesus Name, Amen.