The signs also carry the theme of realised eschatology. This is also part of Johannine Christology. The Kingdom of God has come through the person of Jesus, something which is repeatedly stated in the discourses. The statement “I am the living bread that came down from heaven” shows that the Kingdom of God was present on Earth in the form of Jesus. In the “I am the light of the world discourse” Jesus says “I am from above”, “I am not of this world”, “I stand with the Father”. Jesus has brought the Kingdom of God to people, they must have faith in him to gain access to eternal life.
Part of the nature of the discourses is their links with the Old Testament. The phrase “I am” would have been familiar to Jewish listeners as it is the language of the divine. The Jewish name for God is Yahweh which means “he is”. In Exodus Yahweh reveals himself to Moses by stating “I am who I am”. Barrett maintains that “I am” is the divine word of self revelation. In Isaiah Yahweh repeatedly uses the “I am” formula “I am the Lord”, “I am God”. In this case Yahweh is declaring himself as being superior to false idols and pagan deities. The implication of this is that, in the discourses, Jesus is declaring his supremacy against the false claims of Judaism.
The nature of the discourses is also characterised by their continuing theme of Replacement Theology. In the “I am the bread of life” discourse Jesus is portrayed as a new and greater Moses because he proclaims his spiritual bread to be greater than the physical manna from heaven in Exodus. In Exodus the heavenly bread fed only physical hunger. Jesus’ bread feeds spiritual need as it gives them access to eternal life “My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the true bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Bread is also symbolic of the Law so important in Judaism. Jesus’ own bread is needed to replace it as it is inadequate, another theme continued from the Prologue “The Law came through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. In the “I am the light of the world” discourse, the theme of Replacement Theology is also prevalent. Indeed R. E. Brown maintains that it is the central theme of the discourse. The discourse takes place at the Feast of Tabernacles where the Jews commemorate God guiding the Israelites out of the wilderness with a pillar of flame. The phrase “I am the light of the world” shows that Jesus is the true guiding light, not simply for the Israelites, but for everybody, replacing the exclusivity of the Jewish religion with the Universality of Christianity. As with bread, light is a symbol of the Law. The significance of this is that Jesus sets himself above these symbols. He is replacing the Law with the eternal life and spiritual sustenance that the Law did not provide.
Another aspect of the nature of the signs is that they, as Bultmann points out, all have interlocutors. The discourses are interrupted by people to allow for clarification. In “I am the bread of life” the disciples ask questions and tell Jesus to “give us this heavenly bread” which prompts Jesus to explain that the “heavenly bread” is eternal life brought by him from God. In “I am the light of the world” the Pharisees repeatedly interrupt Jesus to try to disconcert him which again encourages Jesus to elaborate and explain that their preoccupations with the Law and their own judgement of people is not the way to gain access to God. The discourses are also linked with signs. In the case of “The bread of life” discourse, it is linked quite obviously with the Feeding of the Five Thousand. The “I am the light of the world” discourse is linked with the Healing of the Man Born Blind.
The Eucharistic connotations in the “Bread of Life” discourse are also very significant. Jesus tells his disciples that his “flesh is real food” and his “blood is real drink”. When he says “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” he is simply referring to the unity shared between himself and his followers at the Eucharist. It also is linked to the Last Supper which has connotations of the Crucifixion . This is taken further in the “I am the light of the world” discourse where Jesus’ time is emphasised “his time had not yet come”. The significance of this is that the discourses are leading up to the final glorification of Jesus at his Crucifixion.
