Jesus’ “I AM” statements

Slight diversion today… have you ever looked at all the “I am” statements that Jesus made? John records seven different “I am” metaphors that Jesus used, plus some absolute “I am” statements. Sometimes the text translates it as "I am he," but the Greek states "I am." Here are a couple of examples of the absolute statements:

8:58 “Before Abraham was, I am.” The wording of this is similar to Yahweh’s statement to Moses in Exodus 3, “I AM WHO I AM.”

18:5-6 When Jesus was being arrested and asked who they were seeking, “They answered him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am (he).’… When Jesus said to them ‘I am he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.” In this passage, Jesus announcement of “I AM” causes the band of soldiers, officers, chief priests, and Pharisees were literally knocked off their feet! Makes you wonder if Jesus answered with the proper name of God, Yahweh, which the Jews wouldn’t pronounce.

Here are the metaphors from the Gospel of John that Jesus used in describing himself - implicit in these statements are the claims to deity:
6:35 “I am the bread of life”
8:12, 9:5 “I am the light of the world”
10:7, 9 “I am the door of the sheep”
10:11, 14 “I am the good shepherd”
11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life”
14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life”
15:1 “I am the true vine”