Do you understand state of being verbs???
I am
you are
he/she/it is....
When He said *I am the ______* He was saying *That is me*.
*is* and *am* are both state of being verbs.
You know or should know that Christ was speaking literally when he was speaking about the bread and wine.
After all how can someone be damned for a symbol?
See Paul.
Silly me, I thought Jesus spoke Aramaic.