I Am He

Scripture: John 18:4-9 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

4 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked. 5 “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I AM he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) 6 As Jesus said “I AM he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! 7 Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” 8 “I told you that I AM he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” 9 He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.” (John 18:4-9 NLT)

The power of darkness was present in Judas, the soldiers, and the mob. The power of darkness would soon kill Jesus, but it would be no match for the faith, courage, and strength of the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world!

Jesus stepped forward and asked, “Who are you looking for?” When they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth” Jesus said “I Am He.” Judas, the Roman soldiers, and the Temple guards who had come to arrest him fell backward to the ground! As they scrambled to their feet, trying to regain their composure, Jesus again asked them the same question and again they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.” And again Jesus said, “I Am He.” I don’t want to make too much of this, but when Jesus said, “I Am He”, he was proclaiming his divinity. The Jews’ name for God was “I Am!” I think it was the power and authority with which Jesus spoke that knocked the mob off their feet!

Then Jesus said, “Since it’s me you’re looking for, let these others go!” (Jesus still in charge!). Even though his disciples scattered as the mob bound Jesus and led him away, Peter and John didn’t run and hide. They stayed near and watched the events of the next few hours unfold, and John gives this account of the arrest, part of the trial and torture, and the crucifixion of Jesus, as an eyewitness. John remembers that in his prayer earlier that evening, Jesus had said, “I have kept them safe. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.” (John 17:12)

Prayer:

Father, How I love and respect Jesus, the Son of Man, for his courage and boldness and his care for his followers! And how I rejoice at the confidence and authority of Jesus, the Son of God, as he stepped forward into the battle with sin and evil! Thank you!