John 18:1-11
Let’s continue to pray for Jim and Marty.
“Notice what you notice.” When Jesus said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. (v. 6) Two items struck me in this verse. The first is that the ESV translation had a footnote on “I am He”, telling us that the Greek translation was simply “I am”. These two words are sacred to the Jews, from when God spoke to Moses, I am Who I am, then repeated in the same verse, Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you’. (Exodus 3:14) So Jesus speaking these two words must have struck the crowd unexpectedly, since no one ever spoke those exact words. Then, the second item, the crowd (including the soldiers) drew back and fell to the ground. Jesus had merely told them that He was the one they were seeking and something in Him or His response struck them so mightily that they were completely overwhelmed to be in His presence. It is surprising to me that they could then proceed with His arrest. Strange…!
I too noticed the I AM response. Jesus asked them 3 times who they were seeking before giving that response each time. Three times, just like he asked Peter 3 xs “Do you love me?” I think the 3 xs is significant, at least for the emphasis on declaring himself.
I also noticed that Peter had a sword and took matters into his own hands. How many times do I/we jump in, not waiting or following God’s lead. Jesus was right there in control, but Peter and we step in, trying to handle things ourselves. Father, forgive us!