John 18:5–6: “They answered Him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am He.’ And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.”

March 25th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

You have to love this passage, and when you get to heaven, you’ll definitely want to check out this video. Jesus’ reply of, “I am He,” is truly fascinating. Notice that the word “He” is in italic. That means that the Bible translators added this word for clarity. But as is often the case, this addition is not very helpful, and in a way, obscures an important declaration Jesus was making. In the Greek this is ego emi which does mean “I am,” but more specifically this is the Greek form of God’s name given by Him to Moses at the burning bush.

In Exodus 3, Moses basically asked God, “What is Your name?” God answered with this mysterious, obscure sounding statement, “I AM” (Ex. 3:14). But upon closer inspection the statement is a wonder-filled promise of just who and what God wants to be in all our lives. Some translators have rendered it: “the becoming one,” others: “the self-existent one.” But quite simply God was saying, “I am for you anything needed.” John carefully recorded for us 7 classic “I AM” statements that Jesus made before this one in the garden:

“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).
“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
“I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7).
“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11).
“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
“I am the true vine” (John 15:1).

To the disciples in the midst of the storm at sea, He calmed their fears when He came walking on the water, and said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid” (John 6:20). What He was saying literally was, “I am, do not be afraid.” Again to His enemies, making it clear who He really was claiming to be, He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58).

It should put a smile on our face every time we read, “they drew back and fell to the ground.” This is a small glimpse of the awesome power that was compressed into human flesh. Jesus’ answer, “I am” was so filled with majestic authority that they could not stand in His presence, but toppled over backward to the ground. What a vivid reminder that even in that dark hour, Jesus held ultimate power over His enemies and the powers of darkness. Jesus bears the divine name; therefore, what problem could we face today that is too large for the Great I Am?

“Nothing is too hard for You, LORD. Lead us in Your path for us this day. We trust in You.”