Skip to main content

I AM He


                 "Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
            “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
            “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
             Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”
            And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 
            “I told you that I am he,” Jesus answered. “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.”  This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” (John 18:4-8)                  

         I know people who believe that when Jesus said, "I am he," and they drew back and fell on the ground, it was because of the force of those words. Since I wasn't there, I can't say for sure, but there's another possibly I think worth considering. At least twice before the Jewish leaders had sent people out to get Jesus. They went back worse than empty-handed, they went back impressed. This time, they sent a Roman guard that had never seen Him, never heard Him, wouldn't know Him from any other Jewish man. That explains why Judas had to go along. Just because the Romans had never encountered him doesn't mean they hadn't heard about things He'd done. I suspect that the Jewish officials might have give then reason to be concerned for their safety, perhaps a warning that He might do something magical to them. I also suspect that they never thought that they'd find Him apart from an armed force.
        Instead, a mild mannered man asked them for whom they were looking, then says "I am he." They probably thought they were about to be turned into toads or otherwise attacked, which is precisely what His disciples hoped. They tripped over themselves to avoid an attack that never came.
        God delights in being God, and being God means that He often does things that are outside of our expectations of Him. He doesn't stay in the boxes we try to lock Him in. That might be part of the reason people trip over themselves to get away from Him. They expect to be attacked. Instead, He acts as a host. They expect to be condemned. He forgives. They expect magic, He gives them a man.



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On the Calendar
Birthday of James Madison
Anniversary of the founding of West Point



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Pure...

            The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Timothy 1:5)   I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) I’m probably cheating - or mishandling the Bible, but earlier I was thinking about love being pure and purifying. And hatred being pure and purifying. And anger…joy…patience… fear… jealousy… courage…lust… and other strongly felt feelings, attitudes, and beliefs. Today’s verse brings purity and love together, so it’s the verse of the day, but it’s not really the focus. That means my motive for sharing it with you probably isn’t pure. As you read through my list, you   probably thought, “Yeah” about some, and “What’s she on?” about others. But consider how much hatred, a...
Post a Comment
Read more