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.

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On the Calendar

Birthday of James Madison
Anniversary of the founding of West Point