"I Am..." How Jesus Reveals HimselfSampl

Jesus has warned the Jewish leaders that they will die in their sins if they don’t believe in Him. But they do not take Jesus’ warning to heart. On the contrary, they send a band of soldiers to arrest Him! When these soldiers make clear that they seek “Jesus of Nazareth”, Jesus simply says: “I am he”. He is the man they are seeking, and Jesus doesn’t try to escape.

But the reaction of the soldiers is striking. They draw back and fall to the ground. Apparently they experience the supernatural power of Jesus’ words – like we read in other places in the Bible where God reveals himself to humans. Ultimately that is what Jesus is doing here; He not just affirms that He is the man they are looking for, but also that He is God.

When God reveals Himself, people either draw back and fall to the ground, or they fall on their face in worship. They are either blown away in dismay, or overwhelmed by joy and reverence. Can you see how crucial the difference is? What is your reaction when you read these stories about Jesus’ claim that He is God?