Daily Devotional for Monday 25th March
‘I am he’
As we move through Holy Week we’re going to be exploring the events leading up to the death of Jesus. Today’s passage tells us of the events surrounding His arrest. Each of the Gospels records this in a different way, with John providing the most detailed account. We read about Judas’ betrayal, the reaction of the soldiers when Jesus identifies Himself, Peter’s zeal, and Jesus’ willingness to do the will of His Father.
Perhaps the most interesting verse in this account, and one that doesn’t appear in any of the other gospel accounts, is verse 6: ‘When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.’ In the other gospel accounts, it is Judas who reveals who Jesus is. But here we see Jesus reveal Himself. And He does that using the words ‘I am he’. In fact, some older translations of the Bible include the ‘he’ in brackets. It’s perhaps not surprising that John records this ‘I am’ statement from Jesus as his Gospel is the one containing the seven ‘I am’ statements of Jesus such as ‘I am the bread of life’ (John 6:35) , ‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12), ‘I am the Good Shepherd’ (John 10:11) and ‘I am the vine’ (John 15:1). When Jesus says ‘I am he’, the soldiers draw back and fall to the ground. They’re not falling forwards in humility, but backwards. Perhaps they were afraid of the self-assurance and the willingness to hand Himself over rather than run away. Perhaps they experienced power in Jesus’ words. They felt something of the majesty of Jesus…of Yahweh…the great I am.
The passage includes the story of Peter cutting off the man’s ear. Peter thought he was doing the right thing and acted rashly. That can be a familiar response to us too!
Jesus was prepared for the events that were to follow. We read in Matthew 26 of His struggle and agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. And then of His acceptance of God’s plan. Jesus was prepared to ‘drink the cup’ - to do God’s will and to journey to the cross out of His love for His Father and His love for us.
Time to reflect…
• Take some time to reflect on the different ‘I am’ statements throughout the book of John. Which one stands out to you the most today? Why?
• Peter’s passion invites us to question our own response. Are we passionate for Jesus? Would we stand up for Him?
• Are you willing to accept God’s will for your life? Even when it’s challenging?
Pause to pray…
Jesus, thank you for your willingness to journey to the cross for me. Thank you for loving me so much that you would be prepared to hand yourself over to the soldiers, and die for me. Lord, please would you give me the strength and courage I need to say ‘Your will be done’ in my life. Thank you that you are the great and powerful ‘I am’. Help me to remember who you are, and who I am in you. Amen.
