John 18:4-6, I Am He

4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Did Jesus really know all that would happen to him? Was he taken by surprise at the appearance of Judas? John 6:70-71 records these words of Jesus about Judas: “‘Did I not choose you the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.’ He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.” Jesus took the initiative and moved toward Judas and his gang of thugs. Perhaps he went to the doorway of the walled garden to meet his enemy. He identifies himself as “I am,” a reference to the sacred name of God from Exodus 3:14. There was such power in this pronouncement that the men fell backward to the ground. Evil comes in the darkness of night into contact with the Holy One and is overcome by his divine nature and true righteousness.

Jesus could have left them on the ground and walked away. But he did not. Remaining in control, Jesus gazes at the evil in front of him. In Judas he sees personal treason and sedition. In the temple guards he sees the corruption of Judaism and the people of God. And in the Roman soldiers he sees political hardheartedness and oppression. The palpable sense that the world is in need of a Savior, stares Jesus in the face. What will he do next?

Pray today against evil in our world—against treason, corruption, and hardheartedness that make life a living hell for so many people around the world.