“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.
When Jesus said, “I am He”, they drew back and fell to the ground.”
John 18:4-6 (NIV)
John’s gospel shares this unusual occurrence that preceded Jesus’ arrest. This is probably the most overlooked incident in the gospel during the arrest of Jesus. We get so focused on Judas and his betrayal that we miss out on these awesome details in John’s gospel.
As the group of armed soldiers, Chief priests and Pharisees asked for Jesus of Nazareth, He answers them, “I am He”, and that group of men instantly drew back and fell to the ground. How odd it was for the whole group to suddenly fall backward to the ground, when Jesus simply said, “I am He.”
It’s such a curious visual of the earthly powers of authority who gathered in numbers to arrest Jesus, armed with torches and weapons, and as they closed in on Him, those few words spoken knocked them off balance and they fell to the ground. It should have been embarrassing that the mere words of Jesus caused men of authority to have their knees buckle and collapse in His presence. They quickly stood back up but there is a spiritual significance in their falling down.
The phrase that Jesus spoke to them was a divine phrase, going all the way back to Mount Sinai when God first called Moses to deliver His people from slavery. The phrase “I AM” was spoken before the first Passover lamb was ever slain, at the start of the miraculous Exodus story.
Jesus now spoke the same words with divine authority at the final Passover, knowing He was the Lamb of God, being led to the slaughter, once and for all. In that moment, power flowed from His mouth as it did from the fire of the burning bush on Mount Sinai, centuries earlier.
Jesus connected the old covenant to the new when He uttered the same words, “I AM,” as His divinity thundered into the souls of those men who came to arrest Him. They should have knelt in worship to Him, but instead, their ability to stand in His Presence was taken away for a brief moment.
The same words once filled Moses with reverence for a holy God who spoke to him from a fire. Jesus still says these words to all who believe in Him today. He is holy but describes Himself now as gentle and lowly of heart, asking us to learn from Him.
(Matthew 11:29)
He brings comfort to our souls by whispering, “I AM here with you.”
We still fall in His presence, but in a different way. He meets us where we’re at, in whatever sorrow, doubt or fear that we may be struggling with. He invites us to let go and fall into His arms. It takes trust to fall into the arms of Jesus, and trust is not an emotion or a feeling, it’s a total surrender.
To fall into the arms of Jesus is to fall into the arms of love. Through all the worries and burdens of life, we may wonder at times if He is really with us and He still answers us by saying, “I AM”. His words can still make knees buckle and strong men fall, but instead of falling to the ground, He invites us to fall into His loving and merciful arms that will hold us forever.
Lord, we surrender our burdens to you and willingly fall into your arms, as you strengthen us to reflect your love and mercy to others. Amen
