I Am He

"So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went [to the garden] with laterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to Him, came forward and said to them, 'Whom do you seek?' They answered Him, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them, 'I am he.' ...they drew back and fell to the ground." John 18:3-6 (ESV)

I find this to be a very interesting part of the story of Jesus. There is no way these soldiers and officers of the church willingly fall to the ground at the name of Jesus. They have come to arrest Him so that His "trial" can take place and they can get on with killing Him.

Jesus, knowing all that would happen and had known since forever that this hour would come, stepped forward willingly to meet His adversaries. He knew all the details of what was about to happen and the pain of sin He would  have to endure. He could have told His Father these stupid people are not worth it. But He didn't.

And although Jesus went quietly, He asserted His authority on these men. He could have destroyed them. But He didn't. The Bible doesn't say but I believe He did drive them to a posture of worship by causing them to fall to the ground. They could have ended up flat on their backs but I believe they were on their knees, face to the ground, bowing before the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

And I say that because of two passages of Scripture. The first is 1 Samuel 5:1-4. "When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in place. But when they rose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord..." If this stone statue falls face down before God, how much more so would He cause people to do that.

And one of my all time favorite passages of Scripture, Philippians 2:5-11. "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and EVERY tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (ESV-emphasis mine)

There is no indication the soldiers knew Jesus is Lord or anything more than a troublemaker, yet they were compelled to bow before Him before they led Him to the cross.