John 18:3-9 Series: Three Words of Truth
“I Am He”
Midweek Lent Wednesday, April 3, 2019
The Bible records for us many times where Jesus intentionally withheld his identity from people. Once Jesus was talking with a Samaritan woman at a well. They spoke about a number of issues, and eventually the woman acknowledged that Jesus seemed to have a high spiritual knowledge. She asked him about religion and about the Messiah. And that was when Jesus finally revealed that he was that Messiah. There are other times in the ministry of Jesus when we hear him tell his disciples not to tell others about what had happened or what he had done. Sometimes he said the same to people he had healed or even demons he had cast out. In another case, after he rose from the dead, Jesus taught two disciples along the road to Emmaus, and he kept them from recognizing him right up until he disappeared from their sight. Sometimes it is a bit hard to understand why Jesus would have done that, would have kept his identity hidden. That’s true because there are other times when Jesus clearly announced who he was and what he was doing, times when Jesus encouraged people to go out and spread the word about him. In many cases, even in most cases, we see that Jesus wants people to know exactly who he is and what that means for them. Interestingly, the account that we’re considering in our sermon today seems to be one where we might expect Jesus to be a little more secretive or to hide his identity. If there was ever a time to hide who he was, it would be when armed soldiers were coming to arrest him. But at that time, Jesus did not hide one bit. In fact, his immediate revelation of himself to those soldiers is the three-word phrase for our consideration today: “I am he.” Listen to the account of Jesus’ arrest as recorded in John 18:3-9: So Judas took the company of soldiers and some guards from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. 4 Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who are you looking for?” 5 “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus told them. Judas, the betrayer, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus told them, “I am he,” they backed away and fell to the ground. 7 Then Jesus asked them again, “Who are you looking for?” “Jesus the Nazarene,” they said. 8 “I told you that I am he,” Jesus replied. “So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the statement he had spoken: “I did not lose any of those you have given me.” 3
Jesus certainly did not hide who he was from the soldiers who came to arrest him that Maundy Thursday evening. He revealed himself to be the one that they were looking for, and he revealed himself to be so much more than they were looking for as well. When Jesus said, “I am he,” he demonstrated exactly who he is as the almighty God, a humble Servant, and a faithful Shepherd. We might have expected Jesus to be frightened by the scene. Imagine what it must have been like on that quiet night to suddenly have a band of armed soldiers with their lanterns and torches approach. But Jesus didn’t need to be frightened. He was in complete control. He is, after all, the almighty God. And he proved it that evening in several ways. First, John tells us that Jesus went out to the men “knowing everything that was going to happen to him.” He was not just guessing based on the weapons and the situation. He knew. He knew everything about that night. He knew everything about Judas his betrayer. He knew everything about all those men who came to arrest him. When he went to these men, he asked them who they were looking for, and they answered, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus responded with two words in John’s Greek, three words in English: “I am he.” And at his words, the whole company of soldiers and guards, Judas included, backed away and fell to the ground. Not only did Jesus know exactly what was going on, he was in full control of what was going on. His power was on display in this. The men didn’t happen to trip and fall together. They weren’t reacting with shock or surprise to Jesus’ words. They were responding to his power. To emphasize
what it meant that he was Jesus of Nazareth, the one they were looking for, he sent them reeling back with these three short words. Think about what that means for you and me. Jesus of Nazareth is true God. He knows us. He knows everything about us. He created us after all. That means he knows when we do things that are not in line with his will. He knows when we follow along with a crowd bent on evil. He knows when we are led astray by greed or power, or when we are led astray by someone else who is bent on evil. And he has the power to put evil in its place. He has the power to stop it. He has the power to punish it. Instead, Jesus lets the band of soldiers get back on their feet and come toward him again. He assures them once more that he is the one they are looking for. True God, with almighty power and wisdom, Jesus of Nazareth lets these men carry out their evil plans. He does so because he is also a humble Servant. And this is what is so amazing about not only this account but also every other aspect of the Passion History of Jesus. He does it all not because he has to, not because he cannot save himself, but because he loves the very people who do so much evil to him. He does it because he loves people like you and like me who were born in rebellion against him and who all too often join in all sorts of evil. He does not save himself because he intends to save us. He puts away as it were that power and might that he has as true God because he came to be our humble servant. He announced to the men who had come to arrest him, “I am he” because he wanted them to arrest him and take him to trial and execute him because that was the plan for saving a whole world of sinners. That was the plan for saving you and me. And that attitude in Jesus, that servitude that he displays, highlights once again the vast difference between our loving Savior and us poor sinners. How often do we set aside our personal goals and wants and enjoyments in order to really help and serve others? How often are we willing to humble ourselves and to think more highly about those around us? But that is exactly what Jesus did for us. He came “not…to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). He was on earth for that very purpose: to be our humble servant. And one way that he served was by faithfully shepherding those entrusted to him. One more action that we note from Jesus on this occasion was that he made sure to seek the safety of his disciples. “I told you that I am he,” Jesus replied. “So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” John goes on to explain, “This was to fulfill the statement he had spoken: ‘I did not lose any of those you have given me.’” The Good Shepherd of his sheep continued to care for them. He needed to go forward. He needed to be arrested and beaten and executed. His disciples did not. They would escape that night. They would witness from a safe distance all that Jesus would undergo. And Jesus was not just concerned with their physical safety. He was even more concerned with their spiritual safety. He was demonstrating to them once more his loving service, his self-sacrifice. Even to Judas Jesus was being a faithful shepherd. His powerful warning knocked Judas off his feet along with all the other men who came to arrest Jesus. His loving pleas for the safety of his disciples would have fallen on Judas’ ears, too. To the last moment Jesus reached out in love to the lost sheep, even though that sheep rejected him and ran away. Jesus’ faithful love continues for all of his sheep. He will lose none that the Father has given to him. He will tenderly and lovingly shepherd and tend them. This is your Savior. He is the almighty God, the humble Servant, and the faithful Shepherd. He is the one your soul needs. He is the one who has made you his own. And he wants you to know and trust it. He says, “I am he.”