PROCLAMATION
“So Judas
came to the garden, guiding a detachment of solders and some officials from the
chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and
weapons. 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. And Judas the traitor was standing
there with them. When Jesus said, ‘I am He,’ they drew back and fell to
the ground.” John 18:3-6 (NIV)
EXPLANATION
These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The
Christ, according to the Apostle John and written under the influence of The Holy
Spirit of God. In this chapter, John records the events which occurred in the
garden by the brook of Cedron. It documents His betrayal by Judas, His
arrest, His trials, and the three times that Peter denied knowing Him.
Here, Jesus responds to the soldiers and the religious leaders who had come to
arrest Him. Jesus approached them and asked them who they were looking
for, and they responded, “Jesus of Nazareth.” When Jesus replied, “I am
He,” they were all knocked backwards by His words and fell to the ground.
They were not harmed and got up, then He asked them again who they were
looking for and they gave the same reply. (John 18:7)
APPLICATION
There is
power in the words of God. When Jesus, The Christ, spoke and said, “I am
He,” all those who were against Him were knocked backwards and fell to the
ground. They did not fall forward to worship Him; they fell backwards in
fear and dismay. However, because of their disbelief, their hard hearts
were not changed, and they approached Him again to arrest Him.
Non-believers are not changed by acts of God. They frequently come up
with some earthly reason to explain the occurrence of a miracle and continue in
their non-believing sinful ways. They do not give God credit for the
things that He has done. As believers, we need to acknowledge the
presence of God in our lives (Proverbs 3:6) and give Him praise for the things
which He had done. (Psalm 126:3, Isaiah 25:1, and 1 Chronicles 17:19)
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