Blogged Bible Study – John 18 (I AM/Facedown)

 

¹When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples. ²Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples. ³Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came^* there with lanterns and torches and weapons. ⁴So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said^* to them, “Whom do you seek?” ⁵They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said^* to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. ⁶So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” ⁸Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,” ⁹to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.”

Set the scene…Jesus just prayed in the garden (Chapter 17), the disciples are close by except for Judas…Now the Roman soldiers enter the garden led my Judas to betray Jesus the one and only Son of God. Roman soldiers who would not have been raised with the scriptures as the Jews were, would not have known what the Holy Writ said… yet they enquire that they are looking for Jesus, and HE says.. “I AM HE”. Picture this…Roman soldiers with torches, and swords, dressed in the military garb of their time…and at the words “I AM” they fall face down.  It appears, according to scripture, that this was very briefly.  What caused that? Just the sound of the name “I AM”, everyone is face down.  Then as if it never happened, the scene resumes.  AT that point, it could have changed directions, but that was not God’s plan for mans redemption. 

Exodus 3:14-15  ¹⁴God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” ¹⁵God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations

Psalm 135:13   Your name, O LORD, is everlasting, Your remembrance, O LORD, throughout all generations.

Hosea 12:5  Even the LORD, the God of hosts, The LORD is His name. (NIV reads..The LORD GOD Almighty, the LORD is his name of renown!)

Isaiah 45:22b,23  For I am God, and there is no other.  “I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness  And will not turn back,  That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.

Romans 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God”

Philippians 2:9-11  ⁹For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

When I think of this scene, I wonder what that was like, and did God erase the memory of the soldiers and just cause them to resume?  What was that like for the disciples to see? and Why didn’t it encourge them?  you all know I am just a thinker…and this always causes my brain to run rampant!  Amazing is our God, and one day we all fall facedown before HIM.  Now imagining that scene.

Check out the others who will highlight an area of this chapter that stood out to them this week.  Go here, and check them all out this week.  The word of God is awesome, GOD is awesome, I am crazy about HIM.  (BTW- not yelling my post….I can’t seem to get my post to recognize that my caps are off…must. post. blogged. study…. LOL pressing on!)

 

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