John 18:4-9

⁴Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to Him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" ⁵"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.
⁶"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. ⁷Again He asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." ⁸"I told you that I am He," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for Me, then let these men go." ⁹This happened so that the words He had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those You gave Me" [John 6:39].

Instead of Jesus’ agony, John chooses to record for us Jesus’ mighty, divine power, even in this moment of greatest weakness. He depicts that reality by pointing out that Jesus knew all that was going to happen to Him. And He picks the fight, so to speak. Jesus went out, approaching the oncoming brigade in the night, and asked whom they wanted. All the might of Rome, all the rage of the Jewish leaders, and all the bitter deceit of treachery come out against this lone and deeply distressed Man – and yet, with a simple word, “I am” (the “He” is added in English but is not present in the original), all that ferocious power melts away into terror and helplessness. Isn’t it amazing that they all fall down when Jesus says, “I am.” I wonder if He said it in a surprisingly loud or deep tone. The point is that His voice is powerful. He is the Word of God, and it is by His word that we are regenerated unto eternal life. His powerful word can be deadening or gentle, and He speaks to us gently so often that we may forget the terror that can likewise be found in His words (Isaiah 11:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:8). These men received just a taste of His power; it didn’t stop them from doing what they came to do. But it wasn’t intended to do that, for Jesus came here to die. Nevertheless, this taste of His power, perhaps, may be for their benefit, so that after this episode, they may have all the more reason to repent and believe in Him.

In a sense, Pilate, the Roman soldiers, and the Jews all crucified Jesus; but ultimately, it was God alone who could have done this thing. No mere creature can lift his hand against the almighty God unless it is by God’s very decree (Acts 2:24; 4:27-28). Ultimately, this was nothing other than Jesus’ own self-sacrifice. This is God Himself willingly offering up His own eternal life for His miserable creatures. No one takes the Son’s life from Him – He lays it down of His own accord (John 10:17-18; Psalm 27).

How great is the contrast between Jesus and all mankind at this point: Jesus displays infinite power and infinite humility, which work together to accomplish an infinite victory – but when we look elsewhere, we see only the Jews, full of pride and rage against God, whom they profess to serve; we see the Roman soldiers, cruel and proud, refusing even to acknowledge the existence of the true God; we see the apostate Judas, with a heart full of the most vile treachery; we see impetuous Peter (v10-11), lashing out in kind against the enemies of Christ and reliant on his own strength, which will soon fail him and leave him so powerless that he despicably denies – not once, but three times – the Lord whom he loves. And if we do not see ourselves as one of these men, either a hypocritical professor still under the authority of Satan; a blaspheming pagan; a treacherous apostate; or a true Christian whose own strength is too weak to perform the slightest good, then we are certainly self-deceived. And perhaps that’s why John wraps up this segment in v9 with his own commentary, reminding us of Jesus’ power to do the work assigned to Him by the Father – to lose none of those given to Him. How good is that news!