“I Am He”

 Holy Week 2021

March 30, 2021

Tuesday of Holy Week

“I Am He”

“Who is it you want?”  

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said.

John 18:4-5

Read: John 18:1-14

The first half of John 18 details the arrest of Jesus and Peter’s three denials of Jesus. Through these details, God’s grand and glorious ‘do-over’ is becoming clearer. Recall that the Gospels present the story of Jesus in a particular setting. There was the first exodus of God’s people led by Moses. Now God’s Messiah is leading the second exodus. There was the Garden of Eden inhabited by Adam. Now we are in a second garden, Gethsemane. In the first Garden, God, in the cool of the evening, came looking for Adam. In the second Garden, in the cool of the evening, sinful man comes looking for Jesus, God’s second Adam. (The Apostle Paul writes much about the ‘first’ and ‘last’ Adam in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15) Another Garden will be the setting for Jesus’ resurrection.

‘Who are you looking for?” Jesus asked. “Jesus of Nazareth” the soldiers replied.

Those gathered in the Garden heard much more than Jesus’ simple reply, “I am he.” They heard; “I AM.”

“I AM The Bread Of Life.”

“I AM The Light Of The World.”

“I AM The Gate.”

“I AM The Good Shepherd.”

“I AM The Resurrection And The Life.”

“I AM The Way, The Truth And The Life.”

‘I AM The Vine.”

Take a few minutes and ponder these seven I AM statements. Which one captures your attention more than the other six? Stay a while with the one I AM statement that has captured your heart. Listen for the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Is there something God is calling you to do, or to change in your life in response to this statement?

My Takeaway: My heart was captured by, “I AM The Way, The Truth And The Life.” I immediately thought back to Jesus’ three warnings at the end of the Sermon on the Mount and his call to enter into his Kingdom through the narrow gate. I trust that Jesus will empower me to be obedient to his way, his truth and his life. 

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.