DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE POWER OF JESUS' WORDS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE POWER OF JESUS' WORDS

"Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, 'Whom are you seeking?' They answered Him, 'Jesus of Nazareth.' Jesus said to them, 'I am He.' And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, 'I am He,,' they drew back and fell to the ground." (John 18, 23-6)

There is power in the words of Jesus. All He had to say was "I am He" and the soldiers fell to the ground.

The words, "I am He," are the translation of the Greek "ego emi" which is simply translated "I am." The word He is added by the translators. "I AM" is the name that God used for Himself when He revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus. When Moses asked His name, God answered, "I am Who I am. Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent Me to you.'" (Exodus 3:14). Jesus was identifying Himself as the "I AM," that is, as God.

This was not the first time that Jesus claimed to be the "I AM." When Jesus was speaking to the woman at the well, He claimed to be the Messiah when He said, "I who speak to you am He" (John 3:26). And in a dialogue with the Jewish leaders, He said, "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58).

When God – the I AM – speaks, things happen. When He spoke the words, the heavens and the earth were created. When He spoke, the storms were stilled. When He spoke, the lame were healed and the blind could see. When He spoke, the demons trembled. At His voice, Lazarus came back to life.

His word is still powerful today. He does speak. He speaks to us through the Scriptures and through the Holy Spirit. There is power in His Word.

Love, Dad