Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.
Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.”
This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”
The night has almost gone. It is still dark but Jesus has been up all night. He celebrated the Passover with his disciples. He then spent a great deal of time giving them his last-minute instructions. He and the disciples made their way outside of the city and across the Kidron Valley. At the other side was Mt. Olive and on the mount was an orchard called the Garden of Gethsemane. Here Jesus had prayed for several hours.
Finally, Judas finds them. With him is a group of soldiers and officials. They have torches and weapons as well as superior numbers. They are ready for anything and expecting the worst.
Jesus leaves no doubt as to who he is. He doesn’t wait for Judas to act. He steps up and takes command of the situation. This is not a matter of someone standing up and taking a bullet for Jesus. Instead, Jesus stands up and takes the hit for every person on the planet. Even those who are wanting to hurt him. He speaks first and he speaks with authority.
Having established himself as the one who is clearly in charge of the situation Jesus issues a challenge: “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” The people he is dealing with are not rocket scientists, yet the logic of what Jesus says does not escape them. They have been told to get Jesus and bring him back. If they fiddle around with Jesus’ followers Jesus might escape and then they would be in a bad spot. Better to stick with the one they are supposed to get rather than take the risk of getting them all.
John tells us why Jesus does this. It is important that Jesus not lose any of the disciples God has given him. When it comes to protecting his own, Jesus does not hesitate to act.
Food for Thought: After reading this passage how would you describe the Jesus we see here?
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I would describe Him as the God-man who has the power and desire to save His people. He is both good and powerful. In His goodness He wants to save those who are His. In His power, He has the capacity to do so.
I would describe him as a protective older brother. He might get frustrated with the disciples at times but he truly loves them and wants to protect them. This is just the image that came to my mind lol
Rich / Nathan,
Thanks for the great comments today! Jesus is definitely God and man, and he definitely has The Power. Nathan I think your mental image of Jesus as ‘older brother’ is spot on, too. I suspect Jesus sees the people who have come to take him not as “enemies” in a human sense but more as his own creation. People He made in His image who have been coopted by Satan for evil purposes. In that sense he is restraining his power because of his love for his creation, even those who come for him. He also sees the larger scope of history. As Creator, God, and Savior he sees the arc of history clearly and knows what must happen. At this point in the arc he must be taken prisoner and he willingly goes. At the same time he needs to direct the action so that his disciples are not hurt at this critical juncture.