Submission through Power, or, in the awe of the I AM

 The following is a guest post by Archer Garrett...

I’d like to visit one of my favorite scenes of the Bible, as told through the eyes of John in chapter 18.  The scene is a famous one:  Jesus prays in the garden, is then betrayed and subsequently arrested.   

Simple enough, right? 

Hardly.

First, let’s see how Jesus struggles with the reality of the cross:

Mark 14:36

36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

John 18 - Jesus Arrested

1 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

4 Jesus, 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.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.

Now, let’s dissect the scriptures a little:

Mark 14:36

36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Some scholars argue that abba is the Aramaic equivalent of “daddy”, while others argue that abba, "asserts not childlike relation to God, but the privileged status of the adult son (not daughter) and heir."  Either way, abba is a term that was specifically preserved in aramaic for a reason of importance, and is reinforced by the fact that it is then followed by father; when the Bible repeats itself, pay attention. 

What is this cup? 

It’s the cup of God’s wrath.  It’s a cup full of all the sins of the entire world that God cannot even look upon, without being filled with anger.  Jesus was not afraid of dying; he knew that God would turn His back on His Son, when Jesus drank that cup on the cross.  Jesus had walked in constant communion with the Father for His entire life.  The thought of being without God was, by definition, a living Hell.

And yet, he knew that God required Jesus to drink from this cup, so He submitted to the will of the Father.

Total submission to God.

So, now we’ve got the total submission part, but what about the power.  Jesus was betrayed and arrested, but where’s the power in that?

Let’s look at John 18:3-9 again:

3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

4 Jesus, 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.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

Let that scene soak in, alright?

Jesus, having just fully submitted himself to the will of the Father, after pouring out His heart, is settled in His resolve.  He’s accepted what must be done.  Imagine His face.

But the disciples don’t get it, they are just like us – they never get it – until after the fact.

So in comes Judas with a detachment of soldiers in tow.  Imagine how the disciples felt: betrayed, angry, terrified?  Oh yeah.

But what does Jesus do?  Total control of the situation.  He steps up and confronts them.

4 Jesus, 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.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

They drew back and FELL to the GROUND.

What the heck just happened?

I’ll tell you what happened, Jesus just flexed.

In John 18, “I am he,” was translated from the Greek, “ego eimi.”

Ego Eimi.

The Gospel of John is interesting in that ego eimi is used multiple times.  Through the various councils, for whatever reason, the divinity that John attributes to Jesus has been reined in somewhat.   

Why it was done does not matter to me, all I am concerned with is original intent.

Ego Eimi.

Where else is ego eimi used in the Bible? One striking example is in Exodus 3.

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you[b] will worship God on this mountain.”

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

14 God said to Moses, “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh (Aramaic translation).  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘ego eimi (Greek translation) has sent me to you.’”

15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘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.’

Except, that’s not how you see it in the Bible; you see it like this:

14 God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

I AM.

I AM the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

I AM the Resurrection and the Life.

I AM that I AM.

I.  JUST. AM.

…

Whoa.  I don’t know about you, but that gives John 18 a whole new meaning.  Let’s revisit it:

4 Jesus, 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.

“I AM,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I AM,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Perhaps I’m the theatrical type, but I can just imagine the raw energy that filled the air as He uttered those words.  I can envision the shockwave that pulsated outwards as he said, “ego eimi,” and it 

Literally.  Knocked.  Them.  To.  The.  Ground.

I AM!

But Jesus doesn’t stop there, he proceeds to tower over them in the very finite amount of His glory that he allowed to be revealed to them, and continued:

7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

They said.  PFFT.  They muttered.  They squeaked.  They shielded their eyes and meekly whimpered in terror. 

8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I AM. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

I TOLD YOU THAT I AM.  Wow.  Can you feel the power in His words?

Complete and total control of the situation.

But what happens next?

The man that is getting arrested is making demands of this late night, no-knock warrant, jackboot, Ancient Roman goon squad.  And they abide him. 

Ego eimi. 

10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

In all his glory and power before these mere mortals, he is still in total submission to the Father.

12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.

If you Caiaphas knew, how true those words actually were.  But not by his power, would one man die for the people.  But by HIS power.

Ego eimi.

Amen.

References:

1. NIV Bible
2. James Barr, "Abba isn't 'daddy'", Journal of Theological Studies, 39:28-47.
3. http://aramaicdesigns.blogspot.com/2009/06/abba-isnt-daddy-traditional-aramaic.html
4. Mary Rose D'Angelo, "Abba and 'Father': Imperial Theology and the Jesus Traditions", Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 111, No. 4 (Winter, 1992), pp. 615-616
5. Tarazi, Fr. Paul. THE NAME OF GOD: ABBA. Word Magazine - Publication of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America (May 1980) pp. 5-6. http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/bible/tarazi_name_of_god.htm
6. Rick Renner, Sparkling Gems From The Greek 365 Greek Word Studies For Every Day Of The Year To Sharpen Your Understanding Of God's Word 2003 page 219
7. Mary Healy, Gospel of Mark, The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture 2008, page 131: "...the episode is in the middle statement: "It is I" (ego eimi), which can also be translated "I AM," the divine name ..."
8. The I AM sayings: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rsposse/iamintro.htm