In the apostle John’s depiction of the events in the Garden of Gethsemane, as Judas arrives with the group of Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers who have come to arrest him, Jesus asks them who they are looking for. When they respond, “Jesus of Nazareth,” Jesus’ reply is powerful. While most versions of the Bible record Jesus as having said “I am he,” the Greek phrase is literally “I am.” Their reaction to this self-revelation is telling: they draw back and fall to the ground (John 18:1–8). Jesus knows what he is saying in using this phrase, one that shows up throughout the gospel of John.
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