“When Jesus told them, ‘I am he,’ they stepped back and fell to the ground.” (v. 6)

I don’t know what it looked like.

I don’t know what it sounded like.

I don’t know if the thunder rolled and the officers trembled and the accusers all ended up on their backsides.

I would love to know what it was like, but I don’t.

What I do know is this:

When you encounter Jesus, when you are face-to-face with Him, and when He lives up to that singular revelatory identity of “I AM”…

…it is striking.

Maybe it isn’t all that surprising that those who set themselves against Him are made to stumble in His presence. Yet I also presume that I, a sinner, would be similarly bowled over by His awesomeness. The electricity of the “I AM” in the flesh would shock me to the ground, too.

The passages to come will detail the unparalleled (and gracious) humility of Jesus. He will be utterly given, for us. That ought to humble us.

So, too, should this. On the way to His Passion, don’t overlook the power of His presence. Tremble when you hear His name, and worship.

— Tyler