Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 31

January 31;   John 18:6;   86/260(VI);   ‘All Fall Down’

John 18:6 Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground.

The Lord Jesus is in Gethsemane.  The time had come for His arrest, humiliation, torture and crucifixion.  Judas, His betrayer, and a detachment of troops and officers from the religious leaders came to arrest Jesus and bring Him to the high priest.  In the garden when the ‘mob’ arrived, Jesus asked ‘Whom are you seeking?’  They said Jesus of Nazareth.  The Lord responded ‘I am He.’  When Jesus did that the entire mob fell down.  Jesus had just risen from an incredible ordeal in prayer, dealing with His mind that was tormented by what He was about to face.  The anointing of God was so strong upon Jesus, that when Judas and the others came near Him, the power of the Holy Spirit knocked them down.  Jesus let them arrest Him.  No one could take His life, but He freely gave it for us.  The final thing the Lord Jesus said on the cross was, “It is finished.”  What He meant was the He had accomplished everything the Father sent Him to earth to do.  He would not leave, nor  allow Himself to be killed, until He redeemed us from sin and sickness. At any time He could have called for legions of angels to help Him and destroy them.  But, because we needed to be redeemed, Jesus, always in control, gave up His life for us and allowed what was about to happen to begin.  The devil thought that when the Lord Jesus was crucified, he won.  Since satan is not all knowing, he had no idea that the Lord Jesus came to die for us.  Nor did the devil have any idea that death could not hold our Lord and Savior.  The price was paid by Jesus and He arose King of kings and Lord of lords.