Ascension-esque

John 18:22-23

22 And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? 23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?

In the garden, when the band of men and officers came to get this supposedly dangerous man, Jesus, they asked him if he was who they thought he was, and he answered them: “I am.” Jesus’ utterance of ‘I am’ blew them back onto the ground.

In many other places, commentators have pointed out the significance of this – ‘I am’ is of course, God’s self revelation to Moses in Exodus 3 of His covenant Name we find out through the Old Testament – YHWH.

Annas, son-in-law of the high priest, is the first of the men that he is led to; and Annas attempts to interrogate Jesus (the Real High Priest) but Jesus only answers that He has nothing more to say: has already said ought to be enough; “Ask my disciples, they heard me,” he says.

Turns out that ‘I am’ is the only answer they would get, and incidentally the only answer anyone has ever needed.