2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11 So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Jesus Faces Annas and Caiaphas

12 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.

(John 18: 2-12)

58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

(John 8:58)

Devotion

The Jewish crowd listening to Jesus in the temple knew exactly what he meant. Jesus was using the same language God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai. The Jews picked up stones, but Jesus slipped away. It was not yet time.

John’s Gospel makes Jesus’ divinity clear from the start. “In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) “Logos,” the creative Word of God by whom all things were made, veiled his glory and entered his own creation. From the beginning, before the foundation of the world, Jesus, the “Logos” of God, the one who existed before Abraham, knew what would happen here, in this garden, on this night, in this moment.

Soldiers arrive at Gethsemane with torches and weapons, as if hunting a criminal. Judas is leading them, appearing to be in charge. “Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’” (vs. 4) And we see the reality. This moment was planned; not by the Pharisees, not by the priests, not even by Satan himself. Jesus comes forward; willing, obedient, the embodiment of his prayer just before “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42).

What happens next is startling. When the soldiers answered that they were seeking Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus responds with “I am he.” (vs. 5) “ἐγώ εἰμι” (ego eimi). In English, we are given the “he” for clarity. The Greek, however, is “I AM,” a direct echo of Sinai. And when the soldiers heard it, “they drew back and fell to the ground” (vs. 6).

The soldiers could not overpower him. The Word of God, who spoke light into darkness, fells armed men with two words. Then he yields. And when Peter reaches for a sword, he submits; “shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” (vs. 11).

Everything in history has moved toward this moment; not defeat as Peter imagines it, but the willing yielding of the Son to the Father’s will. Jesus could have ended it all with a word, but instead he submits to the ropes brought to bind him. The king invaded enemy territory not to conquer with force, but to rescue with sacrifice, to give himself up, for us.

Prayer

Jesus, Word of God, you could have ended your own suffering with a word. But instead, you chose us, before the foundation of the world, and again in this moment of betrayal in Gethsemane. You were never overpowered; you gave yourself willingly. We are left in awe of the depth of that love. Thank you for drinking the cup for our sake. Amen.

Glenna James, Director of Traditional Worship, ‘Jesus’ Betrayal and Arrest’ Lent Devotion 2026