Was Jesus really God? Jesus threw over 100 people to the ground with His breath!

Above are 1 page of notes from my study on John 18.  I printed out the chapter in a double-spaced format.  It was 5 pages total.  Then I slowed down and observed detail about the text.  And then I went deeper to find answers to questions I had. 

What about you?  How do you slow down with the scriptures?  

Did you learn anything new about Jesus this Easter?  Did your meditations on scriptures about his walk to the cross reveal something you hadn’t seen before? 

One thing I pondered for the beginning of John 18 is realizing the scene of what happened when Jesus said, "I am he."  It was a great demonstration of the power of His breath.

I saw this when I stopped on the detail of the "multitudes" who arrested Jesus in the garden.

Who were the multitudes who seized Jesus? How many bullies came for him?

Matthew 26:47 says it was a "great multitude".
Mark 14:43 also says it was a "great multitude."
Luke 22:47 says it was a "multitude".
John 18:3 gives the most detail-  So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

​The Apostle John uses technical military language to describe part of the crowd who came for Jesus.  He says "detachment of soldiers".  King James version says "band of men".  In studying further, I discovered, this was language for a Roman cohort, which was typically 1/10 part of a legion.  A legion was made of 600 men soldiers.  

So a detachment of 60 Roman soldiers accompanied the officials sent from the chief priests and the Pharisees.  The 3 other gospels say that they were captains of the temple, elders, scribes, officials of the chief priests, etc.  

These groups combined made up the "multitudes".  We're talking easily 100, or even up to 200 or more people coming to seize Jesus.

They come armed with lanterns, torches, and weapons.

It is night when they arrived.

Jesus has already been laboring for hours in prayer, to a point of sweating blood. ie hematidrosis.

Dr. Frederick Zugibe, a renowned forensic pathologist says that Jesus would be very weak after experiencing hematidrosis.  The rare number of times it has been documented, it was by those who were victims of extreme mental and emotional trauma due to terrifying violence inflicted upon them.

This was the state Jesus had just come out of as the bullies approached.  Perhaps those droplets of blood were beginning to dry on his skin as the light from their torches lit up his face?
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 Jesus isn’t afraid.  He asks them “who are you looking for?”
 
“Jesus of Nazareth.” They say.
 
They’re just looking for a guy from a local town?
 
Jesus says, “I am he.”
 
With those words they draw backward and fall to the ground. 

Jesus?  An ordinary man? With merely his words, a great multitude is blown back and falls in a heap?

I’ve never met a human whose words had such power!
 
This would have been the perfect opportunity for Jesus to run, but He doesn’t.
 
While they’re all on the ground, He asks again, “Who are you looking for?”
 
Imagine this clueless crowd of bullies picking themselves up, and assembling again to reply, “Jesus of Nazareth”.
 
Before he is seized, Peter attempts to defend Jesus, taking his sword and cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant.
 
Jesus is greatly disturbed, “No more of this!” 

But hey, no big deal, Jesus simply reattaches Malchus’ ear!
 
Just a man?
 
Then he says, “The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not surely drink?”
 
Cup?  What cup? 
 
The cup of suffering, that pays for every sword you’ve used to cut another, every violent word you’ve spoken in your heart & through your mouth, every wrong judgment you’ve made, every perverted and unholy thought and action, every lie you’ve ever told to make yourself look better or innocent.

We're violent.  We carry swords.  We've viciously attacked others with our words, thoughts or actions. 

According to Jesus, violent thoughts alone equate to you murdering someone.

Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ (meaning "you wicked person!") is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
 
Jesus took your blows.  He paid the cost of your imperfections and violent acts.  God's judgment is the cup of suffering that sinless Jesus drank on your behalf.  Why? So that you can escape the wrath of God... IF you believe..

Can a mere human being save the whole world?  Or is Jesus who He was revealed to be?

Fully man, fully God.  The promised One.  The Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world?

John 11:25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. 26And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

You must answer Jesus' question.  You must decide what you believe about Jesus.

Your decision will decide your eternal fate.

​May you decide by faith in Jesus Christ!
 
Acts 4:12- Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”