15.02.07 Jn. 18:4-9
DISCIPLES SAFETY INSURED
4 Then Jesus, knowing everything that was about to happen to Him, went out and said to them, “Who is it you’re looking for?”
5 “Jesus the Nazarene,” they answered.
“I am He,” Jesus told them.
Judas, who betrayed Him, was also standing with them. 6 When He told them, “I am He,” they stepped back and fell to the ground.
7 Then He asked them again, “Who is it you’re looking for?”
“Jesus the Nazarene,” they said.
8 “I told you I am He,” Jesus replied. “So if you’re looking for Me, let these men go.”
9 This was to fulfill the words He had said: “I have not lost one of those You have given Me” (John 6:39).
“Who is it you’re looking for?” This brief, but interesting, question had a specific purpose. By their answer, “Jesus of Nazareth,” Jesus assured His disciples that they would not become victims of the coming cruelty. It also made everyone witness the betrayal and arrest. So important was this issue that the question was repeated.