Palm Sunday, Sunday of the Passion
April 1, 2012

My favorite section in this long Gospel reading of John Chapters 18 and 19 is the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus is arrested. Jesus has finished his praying and now the soldiers and Jewish officials have come to find him. Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him. He had the chance to run away, but rather he went up and met them. “Whom do you seek?” “We want Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I am he.” As soon as he had said that, they drew back and fell to the ground. It is like a big force of energy had come out of Jesus and blew them back. Why did that happen? It is because Jesus said, “I am.”

The Name of God is “I AM.” When Moses asked God at the burning bush what his name was, God answered, “I AM WHO I AM.” “Say to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Ex.3:14) In Hebrew it is “YHWH, Yahweh.” The Second Commandment says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” To keep that Commandment, pious Jews never even said God’s name, they avoided using it by using terms like “Heaven” or “Lord.” They used grammatical passive statements in order to avoid saying God’s Name. For example, rather than say “May God bless you” they would say “May you be blessed.” And so Jesus surprised them, even shocked them, by saying the divine Name. Jesus said, “I AM, I am he, I am the one you are seeking. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth and I AM he. Jesus of Nazareth is the LORD GOD YHWH.” This is the Incarnate Word-made-flesh, God-with-us Emmanuel. When those people who had come out to arrest Jesus heard the Name of God, they were blown back and they fell down on the ground in the posture of prayer and worship, even if it was against their intentions.

This scene in the Garden is very important. It shows that Jesus is in control. He came out to meet those who would arrest him. He told them to let the disciples go and not to arrest them also. He told Peter to put his sword away and not to try to prevent his arrest. As Jesus told Peter, “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (18:1). The arrest, trial, suffering, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is the plan of God for our salvation.

Jesus is in control. Even at his trial, Jesus is not afraid of his accusers or of Pilate. When Pilate asked if he was the king of the Jews, he did not deny it, but he would have chosen a better word than king, perhaps the word Messiah or Savior or Lord. 18:37, “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Jesus is in control. This is again shown in the dialog with Pilate, 19:9b-11. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

Jesus is in control. He tells the disciple John to take care of his mother Mary.

Jesus is in control. He said “It is finished” (19:30) and bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Even at the moment of death, he chose the time to die, he was in control.

One thing I want to stress today: that Jesus is God Almighty. He was born on this earth as a human in order to save humans from sin, death, and the devil. Jesus had some nice teachings about love, but in his death he showed to us what love really is. He showed the measure of his love for us.

Jesus asked those who had come out to arrest him, “Whom do you seek?” They answered, “We want Jesus of Nazareth.” Today, whom do you seek? Whom do you want to find? Who is it that can bring you salvation and help and strength and healing and peace and control? Sometimes we can relate to Jesus. Like Jesus was arrested, we feel that someone is out to get us, like a trial to pry into our lives, to embarrass us before other people, to punish us for something we did not do, to inflict bodily and emotional harm and pain, and we see death before our eyes. “Whom do you seek?” We seek our Savior.

Jesus asks us, “Whom do you seek?” We confess, “We want Jesus our Savior.” And Jesus replies, “I AM HE.”

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

Sermon Index