before Jesus was silent

There's a hidden jewel in the arrest of Jesus I deeply savor.

It's one of many glimpses of Jesus often bypassed. It's easy to miss, yet every time I read it my spirit literally leaps and comes ablaze.

As I read the story again and again my spirit roars. It reveals a facet of Jesus that isn't preached or taught much.

That's unfortunate, but the good news is: where I am in my pursuit of Jesus right now, this moment in Jesus' life speaks volumes to me.

I also love the wild, creative thinking of the whirlwind which took place in just a brief moment--the tension, the assumptions, the expressions, the power, the humility, the surprise, the fear, the reactions.

Every time I read this passage my spirit soars...and I see Jesus sneaking us a peek at the last William Wallace card He played before He became a lamb to the slaughter.

"Then Jesus, knowing all that was about to befall Him, went out to them and said, Whom are you seeking? [Whom do you want?] They answered Him, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus said to them, I am He. Judas, who was betraying Him, was also standing with them. When Jesus said to them, I am He, they went backwards (drew back, lurched backward) and fell to the ground. Then again He asked them, Whom are you seeking? And they said, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus answered, I told you that I am He. So, if you want Me [if it is only I for Whom you are looking], let these men go their way." (John 18, Amplified Bible)

I can literally think about this for hours on end...the mystery and the power in it.

There is so much paradox in Jesus. The Master who is a servant. The King who is a pauper. The Creator with no place to lay His head. When He speaks the blind see and those who claim to see are blind.

Because of all this paradox it makes me wonder: were the words Jesus spoke, which knocked His arresters down, a whisper?

All the incredible paradox ways in which Jesus moves, it would not surprise. And how awesome would it be if that were the case? A mere whisper blasting the defiers of God to the ground.

Or…did Jesus simply saying the words normally become hurricane strong as He identified Himself?

Or…in that moment was Jesus the Lion of the Tribe of Judah? Did the words roar and resound forward in the might of the Lion that Jesus is?

I love pondering this.

There is so much teaching on Jesus as the Lamb of God. So little teaching on Jesus as the Lion of Judah (Revelation 5).

So much teaching on Jesus saying "turn the other cheek". So little teaching on Jesus saying "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions" (Luke 10).

So much teaching on Jesus who calms storms. So little teaching on Jesus saying “the axe is already at the root” (Luke 3).

So much teaching on Jesus who calms fears. So little teaching on Jesus who says "I came not to bring peace, but division" (Luke 12).

So much teaching on the Sermon on the Mount. So little teaching on Jesus saying “I will come to you and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth” (Revelation 2).

So much teaching on Jesus saying “My Peace I give you, not as the world gives” (John 14). So little teaching on Jesus saying "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12)

And this is what makes Jesus’ words and the arresters’ fall so awesome...and simultaneously so mysterious.

And it is being in a fierce, bloody battle, as like none I could ever fathom, which leads me cling to mighty, powerful, sword-wielding, snake-trampling, root-cutting, arrester-knocking Jesus.

So much teaching on Jesus as wonderful. So little teaching on Jesus as terrible.

Come, Terrible Jesus.

If You are willing, Lord, you can whisper into my life.