Linked Together: "I Am"

Here are two pieces on Jesus’ “I am” statements in the gospel of John. They each use an argument from context to come to opposite conclusions regarding Jesus’ use of “I am” in John 18:5-6. Which argument do you find more persuasive?

Mounce
“[I]s Jesus referencing God’s name in 18:5? I doubt it. There is nothing in the context that suggests this.” Read more from Bill Mounce at Koinonia.

Kruger
“[W]hen Jesus is arrested in the garden, he declares in 18:6: ‘I am he (ego eimi).’ While most readers would miss the connection here, the response of the soldiers gives us a clue to what is meant: ‘When Jesus said to them, “I am he (ego eimi)” they drew back and fell to the ground’ (18:6).” Read more from Michael Kruger at Canon Fodder.

Comments

[rosemary]

The fact that the soldiers fell to the ground when Jesus said, "I am he" leads me to agree with Kruger. Jesus was declaring something powerful, rather than merely identifying that they got the right person.

Are you going to tell us what you think, Rebecca?

[rebecca]

I agree with Kruger, too. The soldiers falling seems to cinch it for me.

And I'm not sure what Mounce means by "There is nothing in the context that suggests this." What is he looking for that would cinch it for him? Is there something that would be more convincing that soldiers falling in response to his words?

[rosemary]

Thank you----and I agree re: Mounce's take on it. Why not see that connection between Jesus' words and the soldiers falling?