John 18:6-7

⁶As Jesus said “I am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground!

⁷Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

John 18 marks the pivot from Jesus’ public ministry to his passion. The chapter opens with his arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, where he identifies himself with the divine name “I am he,” causing his captors to fall backward. Peter’s impulsive sword-stroke and subsequent denial f