“I told you that I am He,” Jesus replied. “So if you are looking for Me, let these men go.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If therefore you seek me, let these go their way,”
- KJV Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:
- NKJV Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,”
- NASB Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you are seeking Me, let these men go on their way.”
- NLT “I told you that I Am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus identifies himself again and asks that his disciples be let go. He protects his followers even as he is arrested.
Overview
Jesus reaffirms 'I am he' and intercedes for his disciples' release, putting himself forward so they may go free. This act of self-sacrificing care embodies the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep (10:11). It is a vivid picture of substitution: he is taken so that his own may be spared.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- John 10:28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.
- John 13:1It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end.
- 2 Cor 12:9But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.
- John 16:32“Look, an hour is coming and has already come when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.
- Mark 14:50–52Then everyone deserted Him and fled.
- 1 Pet 5:7Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
- Matt 26:56But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.
- 1 Cor 10:13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.
- Eph 5:25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her
- John 13:36“Lord, where are You going?” Simon Peter asked. Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow later.”
- Isa 53:6We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 18:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.