Every Knee Must Bend: Jesus is God

[Crumpy]

Recall Phillipians:

2:7 Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,

2:8 he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.

2:9 Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,

2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

2:11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(NAB)

The Jewish Talmud records what happened in the Temple when the High Priest uttered the holy name of God (YHWH) in the area of the Holy of Holies – all the priests within earshot would genuflect.

This undoubtedly was the historical precedent for the direction in Phillipians that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend. The equivalence between Jesus and God had been understood in the biblical new testament era.

 

[Cachonga]

This could be related -

“Judas then, having received the [Roman] cohort, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth, and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am [He].” And Judas also who was betraying Him, was standing with them. When therefore He said to them, “I am [He],” they drew back, and fell to the ground.” (John 18:3-6 NAS)

Notice “[He]” is in brackets. This was added by the translators (supposedly for clarification, and can be found this way in every translation I’ve seen). However, the correct translation is simply “I am”. This is the exact same words found in the LXX when Moses asked God who He was and God told him “I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Notice, after Jesus says “I am”, everyone “drew back and fell to the ground”. I imaging they either stepped back and kneeled down, or did a “Benny Hinn”. Since these are (mostly) soldiers, armed and ready for trouble, I would think that doing a “Benny Hinn” could be just a little bit dangerous (especially with the lanterns and torches). Still, the Scriptures don’t go into a lot of detail on this, so I guess we can make up our own mind about how it happened.

Pax!

 

[Crumpy]

There is also precedent in Is 45:23

45:22 Turn to me and be safe,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!

45:23 By myself I swear,
uttering my just decree
and my unalterable word:
**To me every knee shall bend; **
by me every tongue shall swear,

45:24 Saying, "Only in the LORD
are just deeds and power.
Before him in shame shall come
all who vent their anger against him. (NAB)

 

[patrick457]

This could be related -

“Judas then, having received the [Roman] cohort, and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth, and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am [He].” And Judas also who was betraying Him, was standing with them. When therefore He said to them, “I am [He],” they drew back, and fell to the ground.” (John 18:3-6 NAS)

Notice “[He]” is in brackets. This was added by the translators (supposedly for clarification, and can be found this way in every translation I’ve seen). However, the correct translation is simply “I am”. This is the exact same words found in the LXX when Moses asked God who He was and God told him “I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Notice, after Jesus says “I am”, everyone “drew back and fell to the ground”. I imaging they either stepped back and kneeled down, or did a “Benny Hinn”. Since these are (mostly) soldiers, armed and ready for trouble, I would think that doing a “Benny Hinn” could be just a little bit dangerous (especially with the lanterns and torches). Still, the Scriptures don’t go into a lot of detail on this, so I guess we can make up our own mind about how it happened.

Pax!

Here’s a little take on that:

The word used for “fell” is episan (root pipto), which means, well, “to fall” or “to be thrust down”. Sure the soldiers doing a “Benny Hinn” is quite dangerous with their torches and weaponry (I however doubt that their “falling down” was Benny Hinn-like ), but the Greek implies a fairly rapid movement on the soldiers’ part.

As for egō eimi, it is used just to mean “I am [he]” or “I am bla bla bla” in the ordinary sense (cf. John 9:9, where the former blind man uses egō eimi to identify himself before his startled neighbors); this is the sense followed and reflected by most English translations. But you do have a point that there is a deeper, theological meaning behind all this: Jesus, in control of His destiny, still holds power over all His enemies even at this dark hour because He bears the Divine Name (egō eimi).

John’s narrative are often pregnant with double meanings, and such is the case here. What actually happened could be as mundane as the guards on the front being caught off-handed by Jesus going fearlessly towards them and identifying Himself explicitly (a reaction which you’d not really expect from a criminal!), recoiling, and then bumping to the people on the back and stumbling as a result. But it is probably John’s intention that this narrative have layers of interpretation: in the ordinary sense, Jesus just reveals Himself as the man the guards need to arrest; in the extra-ordinary sense, Jesus is applying the word of power, the Divine self-identifying affirmation, to Himself. In the same way, in the ordinary sense, the soldiers retreat and fall perhaps due to Jesus’ bold move not to hide Himself; in the extra-ordinary one, they “fall down” at the mention of egō eimi, showing them to be powerless before the authority of Jesus.

 

[LordMaddie]

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