As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
Ver. 6. As soon then as he had said, &c.] Here our Saviour let out a little beam of the majesty of his Deity, and 500 men fell before him. Quid autem iudicaturus faciet, qui iudicandus hae fecit? saith Augustine. "The wicked shall not stand in judgment," saith David, Psalms 1:5. Christ shall "smite the earth with the rod of his mouth," saith Isaiah; and with "the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked," Isaiah 11:4. Godly men (who have but a drop of Christ's ocean, a spark of his flame) have a daunting presence. When Valens the persecuting emperor came to St Basil, while he was in holy exercises, it struck such a terror into him, that he reeled, and had fallen, had he not been upheld by those that were with him. And another time, when he should have subscribed an order for St Basil's banishment, such a sudden trembling took his right hand, that he could write never a good letter, whereupon he tore the order for anger, and there was an end of the business. When an officer was sent to apprehend a godly deacon at Miltenberg (a town in the territory of Mentz), the deacon, embracing him, said, Salve, frater, frater enim veto meus es, en adsum, transfode me, suffoca me, Here I am, brother, stab me, hang me, do what you will with me. The officer, as if changed from heaven, answered, Sir, you shall receive no hurt from me. Domine, a me quidem nihil mali expectes. (Scultet. Annal.) And when the boars ran in to kill the deacon, he delivered him, and set him safe out of danger. Judas dealt not so by Jesus, but as he fell with the rest, so rose with the rest, who desperately went on with their devilish design, nothing daunted by their recent disaster.