[And said... Whom seek ye ?] Jesus Himself was tlie first to epeak, and did not wait to be challenged or commanded to sur- render. This sudden question no doubt would take the party of Judas by surprise, and prepare the way for the mighty mir- acle which followed. The soldiers must needs have felt, " this is not the language or manner of a malefactor or a guilty man."
5. — \_They answered... Jesus. ..Nazareth.l This would be more lit- erally rendered " Jesus the Nazarene." It is certainly hard to suppose that those who said this could have known that Jesus Himself was speaking to them. It looks as if they did not know our Lord by sight, or could not believe that the bold speaker before them could be the prisoner they came to appre- hend. That many of the party did not know our Lord by sight, is clear from the fact mentioned by Matthew and Mark, that Judas had given them a sign : " Whomsoever 1 kiss, that same is He : hold Him fast," This sign, therefore, had not yet been given. Probably there was no time for it. The coming forward and question of our Lord had taken place so suddenly that they took the whole party by surprise.
Chrysostom, Cyril, Theophylact, Gualter, Brentius, Gerhard, and Ferus, think that our Lord miraculously blinded the eyes of the party, so that they did not recognize him, as Elisha blinded the Syrians. (2 Kings vi. 18.) They had lights, and they must have known his voice. But they seem to have been unable to know him. Musculus thinks they did not recognize Him, and thought Him a disciple.
{Jesus saith...l am He.] Our Lord here makes a plain, bold, full avowal that He is the very person whom they seek. It must have been a most startling announcement.
The words in the Greek are literally " I am." Some have thought that there was an intentional reference to the famous passage in Exodus, where the Lord says, " I AM hath sent you." (Exodus iii. 14), to which also our Lord certainly did re- fer in John viii. 58. But it seems very doubtful whether such a reference would have been used in speaking to such a party as those who came to seize our Lord.
[And Judas. ..stood with them.] It is not quite clear why this little sentence is put in here. It may be meant to show the desperate wickedness of Judas. He stood side by side with the enemies of Jesus. — It may be meant to show that even Judas himself was staggered and confounded by our Lord's boldness, and did not give his companions the promised sign, not recog- nizing him any more than the others. The false apostle stood there like one struck dumb. — It may be meant to show that Judas himself was a witness and a subject of one of the last great miracles our Lord wrought. He himself was once more to feel, and experience proof, that the Master he betrayed had