divine power, Tliere seems to me mucli probability in this last idea.
6 — [As soon then as He had said, etc.] I cannot doubt tliat tbe thing here related was a great miracle. I have not the slight- est sympathy with Alford and others, who try to explain it away partially, by reminding us of the awe and reverence which a great and good man sometimes inspires in inferior minds. Such an explanation will never account for the fact here recorded, — that the band of Homan soldiers and the ser- vants of the priests, in fact the whole body of armed men who came to seize on our Lord, " went backward and fell on the earth," on hearing our Lord say, " I am He." The Roman sol- diers, especially, knew nothing about our Lord, and had no cause to fear Him. The only reasonable account of the event is that it was a miracle. It was an exercise for the last time of that same Divine power by which our Lord calmed the waves, stilled the winds, cast out devils, healed the sick, and raised the dead. And it was a miracle purposely wrought at this juncture, in order to show the disciples and their enemies that our Lord was not taken because He could not help it, or cruci- fied because He could not prevent it ; but because He was will- ing to suffer and die for sinners. He came to be a willing suf- ferer for our sins, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. (Comp, Matt, xxvi, 53.) The effect of the miraculous influence put forth by our Lord, seems to have been that the party who came to seize Him were for a little time struck down to the ground, like men struck down, but not killed, by lightning, and rendered so helpless that our Lord and His disciples might easily have escaped. How long they lay on the ground we are not told, but there certainly seems to be some pause at the end of the verse. It seems clear to me that the miracle saved the disciples from being taken prisoners, and so far awed the party of Judas that they were satisfied to seize our Lord only, and either intentionally let the eleven go, or in their fear of some further display of miraculous power, neglected them, and gave them time to escape. That it also made the whole party of Judas without excuse, is equally clear. They could never say they had no evidence of our Lord's divine power. They had felt it in their own persons.
Burgon sees in this incident something which recalls to mind the prophetic words of the Psalmist : " When the wick- ed, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell." (Psal. xxvii. 2.)
Augustine remarks, " What shall He do when He comes to judge, who did this when about to be judged ? Wliat shall be His might when He comes to reign, who had this might when He was at the point to die ? "
The effort of some to lessen the miraculous character of this circumstance, by quoting such a case as the classical story of