John 18:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Notice the Evangelist's lack of malice. He does not revile the betrayer, but narrates the event, striving only to show that everything happened by His consent.

Such was Judas' powerlessness to betray Him. He could not even see the One whom he intended to betray, although He was there, with lamps and such abundance of light.

The Evangelist hinted at this when he said that they had lamps and torches, and still could not find Him.

This is clear from the words, "Judas also stood with them," the one who had said, "I will deliver Him to you."

The Lord blinded their mind, wishing to show His own power and to make them realize that they were attempting an impossible thing.

Then, hearing His voice, they drew back and fell to the ground.

Do you see how they could not even endure His voice, and by falling face down plainly displayed their powerlessness?

Still, so that no one relying on such arguments might depart from the proper understanding of the matter, the divine Evangelist, foreseeing this, thought it necessary to add that Judas, who betrayed Him, was standing with the soldiers and servants.

Could the betrayer really not know the Lord?

You will say again that it was night and darkness, and that it was difficult to see the One whom they sought.

But is the writer of the book not worthy of wonder, since he did not leave even this small point without anticipation?

For he said that they burst into the garden with lanterns and torches in their hands.

Thus the dispute about this is removed.

The dignity of Christ is divine. He declares Himself to those who seek Him, although until then they did not yet know Him.

To disclose this state in them, that is, their inability to recognize Him, He plainly says, "I am He."

Why then did they not receive Him, but went back and fell to the ground, unless the One who could do all He wished had willed it so?

Indeed, if He had not allowed them to take Him, they would not have accomplished what they had come to do.

But neither would He have accomplished what He had come to do.

Now He showed them His power when they wished to seize Him but could not.

And now He permits them to seize Him, so that, unwillingly, they may become the executors of His will.

Where now is the cohort of soldiers? Where are the servants from the chief priests and Pharisees? Where is fear, and where is military protection?

Only the voice of the One who acknowledged, "I am He," without any weapon, pierced, struck, and stunned so great a crowd, armed with hatred and terrifying by weapons.

For God was hidden in the flesh. The eternal day was so concealed in human members that darkness, with lanterns and torches, sought Him in order to kill Him.

"I am He," He says, and He casts the impious to the ground.

What will He do when He comes to judge, if He did such a thing when He was destined for condemnation?

What will His might be when He comes to reign, if He could do such a thing when He came to die?

And now, everywhere through the Gospel, Christ says, "I am He," Jn 18:6.

But the Jews seek the antichrist, so that they may draw back and fall to the ground, because, having refused heavenly things, they desire earthly things.

Clearly, in order to believe in Christ, the persecutors came with the betrayer and found the One whom they sought when they heard, "I am He."

Why then did they not seize Him, but drew back and fell to the ground?

Was it not because the One who could do all He wished had willed this?

But if He had never allowed them to seize Him, they certainly would not have done to Him what they had come to do.

Nor would He have done what He came to do.

They, of course, sought Him with hatred in order to kill Him. But He, delivering Himself up to death, sought us.

Therefore, since He had already shown His power to those who wished to seize Him and could not, let them now seize Him.

Thus, through them, though they did not know it, He would fulfill His own will.

This last point, as the Evangelist notes, was necessary so that what Jesus Christ said in the high-priestly prayer might be fulfilled, Jn 17:12.

Indeed, it was already a stumbling block for the disciples that their Teacher fell into the hands of sinners.

If their own seizure by the soldiers had been added to this, their faith would not have endured the temptation.

What happened next is related by all the Evangelists, with greater or lesser detail.

The soldiers come forward to take Jesus. The disciples intend to defend Him with weapons. One of them, Peter, as John reports, cuts off the ear of a servant of the high priest, Malchus in John.

But the Lord reproves Peter's unreasonable zeal. And, as Luke says, by touching the severed ear He heals it.

To this Matthew and Mark add a speech of Jesus Christ addressed to those who had come to seize Him.

In it He explains that neither their great number nor the swords and clubs with which they had come to seize Him could have accomplished this, if He had not voluntarily delivered Himself to them.

Mark alone tells of a young man who wished to follow Jesus, but fled when the soldiers tried to seize him.

This young man was clothed only in a night covering. Evidently he had been disturbed from sleep and raised from bed by the noise of the crowd passing near his house into the garden of Gethsemane.

Whether this was the Evangelist Mark himself or someone else, in any case one must suppose that he belonged among those who, if not yet believers in the Lord, were vividly stirred toward faith in Him.

For this reason it was dear to him to know how this whole event in Gethsemane would end.

"I am He, the One whom you seek," Jesus said loudly to the elders and to the whole detachment that had come for Him.

The guards had been instructed to act cautiously. They had been told that the One for whom they were sent would have to be taken by cunning and deception.

They were told this because He had adherents who might stand up for Him and hide Him.

What amazement the guards must have felt when Jesus said to them, "I am He whom you have been ordered to take. Take Me, then!"

In these words, apart from their ordinary human meaning, we think there is also an indication of the divine significance of the Sacrifice who voluntarily gives Himself for the sins of the world.

By His answer, in which the God-man reveals Himself, He casts the armed crowd to the ground.

This was so they might know, as Chrysostom observes, that without His holy will all human efforts are powerless to take Him.

Chrysostom adds the supposition that in this moment those who wished to take the Lord were blinded.

There is no indication of this in the Gospel, but the very fact of their drawing back and falling to the ground expressed the trembling and horror with which the crowd was seized by God's will.

This bore witness both to its crime and to the significance of the One whom the crowd, with Judas at its head, had come to take.

It is very probable that only after falling to the ground did Judas come to himself and recover from the terror.

Despite the dread reminder from God, he returned to the persistent execution of his criminal design.

At that moment he decided to cover his confusion and, at the same time, give the agreed sign of betrayal by a kiss, Mt 26:48-50; Lk 22:47-48; Mk 14:44-45.

Although the Gospel of John does not repeat this detail about Judas, it specifically indicates his presence, no doubt with a reference to the account of the Synoptic Gospels.

Chrysostom also notes the innocence of the Evangelist John in this passage. He does not revile the betrayer, but only marks his presence.

The horror that seized Judas, the Jews who came with him, and the Roman soldiers certainly arose partly from the trembling that fell on them at the very presence of the One who said, "I am."

It also arose partly from fear that they might be swallowed by the earth or burned by heavenly fire; cf. Num 16:30-33, 35; 2 Kgs 1:9-12.

But the Merciful One had earlier spoken of His mercy to the "sons of thunder," Lk 9:54-56.

Later that same night He said to the one who drew the sword in His defense: "Do you think that I cannot now appeal to My Father, and He will at once send Me more than twelve legions of angels?" Mt 26:53-54; see below, verse 11.