They Fell to the Ground (Caddero a terra)

Italian: «Appena egli disse loro: 'Io sono', essi indietreggiarono e caddero a terra.» (Giovanni 18:6, LND)

English: "Now when He said to them, “' am He,' they drew back and fell to the ground.'" (John 16:6, NKJ)

Call me a Christian with her head in the clouds (or heavenly places as I like to call it); but some of my favorite types of Scriptures are those that speak of how Christ was both God and man.

Ah. Fully God and fully man. What an amazing truth. Just imagine, a man, someone who got hungry and thirsty and felt pain,... could also have the fullness of God dwelling inside His human body.

And I think that Giovanni (John) 18:6 is one of the Scriptures that refer to this truth; although in a not so obvious way. A hidden nugget, a buried treasure, just there waiting for anyone willing to dig a little bit to find it. So what am I referring to? This may take a bit but just stay with me and I'll help you dig.

In Giovanni 18, we find Gesù in the garden about to be betrayed. A group of men, sent dai capi dei sacerdoti (from the chief priests) e dai farisei (and Pharisees), approach Him. They say that they are looking for Gesù il Nazareno.

Jesus' response? Io sono.. "I am" or "I am He."

But here's the good part, one I think we don't always catch when reading this passage.

They all went backwards and ... fell to the ground! (caddero a terra).

Wait a minute. No one touched them. Nothing really happened at all. So what made them fall down? The only clue we have is that just before this, Jesus said "I am He."

As I said, Jesus was fully human but He was also full of God. His enemies came to capture a man because that's all they could see. But could it be, that it was the God inside the man who responded, "Io Sono" or I am. Remember when God used a burning bush to appear to Moses? When Moses asked whose name he was being sent in. the Eternal One responded, Tell them "I Am" has sent you (Exodus 3:13-14).

Could it also be that when the Almighty God declared who He was, that His deity, His glory, actually shined through the flesh of the man that had been his home for 33 years?

The Bible is full of stories where men and women, after seeing the manifestation of God's glory, fell down on their faces.

It's as though when Jesus echoed these power packed words that the eternal glory inside of Him just broke out for a minute; causing havoc to His enemies.

I can playfully imagine what Jesus might have said when He saw what happened. "Oops. Scusi Bambini..." Sorry little ones. "Guess that just slipped out there. Let me turn it back down." (He had to, or no one could have taken him in that form.)

Well I'll leave that for you to ponder. But one thing's for sure. Whenever God shows up, nella pienezza della Sua gloria (in the fullness of His glory); somebody will be falling or bowing down to the ground (Philippians 2:9-10).

...Something awesome always happens when the Divine God encounters human flesh.