The officers were well aware of the danger they were in, but they did not resort to the many excuses they could have used such as “they could not find him, or could not come at him, because of the multitude about him, or that they were afraid of the people, lest they should rise upon them, and stone them, and rescue Jesus.” (TFG) These would have been somewhat truthful and would have softened the rebuke and disciplinary action they now faced for disobeying orders, but they instead told the plain truth, which must have taken a great deal of courage. They had been deeply impressed by Jesus and His words and they said so. The emphasis in the Greek is on the way Jesus spoke and not so much on what He said. Lenski states, “The authority, majesty, and power of the speaker restrained these officers.” Also remarkable is the fact that Jesus had the same effect on all of them.