A Servant’s Ear

And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached out and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  Then Jesus said to him, put your sword back into its place, for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.  Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and he will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way? Matthew 26:51-54

And they laid hands on Hm and seized Him.  But a certain one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  Mark 14:46-47

And when those who were around Him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And a certain one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.” And He touched his ear and healed him.  Luke 22:49-51

Simon Peter therefore having a sword, drew it, and stuck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus.  Jesus therefore said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”  John 18:10-11

Wait a minute, Kendrick!  What are you doing?  This is Good Friday.  The arrest in the middle of the night; the trials before Caiaphas, Pilate and Herod; the beatings; the cries of the mob; Pilate’s wife; the road to Calvary; THE CRUCIFIXION; the two thieves; the centurion; the veil; the words of Jesus; HIS DEATH; the spear; the burial.  It’s a crazy, full day with so much going on and so much meaning and your writing about a slave who had his ear cut off?

It was early Friday morning as Judas led the priests and temple guards to arrest Jesus in the garden.  The Messiah had just spent hours in agonized prayer knowing what was coming.  It was to be a horrible day, yet a day that believers venerate and celebrate as the day God offered His mercy to the world.  And early on this day, a disciple cut off a slave’s ear.

We see the story above from all four gospels.  The temple guards, who worked for the Chief Priest, came to arrest Jesus.  Perhaps Malchus was present to report on events to the Chief Priest.  Peter, as he often did, acted impetuously, drew his sword, and cut off Malchus’ ear.  I know Jesus chastised Peter, but I kind of admire Peter for what he did.  None of the disciples fully understood what was happening and what it would mean, so Peter was as prepared as he could be.  However, we know that Jesus would have much preferred Peter stay awake and pray with Him than defend Him with a sword.  I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but that sounds like some good advice for us as we encounter people hostile to the gospel: pray, offer compassion and help, and put away the weapons.

Healing Malchus was the last miracle Jesus performed before His death, and He was just hours away from that death.  After the agony in Gethsemane, the betrayal of Judas, and knowing fully what the day would bring, He stopped to heal one of the men sent to arrest Him.  Was it a natural response for the Messiah to heal?  He did not heal all those he encountered that needed healing.  Was it to show His authority to those who had come to seize Him?  They had just been knocked off their feet when He simply said, “I am.”  Was it a lesson for the disciples, particularly Peter who seemed to always act rashly?  Was it a lesson for us that His mission was to provide healing, ultimately from sin and death?

It could have been any and all of those things.  I like to think that the healing changed Malchus; that he became a believer and shared the good news with others.  But I don’t know that; I only know that Jesus healed Him on His way to His death.  It’s very similar to the lesson we learned from Jesus washing the feet of Judas:  we are called to serve others without distinction or discrimination.

Perhaps, as a servant of the high priest, Malchus was present at Jesus’ trial.  Perhaps he followed Jesus throughout Good Friday so he could report back to the high priest.  Perhaps he was on Calvary and, with his restored ear, heard the agonized cry, “My God!  My God!  Why have you forsaken me?” and the final statement of a mission completed, “It is finished.”  Good Friday ends.  The body of our Lord is hurriedly buried.  The Passover Sabbath begins for Jewish families.  Darkness descends on Jesus’ followers who are fearful and dejected.  With them, we remain silent and mourn the death of the true and perfect Messiah.  But we know what they do not … Sunday’s comin!