Being the Jewish high priest brought a lot of power and perks – not the least of which were a number of soldiers and servants to do your bidding. We saw above how a couple of his servant girls were among Peter’s accusers. But we need to hit the pause button for a moment and rewind the tape. We need to go back and replay in slow motion Peter’s attempt to defend the Lord Jesus when He was being arrested. Let’s carefully look at this scene frame-by-frame. Let’s pay close attention to the encounter between Peter and the “…servant of the high priest.”

As we read this narrative, we see how most of the people who came to help arrest Jesus were armed with “…swords and clubs” (Luke 22:52).  Since they were “armed to the teeth,” they obviously came prepared to fight!  Their intent was anything but peaceful.  So in the face of this hatred and hostility, all four Gospels record how Peter drew his sword and “…cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest” (Matthew 26:51; Mark 14:47). 

However, only Luke and John specifically tell us that it was the man’s “right ear” that Peter cut off (Luke 22:50; John 18:10).  In addition, it is only John’s Gospel that gives the man’s name as “Malchus.”  And only Doctor Luke records this significant fact: “Jesus…touched the man’s ear and healed him” (Luke 22:51) – a detail that an observant doctor would certainly take note of!

So by weaving these four Gospel accounts together, we see a more complete tapestry of this “Malchus…servant of the high priest.”  And through this little side-bar story, he steps out of anonymity. He becomes the only other person in Gethsemane that night who is specifically named – other than Jesus, Judas, Peter, James and John.  So through this little historical vignette we also see the incredible detail and preciseness of God’s Word.

The few lines that describe this momentary three-way encounter would forever mark the spirit and psyche of Malchus. From that moment on he would either have to dwell on what Peter did do Him – or on what Jesus did for him.  That fateful night, one hand lashed out against him with a sword. The other hand reached out to him in compassion. One hand resulted in harm, the other hand resulted in healing. I wonder which man impacted him most?  Peter or Jesus?  Which one left the most lasting marked on his memory?  Was it the sword of Peter – or the touch of Jesus?  Was it the hurt inflicted by Peter’s anger or the healing imparted by Jesus’ compassion?

Perhaps we can better understand Malchus’ response by honestly looking at our own responses to those who hurt us. How do we respond when people lash out against us in anger or rage?  Which do you remember?  Do you dwell on the cutting, piercing words that people have said against you?  Do you constantly brood over the way people have intentionally hurt you and abused you – whether physically, emotionally or sexually?  Are there scars on your spiritual ears that cause you to constantly distort what others say?

What we usually do is this concerning the pain that others have caused us:  We nurse it…rehearse it…and curse it.  And all the while it is only the healing touch of the Lord Jesus that will allow us to reverse it!  We can’t undo the things that have been said and done against us. But through God’s unconditional forgiveness we can reverse – rather than curse, the pain that others have inflicted upon us.  We can be healed and released from the psychological scars and negative impact these events have had upon our lives.

Perhaps like Malchus, you too need to reflect on Jesus’ words to Peter at that moment: “Put your sword away!”  Peter’s response is the cursing response to the hurts against us. In our fallenness, we all want revenge against our enemies. We want to “lash out!”  We want to hurt those who hurt us.  We want to repay pain with pain.  And so we rehearse in our minds a thousand scenarios in which we inflict pain back on those who have hurt us!  Jesus then, reminded Peter of this principle: “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).  Anger is always a double-edged sword!

This desire for revenge is very human. It’s in all of us. It is our natural response to hurt and harm. But it is also very destructive. That’s because it begins a lifestyle that is very deadly.  It is always true that hurt people – hurt people. Damaged people – damage people.  Wounded people – wound people!  It’s a destructive cycle that goes on and on.  And sadly, it often passes from one generation to the next.

So when we have been hurt, this drive to “get even” increasingly poisons our mind and emotions. And over time it destroys all of our relationships. It causes us to have a “cutting edge” to our lives… to our tone of voice… to our behavior.  We live with an “attack mode!”  We are always ready to fight.  And since we cannot always get even with the person who hurt and harmed us, we lash out at everyone else who gets in our path.  As Jesus warned Peter, we too “…live by the sword!”

So my loving exhortation to you this Lenten Season is what Jesus commanded Peter: “Put your sword away!”  That night both Peter and Malchus were armed.  Both men had swords they were more than ready to use.  But because of Jesus, both men put their swords away that night.  So while you may not be able to make other people put their swords away – you can resolve to put yours away!  You can make a commitment to quit “…living by the sword.”

The story of Joseph in the book of Genesis is a wonderful example of this principle of forgiveness and healing in the face of hurt and harm. It is the greatest foreshadow of Christ’s words of forgiveness from the cross that is found in the entire Old Testament. As you recall, because of jealousy and hatred, Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave in Egypt. This resulted in separation from his home, his aged father, his beloved younger brother – and it caused years of loss in his life.

From a human perspective then, Joseph was an “innocent sufferer.”  His brother’s hostile actions cost him everything that was near and dear to him.  Their sins against him radically altered his entire life. Their antagonism caused him to go through what must have seemed like endless “wasted years.”  None of it seemed to make sense.  “Where was God in all of this?” – Joseph must have often cried out as he nursed and rehearsed these unjust events in his mind!  But it was only many years later that Joseph could say to his brothers:

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).

This story reminds us that we live in a world that is totally under the control of a sovereign God.  Even though the world is filled with sin and rebellion, God still accomplishes everything according to the good purposes of His own foreordained will.  So we must never forget that we live in a moral universe that reflects God’s justice and mercy – although the timing of its application is often a mystery beyond our human comprehension.  But only a sovereign and loving God can take everything that happens to us – even evil, and work it for our good and for His glory. That’s the great message of Romans 8:28 - 29 that has brought comfort and healing to millions across the centuries:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son…”

You know, the ear is a marvelous part of the human body. It catches all of the sounds around us and funnels them into our brain for recording, decoding and proper response. Deftness is such a debilitating problem because it audibly cuts us off from the world around us. But there is something worse than physical deftness – and that is spiritual deftness. It is bad enough when we cannot hear and discern the sounds around us. It is even worse when we cannot hear and discern the voice of God within us!

Since we are all sinners, we are born with deaf ears and damaged ears. Because our ears are deaf to God, we cannot hear or discern his “…still small voice” (I Kings 19:12). And because our ears are damaged, we often filter the messages spoken to us by others. We hear and interpret their voices through the earlier voices of those who hurt us. Because of damaged ears, we so often interpret what other people say through what was earlier said to us and about us.  We go through life with a great tendency to deflect all compliments and indelibly record all criticisms!  As a result, our minds have a natural tendency to retain the negative and reject the positive.

That’s probably how Malchus went into Gethsemane that night.  But then he met Jesus!  And like so many others, Malchus had believed lies about Jesus. So he went into the Garden with an ear problem!  He went there with a terminal case of spiritual deftness. But I think he left the Garden that night with both his physical ears and spiritual ears healed!  I don’t think he ever heard the same way again. The compassionate voice of Jesus opened his ears to the voice of God.  As a result, he could never dwell on what Peter did to him. From that moment on he would forever dwell on what Jesus did for him!

What about you? Do you need Jesus to heal your spiritual ears this Lenten Season?  Do you need him to heal and silence those hurtful voices that are forever speaking pain and lies into the inner ears of your heart?  If so, let Him do for you what He did for Malchus.  If you do, I promise you that you will never hear the same way again.  As a result of His healing touch, the Passion of the Christ will forever resonate in your ears!

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