The Healing of Malchus

 

Roman soldiers were not known to be fearful about anything, and they certainly were not known to fall on the ground quickly. They were ready for anything as they approached the garden. Imagine the scene. When they said they were looking for Jesus, the Lord replied uttering the divine name in Greek, the name of God, "I AM" (egōeimi). Some of you have the words, I am he in the text, but the word “He” is absent from the original Greek and added by the translators to make the statement easier to understand in English. Again and again, in the Gospels, we have seen Jesus adding the name of God to different aspects of His character. I am the Gate; I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Light of the World, I am the Way, etc. When He said those words, this was a display of raw spiritual power before these soldiers. Jesus was letting the soldiers know that He was willingly giving Himself into their hands. What a picture it must have been, hundreds of men terrified of one Man and His eleven disciples, and only one of them using a sword in defense. 

 

In his usual rash behavior, Peter slashed at the high priest's servant named Malchus with his sword, severing the man's ear. Peter was risking a fight at this point, but the Lord intervened and gently reminded His disciples to put up the sword, telling Peter that it must be this way, that there is a cup of suffering that He must drink to put away sin for all men. Why didn’t the 450-600 men attack Peter and the disciples? It seems that the presence of the Lord had unsettled the soldiers. Luke tells us that Jesus put His hand to Malchus' ear, and it miraculously sprouted another ear—“he touched the man's ear and healed him” (Luke 22:51). The healing was instantaneous, a creative miracle right at the point of highest tension. There was no hunting around for the ear so that Christ can heal the man by putting the ear back on and for it to be bandaged up. I wonder if Malchus found the cut off ear after the Lord was arrested? The apostle John tells us that it was Peter who reacted with the sword.

 

In Matthew’s account, Jesus told them to put up their swords, and that it must be this way:

 

⁵³Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? ⁵⁴But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" (Matthew 26:53-54).

 

Christ was in control at every point. He didn't run away, instead, Jesus confronted the armed soldiers. We might not always know what will happen to us when we say, "Your will be done," but there is a sense of peace that passes all understanding when our lives and will are given into His hands. Many of you are at the crossroads of Gethsemane. Submitting to God's will is the big question: will you submit to His purpose for your life? Will you lay down your will and place your life into His hands? God's Word tells us: 

 

fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).

 

Prayer:  Thank you for the choice you made in Gethsemane, Lord. You looked forward and saw each of us, and joy came to your heart, strengthening you for what you endured. Help us to place our will and our lives into Your hands and trust You. Amen.

Keith Thomas. Taken from study 60 in Luke: Jesus at Gethsemane.