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The Servant's Ear

by Steve Countryman  
9/06/2016 / Bible Studies

John 18:3So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Mark 14:44-45 44 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard." 45 Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Rabbi!" and kissed him. John 18:4-10 4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"

5"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. 6 When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" "Jesus of Nazareth," they said. 8Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go." 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."

10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) Luke 22:51 But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.

I have read this story several times and I am ashamed to say that I missed it! Two miracles happened in the span of just a few minuets as the crowd had showed up to arrest Jesus. They're mentioned rather quickly and are easily over looked. Both of these miracles are unique in that no other miracle like them were recorded in the Bible anywhere.

The first one is in verse 6 "When Jesus said, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." It doesn't say that they dropped to their knees or that they stumbled around and then fell. But that they drew back and then fell to the ground. You can only imagine what happened that caused them to draw back and fall down.

The second miracle was when Jesus took the severed ear of the servant of the High Priest and healed it back onto his head. No where in the Bible does it say that Jesus healed anyone by reattaching a severed body part back onto their body.

All that has transpired through out the life of Jesus was ALL carefully planned, the obvious and the less obvious. NOTHING happened by happenstance! EVERYTHING that happened did so according to a higher purpose. So on this night when most people at that time had gone to bed, the High Priest and the Great Sanhedrin had ordered that the temple guards along with others were to go out and find this Jesus and bring Him to the High Priest. The High Priest didn't want a commotion or confrontation to occur that would cause the Roman soldiers to become involved. To insure that his orders were carried out carefully and correctly the High Priest sent his head servant with them.

The servant Malchus was sent to represent the High Priest and carry out the High Priest's orders to the letter. Those who went out did so fully aware that it was being done in the middle of the night and in secret so as not to alarm any of the people and followers of Jesus. They also had heard of Jesus and were aware of some of the miracles that He had performed since He had raised Lazarus from the dead just a few days before.

The cutting off of Malchus' ear happened in such a strange way that it puzzled me for days. Peter drew his sword and cut off the right ear of the High Priest's head servant. The more I thought of it and trying to picture the entire event in my mind the more questions I ended up with. Peter drew out a short sword not a full sized sword. For Peter to draw out his sword and cut off the right ear of Malchus quicker then Malchus could raise his right hand to block or stop the sword had to be a very fast motion.

Peter was a fisherman not a soldier. To defend Jesus Peter should've taken his sword and cut the arm or leg of a temple guard not Malchus. If you're defending someone you try to disable or kill those trying to harm you or your friends. Peter did not pull his sword and thrust or stab Malchus. He didn't swing his sword and cut off the head of Malchus. He didn't try to slice or cut any part of Malchus but managed to cut off his ear. That means that Peter had to pull his sword out, up over his head and bring it down straight next to the right side of Malchus' head cutting off his ear. Peter did this all in one motion!

Again, nothing happened in Jesus life here on earth that was by happenstance. So for Peter to cut off Malchus' ear, it was for a specific purpose! I searched the Bible, the web and commentaries about this event including ancient punishment rituals about cutting off the ears of someone; but nothing related to this action of Peter came up. After several days of prayer the only thing that came to mind over and over again was that Malchus was the main representative of the High Priest.

The High Priest and most of the Great Sanhedrin didn't "see" Jesus as the messiah. They wanted a messiah who they could control. So they refused to listen to what the scriptures had to say. They refused to listen to what the Jewish people had to say. They refused to listen to what their own spies had to say about the miracles that Jesus did. They had accused Jesus of being Devil possessed so He could heal people. And how dare Jesus heal the man with the crippled arm on the Sabbath, though no one ever did anything like that before.

"Lend an ear" or to listen carefully to the truth meant that you would listen with your right ear. That represented right thinking or righteous listening. So if the High Priest refused to listen and Malchus represented him at the arrest of Jesus then he no longer needed his right ear for listening! Healing Malchus' ear kept the peace and kept Peter and the disciples out of jail.

How did these events get ignored? Did they think that this was some magic trick? Did they all think that it was all imagined? And what about the Malchus who just had his ear healed back to his head? Did he think that it really didn't happen? How could he ignore what just happened? What did those present think about their orders to arrest this man? I know that I would've questioned those orders BIG TIME!

What love that Jesus had to allow all of this to transpire so that He could fulfill that which He was born to do for all of us! Thank you Jesus!

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