Jump Start # 3626
Luke 22:50 And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.
In the recent assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, he was shot through the ear. Pictures have been shown of him raising his fist with blood streaming down his face. In interviews, Trump said that there was a lot of blood on the ground and that doctors reported that the ear is something that bleeds a lot. I haven’t given the ear much thought but that takes us to our passage today.
Peter cut the ear off of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. I doubt Peter was carefully trying to slice the ear off without damaging anything else. It was dark. There was a large crowd with swords and clubs. There were torches. There was a lot of emotion. Peter swung the sword. It seems that he was trying to deliver a death blow to the head. He missed or the servant ducked just in time and the ear came off. Jesus put the ear back on. And, much too often, that’s the end of the story. One final miracle before the cross.
By doing this, Jesus must have gotten a lot of blood on His hands. The ear bleeds a lot, we are told. It is very likely that Jesus would have the blood of Malchus on His hands and even His clothes. The text doesn’t show us that the Lord was allowed to wash His hands during any of this. Jesus would soon have His own blood all over Him. Blood from the crown of thorns. Blood from the scourged back. Blood from the nails in the hands and feet. Blood of Malchus and the blood of Jesus mixed together on the hands of our Savior.
Some thoughts from this:
First, the blood of Malchus would have been red like the blood of Jesus. Side by side, mixed together and stained on the clothes and hands of Jesus, one wouldn’t be able to tell which blood was which, but there was a difference. The blood of Jesus was pure. It was sinless. It was the blood of a sacrifice.
Second, only the blood of Jesus could save us from our sins. The blood of others may keep us alive, give us liberty and freedom, and pay the sacrifice to open doors for us, but no other blood can cleanse like the blood of Jesus. The Revelation vision opens with the thought that we are washed by His blood.
Third, the healing of Malchus’ ear, calmed a violent situation. How easily and quickly the soldiers with Judas, could have pulled their swords and in an instant resulted with several dead apostles and possibly even the Lord. That wasn’t Heaven’s plan. There had been earlier attempts to kill Jesus. They were unsuccessful. Multiple times, John’s Gospel reminds us that Jesus would lay His life down. He was in control until the end. His dying breath, “It is finished,” was the declaration that all was accomplished and He was ready to go.
But, what a profound lesson for us. We don’t have swinging swords and bloody ears on the ground, but we do have toxic situations in which someone is steamed up about something. Swear words are uttered. Things are thrown. The situation is quickly getting out of hand. Far too many YouTube videos, of which I think many are staged, show angry passengers on an airplane tossing luggage and screaming at each other. Or, a heated situation at an intersection, and someone punches the window of the car behind him.
The actions of Jesus cooled the situation down. He told Peter to put the sword away. He healed the ear. A tense and volatile situation was calmed down. Remaining under control when everyone around you has lost all reason and sense is something to remember. The one who controls his spirit is greater than the one who conquers a city, the wisdom literature tells us. Not raising your voice in return. Not uttering threats back. Not sticking your finger in someone’s face. Not making counter accusations. Put the sword away!
That would help many homes these days. That would help some congregations. It would go a long way in the work place. Just put the sword away!
The blood of Malchus on the hands of Jesus. And, in many ways, our blood was on His hands as well. That’s why He went to the cross. Helpless like Malchus, Jesus heals our soul, by extending His grace and forgiveness.
A bloody ear…a final miracle…making things right…
Roger