Daily Devotions
John
John 18:1-11 "UNBRIDLED ANGER AND FRUSTRATION"
Day 276 – John 18
UNBRIDLED ANGER AND FRUSTRATION
As the Disciples looked at the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, many different thoughts must have flitted through their minds. How they must have struggled within themselves as they saw the soldiers arrest their beloved Teacher! How could Jesus have been so calm and so gracious to His captors – His enemies!
Peter could barely contain himself as he listened to Jesus talking to the soldiers so calmly. He probably heard Jesus asking the soldiers not to attack His Disciples! He didn’t have to do that, did He? The Disciples could defend themselves against anyone. Why, he Peter had a sword. He would rally his friends and fight back.
John recorded this dangerous moment carefully. He wrote,
“Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and
struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his
right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.”
John 18:10
Peter had probably misunderstood Jesus when He said,
“… and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment
and buy one.”
Luke 22:36
Some of the Disciples replied and said,
“Lord, look, here are two swords.”
Luke 22:38
The Disciples had never traveled with swords when they moved from place to place with their Teacher. When did Peter acquire this sword? It was probably quite recently. Perhaps just before the celebration of the Last Supper with Jesus. He had bought it with the intention of protecting Jesus from all harm and danger! Perhaps Peter had little or no training with reference to the sword. He ended up cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest! That blow was awkward, to say the least.
ARMED RESISTANCE?
Matthew also made a note of this incident. He wrote,
“And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus
stretched out his hand and drew his sword,
struck the servant of the high priest, and cut
off his ear.”
Matthew 26:51
Luke wrote that the Disciples were waiting for a signal from Jesus to fight with the detachment of soldiers.
“When those around Him saw what was going to happen,
they said to Him, ‘Lord shall we strike with the sword?'”
Luke 22:49
Matthew went on to record a rather full statement from Jesus in his Gospel. Let us read what he wrote, most carefully.
“But Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword in its place,
for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father,
and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions
of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled
that it must happen thus?'”
Matthew 26:52-54
Armed resistance was out of the question. Let us quickly enumerate why Jesus refused to consider armed resistance as an alternative.
1. Rejecting the way of the world – the path of violence
The sword essentially represented the way of the world. Violence was a very real part of the world. To take up the sword to give battle would be to choose the way of the world! The shedding of blood, the taking of another man’s life, was the way of the world, not the path Jesus would choose.
2. If Jesus had wanted to give battle – an angelic army would have been given!
If Jesus wanted to raise an army, the only thing He needed to do was to breathe a prayer to His Father. He would dispatch a huge angelic army to rescue the Son, if that was what Jesus wanted. If Jesus wanted to have the angels of God to protect Him, at a moment’s notice, over 12 legions of angels (over 70,000 angels) would have been sent from heaven to attend to Him!
3. A Desire to do the Will of the Father – to fulfill the Scriptures
Jesus had never once deviated from the way of His Father! Had He done that, He would not have been able to fulfil what His Father wanted Him to do (Matthew 26:54).
THE HEALING OF MALCHUS
Luke, being a physician, recorded the healing of Malchus. We read,
“But Jesus answered and said, ‘Permit even this.’
And He touched his ear and healed him.”
Luke 22:51
The healing of Malchus represented the last healing act of Jesus before His death. Is it not significant that the recipient of the grace of God was one of those who came out to arrest Jesus!
Jesus had healed many! The lame, the maimed, the blind, the lepers were healed as they came to Him. His ministry on earth was just about over. Yet, graciously, He extended His hand, touched the ear of Malchus and healed him! How did the soldiers understand this act? He who had power to heal, was being arrested?