Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
As Jesus is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, a violent incident occurs: “And one of them that stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear” (Mark 14:47). John 18:10 tells us that “Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.” We note the precise historical detail, including the name of the perpetrator, his weapon, the name of the victim, and the exact location of the wound. Luke 22:51b adds this detail: “And He touched his ear, and healed him.” It is in keeping with Luke’s medical background that he is the Gospel writer who records this healing. Three thoughts come to mind. First, Jesus was always prepared to heal, even for someone who was an enemy. This readiness finds its greatest expression at the Cross: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life”(Romans 8:10). Second, this miracle of healing prevented any charges of sedition against Jesus and His disciples. Third, this miraculous restoration was an irrefutable testimony to everyone there of the Messiahship of Jesus. In fact, it would abide as a witness to the religious leaders for at least as long as Malchus lived. Every time he was present, people would look at his right ear and remember the story of Jesus’ compassionate and omnipotent touch. Jesus here is leaving behind incontrovertible evidence, right in the camp of His most bitter opponents. He continues to reach out to all.