All four of the Gospels detail Jesus’ arrest, trials, crucifixion, and resurrection. Between the retellings, there are various degrees of overlap along with unique details. For instance, John’s account tells us that slave who lost an ear to Peter’s sword name was Malchus. Let’s look closer at John’s account.
“After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove. Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked. “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I Am he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) As Jesus said “I Am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground! Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” “I told you that I Am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.” Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?” (John 18:1–11, NLT)
The basics are all there in agreement with the other gospels. Jesus went to a garden after the upper room time with the disciples. Judas, backed by a small army, soon approaches to find and identify Jesus. Peter pulls a sword trying to prevent it. Jesus willingly accepts His arrest. But John also includes a few unique tidbits.
One such tidbit is the final display of power prior to Christ’s resurrection. Jesus stepped forward and asked who the mix of Romans and Temple guards were looking for. They replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” But when Jesus said, “I am He,” the entire force drew back and fell down. Throughout John’s Gospel, he presents a string of “I am” statements from Jesus. Those “I am” assertions connect Jesus with God’s name revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Powerful stuff. So powerful that the armed guard couldn’t stand against it.
A part of me sees this episode with a bit of comedy. Jesus says, “I am He,” the soldiers fall down. Jesus sighs and says, “let’s try this again. Who are you looking for?” The soldiers again say “Jesus the Nazarene.” To which Jesus replies, “I already told you, let’s go but leave the others.” To add even more comedic flair, Peter pulls a sword and either attacks a slave or swings at a soldier and wildly misses. The result was the same, Malchus lost his ear. I’m glad that Luke records that Jesus restored and healed the ear.
That bit about Peter tells us something. So often we try to take on the world and fight like the world fights. I’m not sure what Peter expected, but the odds were not in his favor. Jesus basically told Peter to put down the sword and trust God. And sometimes, perhaps more often than we think, we need to do the same thing. Stop fighting like the world fights and trust God.
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