I invite you to come with me, dear reader, into the garden of Gethsemane.
And one of those who stood by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest and cut off his ear (Mark 14:47).
And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him (Luke 22:47-51).
Then Simon 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. Then Jesus said unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him (John 18: 10-12).
We now leave the garden of Gethsemane, and follow Jesus to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest:
One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsmen whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him? (John 18:26).
Dear reader, I have a smirky attitude right now, about an ear lopped off, and healed immediately by the hand of Jesus, after the severing. Listen with me to how ridiculous it is to hear this story repeated, and consider, that all the eye witnesses to the event, didn't think it wild, wonderful, miraculous, and Godly, to know that in Peter's haste to violence, Christ healed in an instant.
I laugh a little each time I think about Peter being accused of being with Jesus in the garden as a follower, and him denying it, despite being seen with him for a full three and a half years of the Lord's ministry. And what of the servant of the high priest, having his ear chopped off, and then having the same ear, restored lickety-split, with the touch of Jesus? he must have marvelled for his entire life, don't you think? The Bible doesn't tell us what became of Malchus after this dramatic scene in the garden, but if I were that guy, my weakened knees would have had me falling at the feet of Jesus! And the relative of Malchus, that in the gospel of John is reported to have questioned Peter about him having been in the garden with Jesus, didn't he have a jaw dropping experience, knowing his kinsmen had been assaulted and restored, in the self-same moment?
Gee whiz people, if miracles were performed by Jesus in front of multitudes, and they carried on with their regular business as though there was nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to take note of that is fascinating and interesting and heavenly in nature, then what chance do regular old boring folk have, of getting to heaven, through Christ the King? Killing was the plan, and no matter what God incarnate did, the murderers had their marching, arresting, and slaying orders. And the witnesses, for shame! Nothing could change their minds about who Jesus really was... blind, deaf, dumb, retrograde in their thinking and being, these people are a joke in the annals of history, for being foolish enough to accuse the God of glory as though he were a common criminal, and for daring to demand his life publicly.
Man alive, denying Jesus as God is a happy pass time for the multitudes still. They haven't a clue that his is the kingdom, and that he is the Lord of glory. I cannot read scripture and remain unmoved. I know that Jesus has healed my wounded heart, and many a body part too for that matter! Dear reader, I do not write to you about dulled and dumbed down senses, we are considering together, souls that are so darkened and dusty with coal soot like sin, that they refuse to see past themselves.
Picture yourself as an eye witness to what is described in the four gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. An ear was lopped off for goodness sakes, and Jesus made the man well with his touch, in front of multitudes. I love this account so much, I had to highlight it for me, and for you, today. There is rich material to discuss in the scripture quoted above, but I leave you to deeply contemplate the scene painted for us by disciples, that had their own unique perspectives, and yet, shared the same reportable, congruent and cogently interwoven experiences, of events in the life of Jesus. We get a full picture with each man, sharing what he saw and heard, when in the presence of God Almighty, manifest in the Man/God, Jesus, the Christ.
Do you, believe in miracles? Miracles are occurrences that behave contrary to nature: would it be a miracle for Jesus to break your stony heart, for what breaks his? Jesus could have smote the multitude of unbelievers with the batting of one eye. Jesus could have requested his own angel armies to cut off ears, gouge out eyes, lop off limbs, and drop his enemies before they saw the flash of swords, but he came to fulfill prophecy as the Saviour, he didn't come to kill and destroy, he came to save...
Satan roams, killing and destroying, and he uses the willing that hate Jesus, to do his bidding. He wants you and I dead: do you believe this to be true? See now, with me, once again, the multitudes coming against Jesus, wanting to eliminate him, despite the miracles and wonders he performed.
Are you, one of the multitude?
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