Monday, March 18, 2013
John 18:10-11 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
HE SAVES US FROM OURSELVES
When Jesus' enemies placed him under arrest, we are told that Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant. But do you think he was really trying to cut off the man's ear? Remember that Peter was a fisherman and perhaps not so used to brandishing this sort of weapon. I wonder if Peter wasn't trying for the man's head--and just missed his mark.
Whether he was trying to kill Malchus or not, it's a good thing he didn't. Imagine the hot water he would have been in if he had taken the life of the high priest's servant. Peter might have quickly found himself being nailed to a cross right beside his Master.
But Jesus touched the man's ear and healed it, at the same time saving Peter from the consequences of his own folly, his own rash anger, his own sin.
How often doesn't Jesus do the same for us? We have all been in Peter's place. We have lashed out in anger, fear, or hatred. We have struck without thinking, sometimes without even realizing to what degree we might be bringing trouble on ourselves by our actions. But as He did with Peter, our loving Savior steps in and, no doubt more frequently than we ever know, reaches out His hand and shields us from the consequences of our own careless sins.
What a Lord we have who can protect us from ourselves, even from our own stupidity! And His love for us is so great that He goes even further than that by defending us from the *eternal* trouble we deserve for our guilt. He guards us from hell itself by shedding His own blood, giving up His own life in our place as an offering to His Heavenly Father. "He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).
