Malchus Miracle
This morning I was reading in John 18 when I came to this verse:
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a
sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his
right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus.
sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his
right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus.
I’ve read this passage and verse many times before, but for some reason today, I was struck my John’s inclusion of the name of the high priest’s servant. Malchus is not mentioned anywhere else by name in the Bible. The fact that John included his name seems to imply that John may have known Malchus. I wonder if they became friends after this meeting in the garden. I have to imagine that Malchus’ perspective on Jesus and his followers changed significantly after this event.
I wonder if he held bitterness towards Peter for whacking off his ear. (I think Peter’s actions reflect the damage that can be done by Christians when they react without thinking things through. I’m sure Peter’s intentions were good, but ….) It’s interesting to realize that despite Peter’s actions, Malchus may actually have come to know Christ in a new way. After all, he may never have had the first hand experience of Christ’s miraculous healing (of his ear) if it were not for Peter’s hasty action. Looking at it from this perspective, it’s comforting to know that God can take my best intentions gone wrong and still allow life change to happen.
Just some thoughts…