That You May Know - Pt 19

While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. (Luke 22:47-51 ESV).

Our reading gives us the account of a miracle Jesus performed the night he was arrested. This story is told in all four gospels with various details added to each account. This is the only account where it names Peter as the one who wielded his sword. In Luke, after Peter cuts off the servant's ear, Jesus touches the man and heals him. Don’t forget that Luke was a physician and certainly would have paid close attention to the detail of a man’s ear being cut off! It is a clear revelation of the depth of compassion Jesus had for all people. After all, this man was there as the representative of the high priest. He was an enemy. Yet Jesus restored him. As usual Peter is all over the place. Cutting off ears in one instance and hiding by the fire in the next. I am sure Jesus appreciated Peter's loyalty, however, in this moment he rebukes him and tells him to put back his sword. In the passage Jesus also says that his kingdom is not of this world. If in fact he needed some help he could call down a legion of angels to deliver himself. But Jesus' calling was to submit to the authorities not overthrow them. It was all part of God's plan. Peter wanted to bring in the kingdom by force and Jesus says to Peter, "There is another way." Using force to bring in Christianity has rarely if ever worked well in the history of the church. This requires reliance on human means not divine power. This was one of the reasons Luther did not fight the authorities during the Reformation. Some of his more zealous followers wanted to start wars against the Romans, but Luther left it to God to justify the cause of the Reformation. For Jesus this meant allowing the Jews and the Romans to bring him to the cross. He could have stopped it at anytime, but allowed God to show his power in his time and brought about the salvation of the world through it. We are called to do the same and allow God to justify our cause. The compassion of Jesus, reflected through our daily lives is the real methodology of missions and ministry. I’m afraid we have strayed far from this practice in our divided, combative culture. Recapture the compassion of Christ. Change can happen, but only through the Holy Spirit!