Today is Good Friday. Believers across the world will be uniting to remember the day Jesus was arrested,
hung on a cross and died. Regardless of your faith, humor me for a moment to think about one man. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden one of the guards had a little mishap. Simon Peter, who is known for acting first and thinking after, tried to prevent the arrest of Jesus. He drew his sword and cut off the soldiers ear. I want to ponder on that soldier for a moment. His name was Malchus.
Malchus was doing his job like any other day and then Simon Peter lashes out. Blood starts gushing from his head. The sword has sliced his ear clean off. He clutches at his head to stop the bleeding and drops to one knee. Blood is pouring, soaking his cloak. He begins to wobble, blackness is engulfing him. But then his world is changed.
The pain and darkness are replaced by a warm hand. The color comes back to his face. The fog of pain is removed and then the ear is attached. He was healed. Let that sink in. Healed. Coming from the darkness of pain to look into the eyes of Jesus. What must he have felt? What must he have thought? One moment he was close to death. The next he was close to Jesus.
We don’t know much more about him, other than what was written Luke 22:49-51. He was mentioned in all 4 of the gospels but only John gives us his name. We don’t find out what happened after that. He was swallowed up by the night and the unfolding of events that followed. However, we do know in the thick of the action, he was there. I would love to know the rest of his story. And what a story he must have had to share! Did people believe him? How was his life changed? How did his life change?
He is but one of the many names that are mentioned briefly in the Bible. One of many whom we never find the rest of the story. One of the many who was changed by God. One day we will be able to find out the rest of his story!
Happy Good Friday!
Malchus was doing his job like any other day , very dangerous grounds you are walking there if i may say Tracy , That was exact the same defense at Nuremberg trials that the soldiers offered , JUST following orders and JUST doing their job . No in this time and age we should know more and better , soldiers duty is to disobey orders that he deem unlawful and unethical , at least that was one of the first things that they drilled me in the army , even before how to march .
In this day and age for sure. But in the time frame of Malchus it says he was a soldier but some translations also call him a slave. To disobey would mean death for him. I am so glad today’s army teaches to stand your ground if it is unethical! I did not know you were in the army. THANK YOU for your service!
Forgot to add Happy Good Friday!
Great story
Happy Easter day !
Nice story , can’t remember that i heard it before
Great story , didn’t heard that before , thanks for sharing with us