Afterlives, Chapter 4

For Michelle

He Who Has Ears…

In the Garden of Gethsemane there was an altercation at the arrest of Jesus. In defense of the Lord, Simon Peter drew his sword and cut off the right ear of one of the temple guards who served the High Priest. All gospels report this but only John names the two men in the scene: Simon Peter and Malchus. (John 18:10) Only Luke, the physician, records that Jesus picked up the severed appendage and reattached it to the official’s head. (Luke 22:51) So why Peter? Some say that the disciple always carried a small, sharp weapon hidden under his robe…just in case. Some also say that impulsive Peter became enraged and aimed to kill the guard, but that the blow missed and just took the ear. The subsequent healing is what I want to focus on.

But why his ear? Jesus healed blind eyes, deaf ears, leper’s sores, and crippled legs, but nowhere else does He reattach a severed limb. One of the accounts of this garden encounter says that when asked by the authorities if He was Jesus of Nazareth, He answered, “I Am.” When He spoke these words, the whole posse fell to the ground. (John 18:6) Maybe Peter took the opportunity to strike Malchus while he was down. We don’t know and it probably doesn’t matter in this case.

What we can only imagine is that Malchus’ hearing was changed—maybe becoming supernaturally acute from that point on. The phrase spoken by Jesus “The one who has ears to hear, let him hear” is recorded in the three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). This would take on a new meaning for someone like Malchus. Do you think he became a believer then? Maybe while Jesus was being tried and executed, he watched the proceedings and had a revelation that this Man is who God had been promising all along. Of course, we don’t know, but the idea that his ear had been healed makes me believe that Malchus became not only a believer, but a student of the Word, and a witness to others. I also love to think that Jesus is speaking to me (and you) saying we need to be hearing and listening to the right voices, being diligent in seeking what He is saying now. According to the Parable of the Sower and the Seed, this is the real way to know Him.

“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and virtuous heart, and hold it firmly, and produce fruit with perseverance.” (Luke 8:15)