Day 16: Swords and Ears

3rd Saturday in Lent

Scripture: John 18:10-11

^{NRS 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. ¹¹ Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?"

Devotional: The negative effects of Peter’s impulsivity are usually reserved for him, but in today’s account it removes someone else’s ear. There was no mention of it at dinner, but Simon Peter has brought a sword to the garden. If we understand Luke correctly, there may have been a time when he carried more than one. A fisherman carrying a sword is a bit curious, but Peter was bold enough to use it.  This is our only account of Peter’s swordsmanship, so we are not sure if he swung for Malchus’ head but was so clumsy he only struck his ear or if he was so adept with the sword that he struck off the ear as a warning blow. Either way, Peter was ready to lay down his life fighting by Jesus’ side. The swing of the sword reveals his understanding of Messiah as warrior king. He has had his feet washed, been rebuked, walked on water and seen five loaves and two fish feed thousands. All evidence that Jesus was not the kind of Messiah he was expecting, yet he still clung to his old understanding of Messiah. It can be hard to let go of long held understandings even when we see direct evidence that they are incorrect. The good news is that Jesus patiently prods us towards a right understanding, just as He did with Peter. He told Peter to put up the sword because this arrest was the way of the Messiah rightly understood. The Messiah must suffer, die on a cross and rise again. Peter seemed willing to die fighting furiously in battle; but dying as a servant to all, without the glory, honor or esteem of the world didn’t sound quite as nice. As a final lesson, the suffering servant reached up and healed Malchus’ ear. There was merit to Peter’s claim about laying his life down as long as it was a warrior’s death. Dying a criminal’s death on a cross as a servant to the whole world did not have the same appeal. Peter was ready to die for personal glory, but he didn’t yet understand the cross was a good and glorious death. What about us? Do we see the glory of the cross? Does it inspire us to lay our life down? Are we looking for the personal glory of battle or are we willing to lay it down each and every day serving the broken like Mother Theresa?

Prayer: Father of warriors and Father of leper servants, today we seek Your face and ask that You help us lay our lives down in Your name in ways that bring glory to You and not ourselves. Amen.

Song of praise: By His Wounds performed by Mac Powell & Steven Curtis Chapman

                                                

Spiritual discipline challenge: Today we will employ service to confront our own mortality. Connect with and serve someone you know who has little time left on this earth.