HEALING THE EAR OF MALCHUS.
We come now to the last miracle that Jesus did before His crucifixion, and with that I shall finish my description of them. But you must not suppose, my dear children, that I have told you all, or nearly all, the miracles He performed.
The crucifixion itself was marked by miracles: darkness overspread the land; the veil, or curtain, which hung before the sanctuary in the temple, was rent in two; an earthquake tore asunder rocks and opened graves; but all these were signs and wonders sent by God: they hardly can be classed among the miracles performed by Christ Himself.
Our Saviour’s last miracle, then, which I am going to tell you of to-day, took place at the time of His seizure by the soldiers and people the night before the crucifixion. I have already told you, my children, the sad story of our Saviour’s trial and crucifixion: I have told you how He was arrested during the night in the place called the garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of Mount Olivet, just outside Jerusalem. He was there with several of His disciples, and was praying—perhaps for those who He knew were about to inflict upon Him the suffering of a cruel death—when some soldiers and a crowd of people, led by the traitor Judas, approached. What followed is thus described by St. John:—
“Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth, and said unto them, ‘Whom seek ye?’ They answered Him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus saith unto them, ‘I am he.’ And Judas also, which betrayed Him, stood with them. As soon, then, as He had said unto them, ‘I am he,’ they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked He them again, ‘Whom seek ye?’ And they said, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way.’”
You see even at that moment Christ thought of the safety of His disciples, and in saying, “let these go their way,” He was requesting that they might not be arrested with Him. When He advanced towards the soldiers and people saying, “I am he,” they were at first so impressed with the composure and majesty of His Divine presence, that they started back, and fell prostrate; or, as St. John says, “fell to the ground.” This impression, however, passed quickly away; and, urged on, we may suppose, by the priests and Pharisees who were with them, they kept to their purpose of arresting Christ. The miracle which Jesus then did is thus related by St. Luke:—
“When they which were about Him saw what would follow, they said unto Him, ‘Lord, shall we smite with the sword?’ And one of them smote the servant of the High Priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, ‘Suffer ye thus far.’ And He touched his ear, and healed him.”
Peter was the disciple, as we learn from the other evangelists, who cut off this man’s ear, and the man’s name was Malchus. He was probably one of the most forward in rudely seizing Jesus: but when he was wounded, the compassion of the Saviour appeared. “Suffer ye thus far,” He cried amidst the strife. They were probably binding Him with cords, and He asked for a moment’s liberty, that He might touch and heal the wounded man.
A word of reproof was addressed at the same time to the rash disciple. Our Saviour reminded Peter how easily He could obtain the protection of legions of angels, if He wished for any protection or defence at all. “But how then,” said He, “shall the scriptures be fulfilled?” And He added:—“The cup which my Father hath given me to drink, shall I not drink it?” He would exert no power to help Himself, but He performed a miracle—His last miracle—to do good to an enemy. After this the disciples fled, and Jesus was conducted bound into Jerusalem.
We are surprised to find that this miracle did not produce any conviction of the Divine mission of our Saviour upon the minds of the priests, Pharisees, and others who witnessed it: We can only suppose that they had become familiar with miracles, and that those men whose interest or pride led them to oppose the teaching of Jesus, tried to persuade themselves that these miracles were not done through a power derived from God. Yet the character of the miracles ought to have removed the possibility of doubt. Christ exercised His power to do good to the suffering and afflicted: the sick were healed; the blind and deaf restored to sight and hearing; the dead brought back to life.
