At Your Worst
Peter cut off the ear of Malchus when he had come to arrest Jesus. But Jesus was quick to restore what was lost.
As the servant of the high priest Caiaphas, a Sadducee leading Jesus’ crucifixion, Malchus was on a mission to do evil. But as the Son of God, also the true High Priest, Jesus was eager to do good.
Jesus served Malchus with a love he had not witnessed in his earthly master. A love that rather gave life than destroyed it. A love that healed and restored a sinner.
Sadducees believed that when a body died, the human soul also died. They rejected resurrection and the afterlife. But Jesus came to die for the soul of humans. So when a soul believes that Jesus the Son of God is the only sacrifice for sins, it lives eternally. Little did Malchus know that he served a spiritually dead high priest, who led other souls, like his own, into eternal death.
Jesus’ miracle was deeper than the restoration of a dead ear to its original form and function. Jesus’ act of love towards Malchus was a powerful call for his soul to serve the Worthy High Priest— The Resurrection and Life!
What Malchus experienced during the night of his healing is beautiful. Malchus did not have to hunt for the Messiah’s arms and then battle his way into them. It was at his worst that the Messiah’s arms had come to him, touching him where he hurt, and healing him where he bled.
Love came to Malchus, when he least deserved it. Love restored what was lost, at his worst.
The Messiah offered, and still offers, unconditional love. Along with it, He offers the miracle of eternal life, restoration of the soul, the spirit of freedom, deliverance, and the power of the Holy Spirit to remain who God wants us to be— not servants of darkness, but children of the light.
Now, Jesus was not only Malchus’ Messiah. He was Peter’s too. He is the Messiah of all mankind walking in spiritual blindness— the result of serving the rotten fruit of darkness for far too long. It could be anything among being led by anger, malice, bitterness, impulsive acts of darkness, ego, evil thinking, ungodly emotions, and more such destructive works of the flesh. These are the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23.
You see, Jesus had a great calling for Peter— to be a fisher of men. When Peter wounded Malchus, a potential fish, Peter was doing the opposite of his calling. He was overcome with an ungodly defense mechanism which quickly hurt a soul. It’s because of a simple fact— despite serving his worthy Master, Peter, at the time, did not fully understand the value of a single soul.
In fact, Peter was going to be persecuted for his faith one day. But, he hadn’t yet witnessed what “sacrifice” was. He hadn’t yet seen Jesus die for himself who would betray Him. We see that night was a subtle start to the complete transformation of Peter’s character, soul, and spirit. At his worst, he was being molded into becoming more like Jesus. He was well within his preparation to serve the correct High Priest, to the very end of his life.
God’s most powerful work often begins in our worst failures. He reinforces His calling, oftentimes in the same impossible situation in which our weakness is manifested the most. The process of molding subtly begins. For the One who calls is faithful. He puts beauty into rough beginnings. He always finishes what He starts.
As children of God, as friends of the High Priest, and as witnesses of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are called to see the value of a single soul.
How precious is one soul to our Lord! In His death, He cared for the guard, the thief, His mother, His disciples, His persecutors, and even us. Jesus bore our sins on the cross, and offered forgiveness to the entire world.
Malchus couldn’t identify the Savior while setting out against him, but we have identified Him. Our redemption teaches us that we are of high value. It encourages us to see others in the same “light.”
The children of light lay down their swords, forgive, refrain from persecuting others, help others through trials, endure mockery, welcome back prodigals, pray for the faint, lift the fallen, and do not discriminate.
For the blood of the High Priest is the price paid for a single soul. Christ’s love was, is, and will always be the light at your worst. If you are children of this light, you too cannot help but shine it into impossible situations. You would be a transformed Peter, putting the sword away, dying to self, and faithful to the very end in acknowledging the Messiah. You will restore His healing and life unto many souls, at their worst.
Romans 5:10– If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life!
Additional Reference Verses: Hebrews 4:14-16, Ephesians 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:5, John 18:10, John 11:25, Luke 22:51.
