He went by the name of Malchus. And, as far as I can tell, the miracle he experienced is only mentioned once in the Gospel of Luke. "While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"
When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him (Luke 22:47-51)." The healing of Malchus' ear is captured beautifully in Mel Gibson's 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ. It focused on Malchus as he held his ear in astonishment as he realized what had just happened to him. One can only imagine what was going through his mind as he searched for answers to his questions. The pain of a severed ear followed by the exact opposite relief of an ear restored. And besides the obvious question of "What just happened?" is the equally baffling question, "Who is this that healed my ear?"
Most of us glance by this miracle in the pages of Scripture. After all, Jesus did much more noteworthy miracles like walking on water, exorcising demons, healing the sick and raising the dead. What is the restoration of an ear in comparison to all these other miracles? But, to Malchus it could have been the difference between life and death. I don't mean the physical death he escaped from the sword only striking his ear instead of landing flush on his skull. I mean the difference between eternal life and eternal death. The Bible doesn't record what became of Malchus, but I wouldn't be surprised to meet him in heaven one day. You may ask how I can make such a huge assumption with basically no evidence? My only evidence is my own life experience. No miracle is greater than the miracle of new birth. However, I remember all the small "miracles," or encounters with God, that either led me to faith in Christ or helped establish the foundation for my faith after being saved. There were the two potential DUIs I avoided. The numerous times I was driving under the influence of alcohol and didn't fall asleep behind the wheel, wreck, strike someone or get pulled over. And countless other times that God protected me from the wages of my sin to varying degrees. I am sure all of you can attest to similar miracles in your life few people know about or that you have forgotten even took place.
Malchus is emblematic of all of us prior to salvation. "For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life (Romans 5:10)!" Malchus was an enemy of God. Coming to arrest Jesus would make you His enemy,but he was already an enemy of God. Prior to salvation we are all enemies of God, dead to Him in sin, living to please ourselves. We all have a testimony of the circumstances surrounding us coming to faith in Jesus Christ. No doubt they are full of miracles, large and small, that as a whole led us to Christ. They may not all be as dramatic as a miraculous healing, like that experienced by Malchus, but they were no less significant in turning us to our Lord. And sometimes it has to be that way. Often times we can hear or read about others as they testify of what happened in their lives that stopped them in their tracks and turned them to Christ. But, until we have our own experience, the experience of others is not always enough to make us recognize our need for a Savior. Just look at the Pharisees of Jesus' time. They were eyewitnesses to the miracles Jesus performed. Their response was not to accept Him as their Savior, but rather plotting to kill Him. Yet we do have an example of a Pharisee that experienced a miracle that changed his life for eternity.
In Acts 9 we have the conversion of Paul. He is on his way to persecute Christians when, out of nowhere, "a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me (Acts 9:3-4)?" Paul had a conversion experience unlike any other I have ever heard or read about. And the rest is, as they say, history. Paul's miracle encounter with the Lord was just what He needed to turn Him to Christ. Malchus losing an ear, and then having it restored by the Lord, may have been the miracle he needed to turn him around and to the Lord. My "miracles" were more subtle, but just as powerful and necessary to get me to realize my need for a Savior. God knows exactly what we need, when we need it and where we need it in order to strip us down to the point we realize our need for Jesus. Our responsibility is to respond to the Lord. Paul did. I did. Maybe you did or you will some day. And maybe Malchus did as well. While the miracle of Malchus is glossed over, and forgotten, by many Christians and readers of the Bible, I am sure it was never forgotten by Malchus. While he went to lead Jesus to His death, Jesus gave Him something that may have led Malchus to his life. The world may not know, or just might forget, our miracles. But, God knows what He did for us and we certainly will never forget.
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