Have you ever felt like you were caught in the middle? Maybe it was a situation you had no control over, but suddenly you were responsible for fixing what was broken. Or maybe it was something that could not fixed. Something that happened to you for no fault of your own and you were stuck to pick up the pieces.
If that’s you, you’re not alone. There is a man in the bible who knew exactly what that felt like. His name was, “Malchus.” You may not be familiar with him as his name is only mentioned once, but you’ll probably remember his story. He is the man whose ear was cut off in the garden of Gethsemene. Malchus was not exactly a gladiator looking to start a war. He was a temple slave; a servant to the high priest. Why did he get his ear cut off? Simply because he was standing on the wrong side.
Malchus found himself caught in the middle of two factions. One wanting to take Jesus’ life. The other ready to defend Jesus with their own lives.
Politics.
Drama.
Tension.
One slave.
One Savior.
Peter, the most zealous of all the disciples, was ready for action and a little trigger-happy to boot. At the first sign of trouble, he attacked. It wasn’t exactly the most strategic battle maneuver of his career. Perhaps if he had hit one of the Pharisees or officers he might have started a bloody battle, but as it was, it seemed that no one even flinched. Nobody cared about the slave. No one except the One.
Jesus, knowing that His time was approaching, took the time to notice Malchus. Jesus healed his ear. He undid the damage that was done to a man who only has one mention of his name in the entire bible.
Maybe you are caught in the middle of a situation right now. Something that only your Savior knows. May the story of Malchus encourage you to take heart. He sees you. He knows your name and He will heal that which is broken.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. – Psalm 147:3
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