Cutting Off Ears For Jesus
John 18:10-11:
10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11Jesus commanded Peter,*“Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
Luke 22:49-51
49When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?”*50And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
51But Jesus answered,*“No more of this!”*And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
Matthew 26:50-54
50Jesus replied,*“Friend, do what you came for.”d
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.*51With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
52“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him,*“for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.*53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?*54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
Many of us laugh at the things Peter did. Slicing off the ear of the servant of the high priest..,. why did he do that? Peter did love Jesus. He really did. Even though we see in his confession that when Jesus asked him three times “Do you love me?”, the original language shows that Peter's love fell short, Peter nonetheless loved Jesus. In his flesh he did what he thought was to protect Jesus, even though Jesus told him and the other disciples that He had to go to the cross.
Sadly this same thing happens today. So many in these forums “slice off ears” for Jesus. They say that Jesus was offensive, and that they must be offensive also. What they do not see is that Jesus was offensive to people who ironically thought they were God's teachers and messengers. The scribes and Pharisees especially caught the ire of Jesus. In Evangelicalism today,
where we believe “the fundamentals of the faith” and know that we should be reaching out to the lost... We so often become just like these Pharisees and scribes. We bash non believers with “you are going to hell...” so offensively that they don't stay around to hear the good news. We bash each other with our own particular brand of theology. We make this life of Christ a list of Do this & Don't do that when talking with others. God gave us one mouth and two ears, and yet we don't stop to listen to one another. Isaiah talked about this roughly 700 years before Jesus in Isaiah 28: 9-13:
9“Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
10For it is:
Do and do, do and do,
rule on rule, rule on rulea;
a little here, a little there.”
11Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,
12to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13So then, the word of the*Lord*to them will become:
Do and do, do and do,
rule on rule, rule on rule;
a little here, a little there—
so that they will go and fall backward,
be injured and snared and captured
Isaiah was not only speaking of those in his day, but he was prophesying about how things would be when Jesus came the first time. So sadly, these words can describe many of us today. It is apparent in a clear reading of the gospels that Jesus preached law to those who still looked to the law for justification. If you look at those who clearly came to Jesus, Jesus would say things like “This day I am going to dine with you (The story of Zacheus) or by saying literally “I am” (proclaiming Himself as Messiah) to the woman at the well. When you make the word of God a sword to cut others with, or a club to beat your fellow servants with, you are doing just as the scribes & Pharisees did in the days when Jesus walked the earth. In second Corinthians 3:6 Paul states:
“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
We do not have to coerce each other to do what is right, because no matter how often you say “well that's what the Bible says”. Paul clearly states in first Thessalonians 5:11:
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Are we in fact building each other up with our words, or are we tearing one another down? Does the lost world rightly say “If that is how Christians treat us and each other, I want no part of it”? If you come into these forums with an “I speak from Sinai” attitude, that is pride. If being right is more important than loving, you are working out of fleshly pride, and I ask you this question. How does that honor Jesus?
If we are cutting off ears for Jesus with the sword of the word, how do we expect others to hear us?Are our words speaking life or speaking death into people?
I thought about this and prayed about this a long time before writing it. I am reading the words I have typed, for they apply to me first. Jesus said in John 13:34 & 35 that if we love one another AS He loved us, the whole world will know we are His disciples. How did Jesus love us? Did He come with words of condemnation for the humble? Did he have a one size fits all answer that you can type up and put in a forum? Or did He meet people where they were? Did Jesus throw stones, or did He rescue those about to be stoned? God bless you. I love you, and I hope this will bless you and give us all thought about speaking life from a heart of love. I will leave you with Chapter 13 of first Corinthians and 1st John 4:8. In first Corinthians 13 we actually see what love looks like (in verses 4-8). We also see that our gifting is worthless without love as shown the way it is explained in verses 4-8.
1If I speak in the tonguesa*of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.*2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.*3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,b*but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.*5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.*6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.*7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.*9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,*10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.*11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.*12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Finally.. the warning John gave all of those who do not love in first John 4:8:
8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Again, God bless you. Let us endeavor to show the world that we are indeed the disciples of Jesus...
by loving as Jesus did.
John 18:10-11:
10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11Jesus commanded Peter,*“Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
Luke 22:49-51
49When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?”*50And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
51But Jesus answered,*“No more of this!”*And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
Matthew 26:50-54
50Jesus replied,*“Friend, do what you came for.”d
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.*51With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.
52“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him,*“for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.*53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?*54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”
Many of us laugh at the things Peter did. Slicing off the ear of the servant of the high priest..,. why did he do that? Peter did love Jesus. He really did. Even though we see in his confession that when Jesus asked him three times “Do you love me?”, the original language shows that Peter's love fell short, Peter nonetheless loved Jesus. In his flesh he did what he thought was to protect Jesus, even though Jesus told him and the other disciples that He had to go to the cross.
Sadly this same thing happens today. So many in these forums “slice off ears” for Jesus. They say that Jesus was offensive, and that they must be offensive also. What they do not see is that Jesus was offensive to people who ironically thought they were God's teachers and messengers. The scribes and Pharisees especially caught the ire of Jesus. In Evangelicalism today,
where we believe “the fundamentals of the faith” and know that we should be reaching out to the lost... We so often become just like these Pharisees and scribes. We bash non believers with “you are going to hell...” so offensively that they don't stay around to hear the good news. We bash each other with our own particular brand of theology. We make this life of Christ a list of Do this & Don't do that when talking with others. God gave us one mouth and two ears, and yet we don't stop to listen to one another. Isaiah talked about this roughly 700 years before Jesus in Isaiah 28: 9-13:
9“Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
10For it is:
Do and do, do and do,
rule on rule, rule on rulea;
a little here, a little there.”
11Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,
12to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13So then, the word of the*Lord*to them will become:
Do and do, do and do,
rule on rule, rule on rule;
a little here, a little there—
so that they will go and fall backward,
be injured and snared and captured
Isaiah was not only speaking of those in his day, but he was prophesying about how things would be when Jesus came the first time. So sadly, these words can describe many of us today. It is apparent in a clear reading of the gospels that Jesus preached law to those who still looked to the law for justification. If you look at those who clearly came to Jesus, Jesus would say things like “This day I am going to dine with you (The story of Zacheus) or by saying literally “I am” (proclaiming Himself as Messiah) to the woman at the well. When you make the word of God a sword to cut others with, or a club to beat your fellow servants with, you are doing just as the scribes & Pharisees did in the days when Jesus walked the earth. In second Corinthians 3:6 Paul states:
“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
We do not have to coerce each other to do what is right, because no matter how often you say “well that's what the Bible says”. Paul clearly states in first Thessalonians 5:11:
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
Are we in fact building each other up with our words, or are we tearing one another down? Does the lost world rightly say “If that is how Christians treat us and each other, I want no part of it”? If you come into these forums with an “I speak from Sinai” attitude, that is pride. If being right is more important than loving, you are working out of fleshly pride, and I ask you this question. How does that honor Jesus?
If we are cutting off ears for Jesus with the sword of the word, how do we expect others to hear us?Are our words speaking life or speaking death into people?
I thought about this and prayed about this a long time before writing it. I am reading the words I have typed, for they apply to me first. Jesus said in John 13:34 & 35 that if we love one another AS He loved us, the whole world will know we are His disciples. How did Jesus love us? Did He come with words of condemnation for the humble? Did he have a one size fits all answer that you can type up and put in a forum? Or did He meet people where they were? Did Jesus throw stones, or did He rescue those about to be stoned? God bless you. I love you, and I hope this will bless you and give us all thought about speaking life from a heart of love. I will leave you with Chapter 13 of first Corinthians and 1st John 4:8. In first Corinthians 13 we actually see what love looks like (in verses 4-8). We also see that our gifting is worthless without love as shown the way it is explained in verses 4-8.
1If I speak in the tonguesa*of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.*2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.*3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,b*but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.*5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.*6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.*7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.*9For we know in part and we prophesy in part,*10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.*11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.*12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Finally.. the warning John gave all of those who do not love in first John 4:8:
8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Again, God bless you. Let us endeavor to show the world that we are indeed the disciples of Jesus...
by loving as Jesus did.
