Jesus' 'I AM' Power and the Healing of Malchus

We are picking up from yesterday’s reflections on the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. When the Roman soldiers and the high priest’s servants said they were seeking Jesus, the Lord responded using the divine name in Greek, the name of God, "I AM" (egō eimi). Some of you have the phrase "I am he" in the text, but the word “He” is absent from the original Greek and was added by the translators to make the statement clearer in English. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus repeatedly adding the name of God to different aspects of His identity. I am the Gate; I am the Good Shepherd; I am the Light of the World; I am the Way, etc. When He spoke these words, supernatural power flowed from Him, causing the soldiers to fall to the ground. The Lord demonstrated that He would not be captured but willingly allowed Himself to be taken.

John the Apostle tells us that Peter reacted with a sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant (John 18:10). Peter risked a fight at this moment, but the Lord intervened and gently reminded His disciples to put away the sword, telling Peter that it must be this way and that He had to drink a cup of suffering to take away sin for all people. Why didn’t the 450-600 men attack Peter and the disciples? It seems that the Lord's presence unsettled the soldiers, especially after the Lord put all the soldiers on their backs (John 18:6). Luke writes that Jesus reached out and touched Malchus' ear. Miraculously, it grew back: “But Jesus answered, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched the man’s ear and healed him” (Luke 22:51). The healing was immediate, a miraculous act right at the tense moment. There was no searching in the darkness for the lost ear, nor any need for a bandage. I wonder if Malchus found the cut-off ear after they arrested Jesus.

In Matthew's account, Jesus told them to put up their swords and that it must be this way:

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?" (Matthew 26:53-54).

Christ was in control at every moment. He didn't run away; instead, Jesus faced the armed soldiers. We might not always know what will happen when we say, "Your will be done," but there is a peace that surpasses all understanding when our lives and will are entrusted to God. Many of you are at the crossroads of Gethsemane. The key question is whether to submit to God's will: will you surrender to His purpose for your life? Will you lay down your will and place your life in His hands? God's Word reminds us that we must:

...fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2).

What was the joy set before Christ? I suggest that Jesus saw the future outcome of His substitutionary sacrifice in the lives of many who respond to Him. He saw your deliverance from sin's power and your joy at His return, and He was filled with joy at the thought.

Prayer: Thank you for the choice you made in Gethsemane, Lord. Help us place our will and lives into Your hands and trust You. Amen. Keith Thomas.

The video teaching on Jesus in Gethsemane is one of 64 YouTube videos. Here’s the link to it: https://youtu.be/GLBuK6QlBnU

The complete written Study 60 in Luke is at the following link: Jesus at Gethsemane.

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