What are your strengths? If we are not careful, if we do not surrender our strengths to Jesus, Satan will tempt us to turn those strengths into weaknesses.
Compassion – Fearful of offending
Self-confidence – Pride
Attractiveness – Immorality
Justice – Wrath
Observe that our text comes just after Peter brags about going to prison or to death with Jesus (ver. 33). But Jesus predicts that Peter will deny him three times!
Anton Chekhov was a Russian playwright who suggested that a writer should not introduce an item into the story line (like a gun) which he does not use later in the story in some way. This principle came to be called “Chekhov’s gun.” I think we have something working like that in this event…
THE TEST – 22:35-38:
There does not seem to be any indication in the text that Jesus would expect His apostles to understand that He was speaking metaphorically. They surely expected Jesus to use swords if He was going to be the Messiah that the Jews expected and hoped He would be.
WILL YOU LISTEN TO CHRIST OR NOT?
However, He tells them that it was “necessary” for Him to fulfill what had been prophesied by Isaiah the prophet (53:12), that He would be numbered among the lawless. In other words, Jesus would be arrested as a criminal. Would the apostles (Peter) trust the Word and allow Jesus to be arrested?
THE FAILURE – 22:47-51:
Peter drew his sword and cut off the right ear of the high priest’s slave, whom John identifies as Malchus (ver. 50; John 18:10). Peter had failed to control himself; he had a temptation before him to trust in the flesh and he failed the test. He did not heed the warning and message of Jesus (ver. 37).
WHAT IS GOING ON?
What is going on here? In my opinion, we have an example of Jesus testing the apostles’ trust in God’s prophesied word (Isaiah 53:12). When He is arrested, will they trust the Scriptures and allow Jesus to be “numbered with the lawless,” or will they react in the moment and use their swords to fight? At the same time, it will give Jesus an opportunity (Rom. 8:28) to take advantage of Peter’s weakness and heal the ear of Malchus’s servant (Luke 22:51).
By performing that last miracle before His arrest, Jesus sends a strong message to everyone involved:
1) To His apostles, He reminds them that the Father (and Jesus) have all these events under their control. His Kingdom is, in fact, a spiritual kingdom (Matt. 26:52). They should not fight physically for Him because it is necessary for Him to drink the “cup of God’s wrath” in the crucifixion (Luke 22:42).
2) Jesus sends a message to Malchus, the high priest, and the audience (including Judas!) that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah because He can perform miracles (Isa. 35:5-6; Luke 7:22-23).
3) Jesus sends a message to the Romans including Pilate that He will not fight against them. He is no insurrectionist. It is also likely that the miracle by Jesus kept Peter from being arrested.
Don’t let Satan twist your strengths into weaknesses. Submit your strengths to the Word of Jesus and allow Him to guide and strengthen you in all things.
Paul Holland
