we were talking about the concept of Jesus' blood covering us like a blanket, and how God places our sins 'as far as the east is from the west' from us.
So he told the story of Luke's account of the Gethsamane arrest...
Malchus is described as a servant of the High Priest, but was probably more than 'just a servant'. He was a pretty important person, evidenced by the fact that he was at the forefront of the lynch mob which came to arrest Jesus.... striking this servant was the same thing as trying to kill the High Priest himself! It would have been viewed as capitol offense punishable by death. So when Peter swung his sword trying, I am convinced, to take off this dude's head... he had committed an offense which earned him a death sentence.
Until Jesus touched the officer's ear and made it whole.
as if the incident NEVER HAPPENED...
let that sink in for a minute
Jesus healed that man's ear immediately, and Peter's offense was evidently forgotten... completely and forever...as if Peter never took his sword out of its scabbard!
If THAT'S not a perfect picture of Jesus' greater work on the cross, I am not sure what is.
Jesus took our sins on Himself and paid the price (made the 'situation' whole).... as if our sins NEVER HAPPENED!
So, next time you slip up and mistreat someone or curse at the guy who cut you off in traffic or act in an unChristian way toward someone.... anytime you feel like you are too far gone or too lowly or too unimportant... remember Jesus' healing touch on Malchus' ear that night in the garden. Better yet, recall that dark day in a city dump outside Jerusalem, where Jesus took our sins on His sinless self.
that's life-changing power
if you can digest that, it will liberate you... and, for most of us, completely revolutionize the way we think about salvation and sanctification!
God Bless!
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