And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.
At the arrest after Gethsemane when Judas betrayed Him to armed men, Peter cut off the ear of the high priest's servant, and Jesus commanded that no further violence be done while permitting Himself to be taken, then freed His held hands to touch the wound and make it instantly whole. In healing one of His captors instead of resisting them He displayed divine power used for mercy and care toward His enemies. Together with the prostrating of the mob before Him, the act proved He could have delivered Himself and had more than twelve legions of angels longing to disperse His captors. Yet He refused armed rescue, ordered the sword put away, and submitted to be bound and led away so the Scriptures would be fulfilled. His submission offended the disciples so that they forsook Him and fled in terror and despair, and Peter's hasty sword-stroke exposed an ardent but still unconverted zeal that only true repentance after his denial would transform.
Arrest Setting and Healing
The verse belongs to the arrest after the agony in Gethsemane, when armed men seized Him following that agony. Judas, one of His own disciples, betrayed Him into that arrest. The arrest stood as part of the coming betrayal, agony, condemnation, humiliation and death.
At that arrest a disciple struck with a sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant. That disciple was Peter. The wounded man was the servant of the high priest, struck in the midst of the attempt to take Jesus by force.
His command to permit matters to go this far stopped further violence by allowing what had happened to go no further. At the same time it permitted the arrest itself to proceed. He spoke it calmly to those holding Him, telling them to allow what was happening.
Though His hands were held by the Roman soldiers, He acted to heal. He released His hands from their hold and freed them for the work. He touched the wounded ear. He made it instantly whole at once.
Power in Willing Submission
Even with His hands held by the Roman soldiers, He freed them to touch the wounded ear of the high priest's servant and make it instantly whole at once. In stopping the violence that way He displayed both divine power and tender care for the injured man. He used His power not to resist arrest but to show mercy even to one among the arresting party and to His enemies.
That healing, together with the falling backward prostrate to the ground of those who came to take Him, proved that He had power to act and could have delivered Himself from the murderous mob and His captors. He could have escaped, or prayed to His Father for more than twelve legions of angels. The angels were animated with hope and longed to surround their Commander and disperse the mob, and the disciples knew He could deliver Himself.
Yet He deliberately refused armed rescue and made no effort to deliver Himself. He commanded the sword to be put away and chose to submit to be taken and bound and led away. He did so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled that thus it must be, accepting the suffering this required.
Lessons for Followers
His refusal to make any effort to deliver Himself and His submission to being taken and bound instead offended the disciples, who could not understand His submission and blamed Him for not acting with power to save Himself from humiliation to Himself and to them. Though the instant healing of the servant's ear, together with the prostrating to the ground of those who came to take Him, proved He could have delivered Himself from the murderous mob, and the disciples knew this, they were mortified and terror-stricken at His conduct and forsook Him and fled. When the mob that had fallen backward rose and surrounded Him again the disciples still hoped for deliverance, and after Peter cut off the ear He commanded the sword to be put away and yielded Himself to be led away to His enemies. He declared He could pray to His Father for more than twelve legions of angels, and the angels were animated with hope and longed to surround their Commander and disperse the mob, yet sorrow returned when He added that the Scriptures must be fulfilled that thus it must be, and the disciples sank into despair and bitter disappointment. This desertion had been foretold when He said the hour would come when they would be scattered and leave Him alone, yet He would not be alone because the Father was with Him.
He knew the coming trial of betrayal, agony in Gethsemane, condemnation, humiliation and death, and therefore deliberately brought on an earlier easily misunderstood crisis that sifted out unbelieving and weak, undecided followers while He was still present to comfort and strengthen the chosen twelve. This was so that when their Lord was betrayed and condemned in the Judgment Hall, humiliated, hissed at and reviled by the multitude that had hailed Him as king, scorned on the way to the cross and deserted by professed friends, the faithful would not be overwhelmed with surprise. When the cruel jeering crowd cried Crucify him, they would not sink beneath fear and disappointment and grief and the ruin of their hopes, nor be carried away by the example of apostasy. Having already tested the inconstant favor of the world, they had learned not to hang faith on the opinions of others.
Peter's cutting off the high priest's servant's ear in Gethsemane was the outburst of an ardent, quick, zealous man who was still unconverted, showing that ardent zeal and bold assertions of willingness to suffer and die do not mean conversion. His hasty, quick temper brought him into trouble, destroyed his peace and happiness, and injured the cause he loved. True conversion came only afterward, after he denied his Lord with cursing and swearing, when Christ's look of sadness and grief broke his heart and led him to repent and be prepared to strengthen his brethren. Overcoming such hot, passionate temper requires the sanctifying influence of truth to make a man patient, refusing to open the mouth when temper rises, and praying and working earnestly and zealously with help from others. There is to be no discouragement if victory is not all at once, since the work is not done in a moment and eternal life is worth lifelong, persevering, untiring effort.
At the arrest after Gethsemane when Judas betrayed Him to armed men, Peter cut off the ear of the high priest's servant, and Jesus commanded that no further violence be done while permitting Himself to be taken, then freed His held hands to touch the wound and make it instantly whole. In healing one of His captors instead of resisting them He displayed divine power used for mercy and care toward His enemies. Together with the prostrating of the mob before Him, the act proved He could have delivered Himself and had more than twelve legions of angels longing to disperse His captors. Yet He refused armed rescue, ordered the sword put away, and submitted to be bound and led away so the Scriptures would be fulfilled. His submission offended the disciples so that they forsook Him and fled in terror and despair, and Peter's hasty sword-stroke exposed an ardent but still unconverted zeal that only true repentance after his denial would transform.
Arrest Setting and Healing
The verse belongs to the arrest after the agony in Gethsemane, when armed men seized Him following that agony. Judas, one of His own disciples, betrayed Him into that arrest. The arrest stood as part of the coming betrayal, agony, condemnation, humiliation and death.
At that arrest a disciple struck with a sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant. That disciple was Peter. The wounded man was the servant of the high priest, struck in the midst of the attempt to take Jesus by force.
His command to permit matters to go this far stopped further violence by allowing what had happened to go no further. At the same time it permitted the arrest itself to proceed. He spoke it calmly to those holding Him, telling them to allow what was happening.
Though His hands were held by the Roman soldiers, He acted to heal. He released His hands from their hold and freed them for the work. He touched the wounded ear. He made it instantly whole at once.
Power in Willing Submission
Even with His hands held by the Roman soldiers, He freed them to touch the wounded ear of the high priest's servant and make it instantly whole at once. In stopping the violence that way He displayed both divine power and tender care for the injured man. He used His power not to resist arrest but to show mercy even to one among the arresting party and to His enemies.
That healing, together with the falling backward prostrate to the ground of those who came to take Him, proved that He had power to act and could have delivered Himself from the murderous mob and His captors. He could have escaped, or prayed to His Father for more than twelve legions of angels. The angels were animated with hope and longed to surround their Commander and disperse the mob, and the disciples knew He could deliver Himself.
Yet He deliberately refused armed rescue and made no effort to deliver Himself. He commanded the sword to be put away and chose to submit to be taken and bound and led away. He did so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled that thus it must be, accepting the suffering this required.
Lessons for Followers
His refusal to make any effort to deliver Himself and His submission to being taken and bound instead offended the disciples, who could not understand His submission and blamed Him for not acting with power to save Himself from humiliation to Himself and to them. Though the instant healing of the servant's ear, together with the prostrating to the ground of those who came to take Him, proved He could have delivered Himself from the murderous mob, and the disciples knew this, they were mortified and terror-stricken at His conduct and forsook Him and fled. When the mob that had fallen backward rose and surrounded Him again the disciples still hoped for deliverance, and after Peter cut off the ear He commanded the sword to be put away and yielded Himself to be led away to His enemies. He declared He could pray to His Father for more than twelve legions of angels, and the angels were animated with hope and longed to surround their Commander and disperse the mob, yet sorrow returned when He added that the Scriptures must be fulfilled that thus it must be, and the disciples sank into despair and bitter disappointment. This desertion had been foretold when He said the hour would come when they would be scattered and leave Him alone, yet He would not be alone because the Father was with Him.
He knew the coming trial of betrayal, agony in Gethsemane, condemnation, humiliation and death, and therefore deliberately brought on an earlier easily misunderstood crisis that sifted out unbelieving and weak, undecided followers while He was still present to comfort and strengthen the chosen twelve. This was so that when their Lord was betrayed and condemned in the Judgment Hall, humiliated, hissed at and reviled by the multitude that had hailed Him as king, scorned on the way to the cross and deserted by professed friends, the faithful would not be overwhelmed with surprise. When the cruel jeering crowd cried Crucify him, they would not sink beneath fear and disappointment and grief and the ruin of their hopes, nor be carried away by the example of apostasy. Having already tested the inconstant favor of the world, they had learned not to hang faith on the opinions of others.
Peter's cutting off the high priest's servant's ear in Gethsemane was the outburst of an ardent, quick, zealous man who was still unconverted, showing that ardent zeal and bold assertions of willingness to suffer and die do not mean conversion. His hasty, quick temper brought him into trouble, destroyed his peace and happiness, and injured the cause he loved. True conversion came only afterward, after he denied his Lord with cursing and swearing, when Christ's look of sadness and grief broke his heart and led him to repent and be prepared to strengthen his brethren. Overcoming such hot, passionate temper requires the sanctifying influence of truth to make a man patient, refusing to open the mouth when temper rises, and praying and working earnestly and zealously with help from others. There is to be no discouragement if victory is not all at once, since the work is not done in a moment and eternal life is worth lifelong, persevering, untiring effort.