John 17, 18 --- The Zeal of Peter --- Day 9

John 18:10: Then 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.

In reading this passage, my heart is immediately drawn to several areas. One of which is the matter in which Jesus prays for his believers to come, a prayer that applies to us today. The other is the sanctification of Christ so that his followers can be sanctified, or "set apart for sacred use, made holy". There is so much identity and grace wrapped up in that, it's unfathomable.

However, I am incredibly fascinated by the contrast of Peter's actions in these chapters. Scene 1: the garden. Jesus is surrounded by guards and religious leaders possessing deadly intentions, and is about to be arrested and taken away. Gung-ho Simon "The Rock" Peter enters stage right, sword drawn, and swings away.

Peter is so passionate (and impulsive) that he takes it upon himself to defend the Jesus Christ the Lord. Stand back, God, I got this.

I feel like a couple of things are noteworthy. Not too long before this, Peter adamantly proclaimed that he would lay down his life for Christ (13:37). Christ replies by informing Peter that he will be denying Jesus three times. I imagine this stuck with Peter, as it wouldn't be easy to hear. I believe this impulsive ear-chopping was not as much protective in nature as it was an effort to prove himself to Jesus. By attacking the high priest's servant in front of the Jews and the guards, surely Peter would've been arrested, tried, and punished. Why else would Peter only go for the ear? If he was close enough to wack-an-ear, I would bet that it would've been just as easy to kill Malchus had he meant to. Thus I don't think protection was the point. Plus, what threat did a high priest's servant have to Jesus compared to armed guards and religious authorities? Even in Peter's zeal, he continues to have ups and downs. Yet, Christ named him the Rock, the pillar of the church.

Scene 2: So, Jesus rebukes Peter's action (and miraculously heals Malchus, as described in Luke 22. Later in this passage, Peter will indeed deny Christ three times. Even later still (post death and resurrection), Peter will be reinstated by Christ in a three-step process. He would later further fulfill his role in the book of Acts as a power hitter in the early church.

I relate to Peter in more ways than I realize. When facing a challenge, I think it's incredibly easy to jump at it headfirst and say "step back, God, I've got this". But are my intentions always pure? Or am I prone to the impure motive of proving myself, only to be humbled in conviction?

In my position of leadership, there are lots of expectations I place on myself. This passage reminds me that it is not my motive or intentions that are worthy of zeal, but Christ's alone. In order to reflect this, I must surrender my self-expectations and motives and offer my zeal up to Christ.

Father, thanks for lessons of humility. I pray that this one sticks well to my soul, and that I be reminded frequently that self-seeking motives remove me from doing your work.