Luke 22:49-53 49And when those who were around him saw what would happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” 50And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51But answering, Jesus said, “Leave this alone!” And touching his ear he healed him. 52Then Jesus said to those who had come against him, the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a robber? 53When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me, but this is your hour and the power of darkness.”
The disciples turned to panic mode when they saw all the official looking people coming after Jesus. They had misunderstood Jesus’ mention of a sword in verse 36. They thought a sword is for fighting and not cutting one’s meat for dinner. Luke keeps verse 49 generic, with the whole group acting together, though the subject could refer back to the two that had swords from verse 38. Luke does not give a name of who cut off the the ear of the high priest’s servant, but we learn the person was Peter in John 18:10, and the servant’s name was Malchus. Luke would have added the name, if he knew it, that would have enhanced Peter’s betrayal later, but it is likely that Luke did not know who did this because he typically is precise in these matters in his writings. What is more evident in this account of the scene is that the disciples were spiritually unprepared for Jesus’ arrest because they had not prayed through as Jesus had. They were relying on their own interpretation of what they saw and not on God’s purpose.
Jesus intervened in the growing crisis. Things could have quickly gotten out of hand with hyper-sensitive disciples and purpose-driven officials. He told the disciples to stop; this was not the time or place. He would go willingly to his suffering, not fighting or putting up a resistance. By healing the servant’s ear, he was both calming the situation and also showing his power and innocence to everyone present. The healing should have been enough to send the crowd back home for the night, but they were blinded by their hatred and desire to get rid of Jesus.
Verse 52 finally gives us the details of who was in this crowd. The list is extensive as far as the religious leaders of the time. These were the people trying to kill Jesus, and they had finally succeeded in cornering him without the crowds around them. They could sneak into the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives in the middle of the night so no one would know. Jesus’ response to them hints at their misguided motives. They came as if Jesus was some kind of dangerous criminal. They could have arrested him anytime that week when he was in the temple course, but they were more afraid of the people there than they were of God’s power evident in Jesus. They were basically cowards and feared people more than they feared God.
The time had come for Jesus’ suffering to begin. The religious leaders thought they were doing good by getting rid of Jesus, but they were only part of a bigger scheme that included the forces of spiritual darkness. Luke ends this scene abruptly without the details found in Matthew and Luke. He seems to be more focused on telling the story of Jesus as Savior and Redeemer than highlighting all the smaller details that add to the story. As readers, we are challenged to enter into the story and identify with some of the characters. We instinctively shout out the disciples that they are missing the point, but as we do this, we should realize that we are very much like them in our spiritual weakness. We try to handle situations on our own without seeing and seeking God’s greater purposes.
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