John 18:8-11 8Jesus answered, “I said to you that I am. Therefore, since you seek me, let these men go.” 9This was in order that the word might be fulfilled that he had spoken: “Those whom you have given me I have lost not one.” 10Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. And the name of the servant was Malchus. 11So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
Right at the beginning of his suffering, Jesus was more concerned about his disciples than himself. Jesus repeats his self-designation a second time. The second time has more the force of setting Jesus aside from his disciples. Verse 9 repeats the idea of 17:12 that Jesus would not lose any of his disciples. The extent of the meaning of the verse is unclear, whether Jesus is referring to the physical demise of one of his disciples or their eternal outcome. Both could be true. None of the disciples except Judas would be lost. Everyone would be protected through the trials of the next few days. More significantly, none would fall away. One could argue based on Judas’ remorse that even he might have repented before hanging himself, but only God knows his outcome. By drawing attention to himself, he took the attention away from his disciples who could then escape.
Peter takes center stage in the next two verses with a story repeated in all the Gospels (Matthew 26:51–52; Mark 14:47; Luke. 22:49–51), though John adds his own details. Even in John’s Gospel, Peter comes across as someone who acts impulsively without thinking much. Here the disciples and Jesus were surrounded by heavily armed soldiers, possibly outnumbered and surely outmanned. What could Peter do against these odds? His weapon, a sword, may have been no more than a dagger than what we might think of as a large battle sword. Such a dagger would be useful for many things in camping and cooking. Peter’s knife must have either been very sharp or he used significant force to cutoff the ear of the high priest’s servant. Only John records the name of the servant as Malchus. Whenever people’s names are given in the New Testament, it is highly possible that they became well-known in the early church. Malchus may have become a believer, having his ear immediately healed.
Jesus’ rebuke of Peter draws attention back to Jesus’ mission. Nothing Peter could do could stop Jesus from drinking the cup the Father had given him. The Synoptic Gospels record how Jesus wrestled and prayed over this cup while in the garden (Matthew 26:39, 42; Mark 14:36). The cup represented the suffering he was about to experience. The Father’s will was for Jesus to drink this cup of suffering. Jesus makes his statement in the form of a rhetorical question, providing Peter with the opportunity to think deeply about his actions compared to how Jesus would act in the coming hours. Peter would struggle more that night with his denial of Jesus. Peter’s trial was just beginning.
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