Day 37 | Healing a Servant’s Ear

Read Luke 22:49-53

Jesus has just prayed, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” Shortly after, to the surprise of His disciples, they are suddenly toe to toe with their former leaders and now enemies. Or so it seems. In a fit of rage, an over-zealous disciple decides to act nobly and protect his King. Wouldn’t you after you have just walked out the last three years of your life with the Man that you now know to be God Himself? But Jesus says, “Enough.” He is tired of bloodshed, evil, and vengeance. So, He reaches out, touches the man’s ear, and heals the same enemy who has come to capture Him. In a move of pure compassion, regardless of the circumstances, Jesus is willing to heal the sinner despite his opposition to Christ’s mission.

With confidence and compassion, Jesus uses this miracle to make His point clear. We are not at war with flesh and blood, or political party against political party, we are under attack, sinner and saint alike, from the power of darkness. The high priest’s servant was Jesus’ enemy, but the servant’s body had no relation to His ministry. So it made no sense to maim him. What made sense was to show him the mercy and power of God. That is exactly what Christ exemplified to us through healing that servant’s ear. He healed His enemy so that we would not see them as enemies, but opportunities.

There are bound to be people in our lives who believe differently from us. There might even be those who think our ideas are dangerous, much like the mob in this story did. Regardless of their opposition to our mission, they can and should be ministered to. Think of people in your life you can be a light to, and then be that light. We are called to be ambassadors of Christ, showing mercy to those around us, non-believer and our Christian family alike, to show God’s glory to the power of darkness and watch it flee.

Pray for 10 minutes