A detachment of Roman soldiers, along with Jewish police (John 18:3), were sent to apprehend Jesus. In order to defend Jesus, Peter cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest with a sword. Jesus used his miracle powers to restore the ear of the slave. In its day, the kingdom of Rome was a state-of-the-art killing machine. Jesus’ Kingdom was different. The Kingdom of Messiah was to be a healing kingdom. Those who are our enemies don’t need to be slashed; they need to be healed. We cannot win the world while using or cheering the world’s methods.
“Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched his ear and healed him.” Luke 22:50-51 (NRSV)
