Thread by @mikeleake

A thread on Jesus healing what his followers break because many of you haven’t yet realized your deep need to read and follow my blog, and because this is too important to let die in said wilderness. 1/

Malchus’ ear shouldn’t be there. One of Jesus’ disciples had lopped it off. Malchus bore the pain of Peter’s misapplied conclusions about the Messiah. 2/

But his ear is there. And it’s there because Jesus picked up the bloody thing and miraculously reattached it. Or to say that another way… 3/

Jesus restores what his disciple had wrecked. 4/

And Jesus still does this. How many have been harmed by those claiming the name of Jesus. Some even intentionally. But Jesus fixes what his disciples break. Good news for the bloodied ears among us. 5/

But we’re also Peter in this story. We know that Jesus is gentle and lowly and so we assume that WE have to be his defenders. 6/

When the gentle and lowly Jesus is attacked we assume it He who is vulnerable and not our own conceptions of Him, so we go into attack mode. We think we’re defending Jesus but really we’re defending our own insecurities. 7/

It was only a few hours later that Peter would deny Jesus, himself. But he, like Malchus, received the Lord’s restoring grace. 8/

We’re probably all a mixture of Peter and Malchus. At times we’re the ones doling out the pain—at other times we’re the ones receiving. At times both are present even in the same action. But one thing in common, we need and receive Jesus and his healing. 9/

Jesus heals what his followers break, even if it’s their own hearts. Here’s my ear, Lord. Here’s my sword. /end

If you want to read this in a bit more artistic format, check it: mikeleake.net/2021/03/jesus-…