And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him. Luke 22:50-51
As presented on *The Lutheran Hour® by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, March 14, 1965.
I must confess that I feel a certain sympathy for Simon Peter. On that dark night when our Lord was betrayed, He saw the band of soldiers and knew what was going to happen. He took out his sword and struck back, cutting off the ear of one of the high priest’s servants. Who can blame him?
Then Jesus healed the man’s ear! What is the matter with Jesus? Here is Peter, one man ready to stand up for Him, and Jesus makes that man feel like a fool. In that moment of forlorn hope, striking out with a sword might appear to have been a deed of human gallantry, but actually it was an admission of defeat, which Christ was not prepared to grant His enemies. To strike back is to concede that Christ is no longer Lord, and that faith in Him will not work. If Christ is Lord, striking back is not necessary.
God is not pleased when we stand idly by when others are being treated unjustly. God wants His people to be strong enough to courageously rebuke those who do wrong, and generously forgive the same when they repent of wrongdoing. This is Christ’s way. It must be our way.
The grace of God in Jesus Christ is able to absorb and overcome every evil word and act. Christ has blotted out the charges against us, and heated passion is no longer the answer to the problem of evil. Forgiving love covers the multitude of sins.
Dear God, fill us with Your grace so that we might meet strife with forgiveness. It is only by Your power that we are able. Amen.
Taken from A Message of Hope: Proclaiming the Cross (selections from messages broadcast on *The Lutheran Hour, celebrating 75 years of proclaiming the promise).
Copyright © 2006 by Lutheran Hour Ministries
*The Lutheran Hour is the longest-running Christian radio broadcast in the world. It is a production of Lutheran Hour Ministries. For more information, visit www.lutheranhour.org.
Today's Bible Readings: Numbers 26-27 Luke 1:1-20
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