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March 8, 2025 • 18 mins

In this episode of Bible Bites, we delve into the profound moment during Jesus' arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, where a disciple's act of violence is met with Jesus' remarkable act of healing. As Peter strikes the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear, Jesus intervenes, healing the wounded man and demonstrating his unwavering compassion and commitment to peace. This event, recorded in Luke 22:50-51, highlights Jesus' rejection of violence and his teachings on love and forgiveness, even in the face of betrayal and suffering.

We explore the deeper meanings behind this miracle, understanding it as a symbol of both physical and spiritual restoration. Jesus' actions challenge us to respond to adversity with grace, reflecting his peace and love in our interactions. The episode encourages listeners to consider their own responses to opposition and to trust in God's plan, emphasizing that Jesus' mission was about redemption through sacrificial love, not earthly power. Join us as we seek to grow in faith and embody the compassion of Christ in our daily lives.

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Episode Transcript

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Unknown (00:06):
We gather
here today
with open hearts and minds
to grow in faith and truth in every word we find.
The pages of the word
alive and full of grace,
inspiring faith within
as we seek his face.

(00:52):
Welcome to Bible Bites, the podcast where we work to inspire faith one bite at a time. I'm your host, Randy Black.
In one of the most intense moments leading up to Jesus' crucifixion,
as he's being arrested in the Garden Of Gethsemane,
a disciple reacts in violence, striking the servant of the high priest and cutting off his ear.

(01:14):
However,
instead of allowing the situation to escalate,
Jesus does something remarkable.
He heals the wounded man.
This act of mercy recorded in Luke chapter 22 verses fifty and fifty one
demonstrates Jesus's unwavering compassion
even in the face of betrayal and suffering.

(01:34):
Today, we'll explore this passage to better understand Christ's love, his commitment to peace,
and what it teaches
us about responding to adversity.
As we do each episode, let's open up
with a word of prayer.
Heavenly father, we come before you with humble hearts,
seeking wisdom and understanding

(01:56):
as we study your word.
Help us to see the love and mercy of Jesus in this passage
and to reflect that same spirit
in our own lives.
Open our eyes to the lessons you have for us today
and give us the strength to respond with grace in times of trouble.
May we grow in faith and love as we seek to follow

(02:18):
Christ's example.
And in Jesus' name, we pray.
Amen.
Luke chapter 22
verses fifty and fifty one, and one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus responded and said, stop.

(02:46):
No more of this, and he touched his ear and healed him.
This event takes place
during Jesus' arrest in the Garden Of Gethsemane.
The disciple who struck the servant is identified in John's gospel as Peter. You see that in John eighteen ten.
Peter

(03:07):
likely acting out of loyalty and a desire to protect Jesus
resorts to violence.
However,
Jesus immediately intervenes,
rebuking the aggression
and choosing instead to heal the wounded man.
This moment is powerful,
showing that Jesus did not condone violence

(03:27):
even when facing
injustice.
Jesus healing this of the servant whose name is given as Malchus in John's account is a striking act of grace.
Even as his enemies come to seize him, Jesus reaches out to restore
what has been harmed.
This miracle is not just about physical healing.

(03:50):
It symbolizes
Christ's mission to bring spiritual restoration
to a broken world.
Moreover,
Jesus's command stop. No more of this is a direct
rejection
of violence
as a means of defending him or advancing his kingdom.
His response contrasts sharply with human instincts to retaliate.

(04:12):
It aligns with his teachings such as in Matthew five forty four when he says, but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
This brief but profound moment also highlights
Jesus's complete control over the situation.
Though he is being arrested,
he does not act as a powerless victim.

(04:34):
Instead,
he demonstrates his authority and divine purpose by choosing mercy
over vengeance.
His decision to heal Malchus
even as he is being taken away to suffer
underscores the depth of his love and the nature of his mission.
We have four key takeaways

(04:55):
from this very brief passage of scripture.
The is that Jesus prioritizes
peace over violence, teaching us to respond to opposition with grace.
When Peter reacted with violence,
he acted on human instinct
rather than faith.
Jesus, however, demonstrated that his kingdom is not advanced through force, but through love and obedience to God's will.

(05:19):
This challenges us to examine our own responses when we face opposition.
Instead of reacting in anger or retaliation,
we are called to reflect Christ's peace
in our interactions.
Our next takeaway is that even in betrayal and suffering,
Jesus shows compassion and love, reminding us of his boundless mercy.

(05:42):
It would have been understandable
if Jesus had
ignored Malchus' injury,
especially given the circumstances of what was occurring.
Yet
even in the midst of his own suffering,
Jesus took the time to heal someone
who was part of the group arresting him.
This act

(06:03):
exemplifies
the the deep compassion of Christ,
encouraging us to extend mercy
even when it is undeserved.
Our takeaway is that his healing of Malchus represents both physical restoration
and the broader spiritual restoration he offers to all.

(06:25):
Malchus'
ear being restored is a is a a tangible example
of Jesus' power to heal,
but it also symbolizes the greater healing he offers to the world.
Sin wounds us spiritually.
It's separating or separates us from God,
but Jesus' mission was to restore our relationship with him.

(06:47):
Just as Malchus' ear was made whole,
so too
can our hearts be renewed
through Christ.
And our last takeaway is that
Jesus'
command against violence aligns with his teachings on loving our enemies and trusting God's plan instead of taking matters into our own hands.

(07:07):
Throughout his ministry,
Jesus taught about forgiveness,
love, and non retaliation.
By rebuking Peter, he emphasized that God's purposes
are fulfilled
not through human force,
but through faith and submission
to his will.
We are reminded that

(07:29):
our trust
should not be in our own strength,
but in the sovereignty of God.
When faced with injustice or personal attacks,
our natural response may be to fight back or to defend ourselves.
However,
Jesus' actions in this passage

(07:49):
challenge us
to consider a different response,
one rooted in love,
forgiveness,
and trust in God's sovereignty.
Jesus
did not need his disciples to fight for him.
He had already surrendered to the father's will.
This should remind us that we too must trust in God's plan even when circumstances

(08:11):
seem unfair or difficult.
Rather than responding with anger or retaliation,
we are called to respond with faith and grace.
Additionally,
Jesus' healing of Malchus serves as a reminder
that no one is beyond his compassion.
Even those who came to arrest him experienced his mercy.

(08:33):
This challenges us to extend kindness
even to those who may wrong us.
Is there someone in your life who has hurt you, yet God is calling you to show them grace?
Finally, this passage serves as an encouragement
that Jesus's mission was never about earthly power or dominance,

(08:54):
but about redemption.
His ultimate victory would come not through battle,
but through his
sacrificial love on the cross.
As his followers,
we are called to reflect that same love
in our interactions
with others.

(09:15):
Let's close out our study of the scripture on this episode
with one more word of prayer.
Lord,
thank you for showing us the power of love and mercy
through your son's actions
even in moments
of great suffering.
Help us to follow his example,
choosing peace over conflict

(09:37):
and compassion over retaliation.
Teach us to trust in your perfect plan
and to extend grace to those around us
even when it is difficult.
Fill our hearts with love
so that we
may be instruments of peace
in a world
that desperately needs it. In the name of your son, Jesus, we pray.

(10:01):
Amen.
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(10:22):
Here on Bible Bytes, we operate our podcast under what's known as the value for value model. We hope that we are providing value to you through the work we're doing and that you in turn would provide value back to us. And that can come in three different forms under this model. We refer them as the three t's, time, talent, and treasure.
Time is as simple as listening each week or even taking the time to share the show with someone else that you feel may gain something from it.

(10:50):
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or providing us with scriptures or topics to look at. It could be even writing out a and or scripting a episode of the show
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and be a part of the show, and anyone

(11:10):
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appreciate anyone who would be willing to step up and help and do that.
Treasure,
refers to typically something that would be financial.
It does cost us money to do to run the show. We have to host our media somewhere. We have the websites.
We have, expenses for software we use, for the equipment we use.

(11:34):
So any assisting in that would be greatly appreciated. You can do it in a number of different ways. If you're listening in a modern podcast app, and you set up a a
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(12:02):
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(12:27):
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(12:49):
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(13:09):
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So if you purchase credits on there, we could then use those in helping with the production of the show. If you wanna learn more about the value for value model and how it is we apply it to the show, you can head over our website and read up on it. You can do that by going to bible-bytes.com/v4v.

(13:32):
That's bible-byteswithay,bytes.com/theletterv,thenumberfour,
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If you have a prayer request, please reach out to us. We have a form on our website for prayer requests where you can submit that in. We also you you can send them in through a a boost to gram as well. And we'd like to share those requests with our audience so that we can use them to,

(13:56):
use our audience as a whole to lift those requests up to the Lord, so that he can, hear those requests and and answer them in the way that he seems fit or sees fit.
We have same request we've had for the past few weeks.
We'll continue with my mom and dad.
We've talked about it several times. Dad's cancer treatments are finished. They're waiting for a little while to to look at things and decide where it is,

(14:20):
as well as mom being there to support him and help him, but also that we wanna see them return back to attending services.
Remember our friends, Greg and Kim, Kim with the the experimental
medical procedure, medical treatment she's going through with the condition she has, and Greg with the, the cancer that he's facing,
as well.

(14:40):
Remember my my father's cousin,
Kevin, who works for him, and he's still adjusting with everything. He's, you know, having to learn, you know, how to how to really to to get up and walk again after his toe had to be removed with everything that had happened, and also continue to remember myself. I'm still
still you know, I've I've gotten to the point where this week, I feel like I'm finally

(15:03):
at somewhat of a a sense of normalcy
with the medication and the effects it's had on me. But I know it's still a long way to go with things. I'm working with my,
with my provider to see if we can get a get my get me approved for a
continuous
glucose monitoring,
device,
because I just I can't bring myself to to to the finger stick. It's it's a psychological thing I pray about. I just can't push that button to get my finger,

(15:33):
to to draw the blood from it, to check it. So the continuous glucose monitor may be the the the tool that helps me best in this process.
So let's go ahead. And before we talk about our our next episode coming up next week, let's go ahead and and take these requests and lift them up to the lord in prayer.
Heavenly father,

(15:53):
we thank you once again for the chance to gather to come together
and record and produce this show to learn and share your word.
We wanna lift up these requests, the ones we've had for several weeks now, my mom and dad, Greg and Kim, Kevin, myself,
and also any unspoken request that individuals in our audience might have,

(16:13):
that you can touch them, you know the needs, and that you can answer them with,
an answer that fits within your will.
We know that you hold all the answers, and we trust
in you to provide us
with those.
It's in your name that we're working each week,
striving to share your word with the world in hopes that it helps someone in their walk with you and your son, but also that someone may hear it and they may be saved so that they can then spend eternity in heaven with all of us who are saved, with your son, Jesus, and with you. And it's the name of your son, Jesus, that we pray.

(16:53):
Amen.
Our next episode
will be the last in our series of the miracles of Jesus.
We're gonna take a look at the miraculous catch of fish, this time at the Sea Of Tiberias.
This is recorded in John chapter 21
verses four through 11.
And the one of the most amazing things about this is that this miracle takes place

(17:17):
after Christ comes back after his resurrection,
but we'll talk about it next week right here on Bible Bites, the podcast
where we work to inspire faith
one bite at a time.
Bible
Bites.
Bible
Bites.

(17:51):
Shine.
Bubble bites. Bubble bites.
Inspiring
faith one bite
at a time.
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