John 18:10-11

‘Simon Peter therefore, having a sword, drew it, and struck the High Priest's servant and cut off his right ear. Now the servant's name was Malchus. Jesus therefore said to Peter, “Put the sword into the scabbard. The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?”

John alone gives us the names of the swordsman and of the servant. Luke tells us that Jesus then healed the man, but this is surely what we would have expected. (In those slightly less sophisticated days the loss of an ear would not have been looked on as too serious. Only Luke, as a doctor, thought the healing important). It is typical of Peter that he should be one of the two who had a sword (Luke 22:38), and it was a sign of their bravery that with so few weapons they were ready to fight (Luke 22:49). It may be that having seen what He had done before, they felt that this might be the moment when He would reveal Himself as the fighting Messiah. Or perhaps it was simply the spontaneous action of a gallant man.

The reaction of Peter was typical of the man. Surprised at the approach of this crowd of Jesus' enemies, aware that this time they meant trouble, and finally drawing his sword without a thought of the consequences and immediately striking at the nearest opponent.

Later, when he knew better, Peter was clearly not proud of what he had done for his participation is not mentioned in the earlier Gospels. The thing that the world would have applauded was elsewhere told anonymously, indeed it could have been dangerous evidence against Peter. We can contrast how his later denial of Jesus was made clear in all the Gospels for on that he did not want to hide the truth. But by the time John was writing Peter was beyond the danger of either the plaudits of men or the executioner's sword.

“Put the sword into the scabbard. The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?” Peter had drawn a sword in order to resist, but in contrast Jesus showed no form of resistance and commanded the sheathing of the sword, and accepted His cup in order to drink it. It was complete submission. There was to be no resistance to the Father's will. In his haste to act Peter was acting against God. Let him recognise once and for all that swords have no place in the service of God's kingly rule. It is a reminder that God's purposes are fulfilled through suffering.

It is noteworthy that John reveals examples of inside knowledge throughout the narrative and the knowledge of the servant's name is but one of them. It would appear that he had connections with a priestly family of some importance (see John 18:16).

‘The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?' These words show a knowledge of Matthew 26:42, see also Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42. It is from them that we learn how hard a cup it was for Him to bear. Drinking the cup clearly had the endurance of suffering in mind. It was a regular Old Testament picture (Psalms 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Isaiah 51:22; Jeremiah 25:15; Ezekiel 23:31). But it was a cup given to Him by His Father, so He was satisfied. It was only through His drinking that cup that His work could be accomplished and we could partake of Him. Note how death is here thought of in terms of drinking wine. Compare John 6:52.

It should be noted that throughout this whole passage the emphasis is continually on Jesus' control of events. He goes deliberately to the garden across the Kidron, He knows all that is coming on Him. He advances boldly on the arresting party. He questions them. He declares Who He is to their discomfort. He takes charge of who will be arrested. He rejects the idea of any resistance. He declares that this cup comes from His Father and that He will drink it by choice. This is the impression John wishes his readers to have which helps to explain some of his omissions.