Healing His Enemies
Daily Devotion for Lent | Sunday, March 24
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you …”
Luke 6:27
Just a man, rubbing his ear now and then. I suspect that’s what we would have seen if we could have visited the high priest’s house during the weeks after Easter. The man was a servant, and his action would probably go unnoticed. What could be less important? But to the man, it was probably the most important thing in his life.
Malchus worked for the high priest, and somehow he ended up in the crowd of people sent to arrest Jesus. It must have been a motley crew, with torches and swords and clubs. Some were soldiers, but not all. And in the middle of them, Malchus.
Opposite them in the garden, what? A group of scared men who had just woken up. A rabbi with a reputation as a healer. And one frightened fisherman with a sword, swinging wildly, trying to protect his master from the enemies who had come to arrest Him.
Searing pain. An ear lying on the ground. And then Jesus, stooping forward to heal one last person before His death less than twenty-four hours later. Healing His enemy.
Because that’s what Jesus does, isn’t it? He heals His enemies. He makes us whole again. He reaches out in compassion and deals with our wounds, making us the way God intended us to be. And He changes us from enemies to beloved children.
Did Malchus end up in the Christian faith? It seems likely. The apostle John knew his name, after all. But what’s certain is that you and I have been called to Jesus. He knows our names, and He heals our wounds. Let us stay with Him forever.
THE PRAYER
Dear Lord, thank You for healing me and making me Your own, though I was once Your enemy. Keep me close to You. Amen.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Did you ever get caught up in a bad situation? When?
- How do you deal with your enemies?
- When has God done something good for you that you did not expect?
Brought to you in partnership with Lutheran Hour Ministries – lhm.org/lent
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PEOPLE OF THE PASSION Lenten Devotions 2019
Centuries before Christ, God was preparing the way for His Son’s arrival. From mankind’s original sin through the children of Israel’s on-again, off-again obedience, God was faithful, honoring His promise to Eve (Genesis 3:15), which first pointed to Jesus. In People of the Passion, we see God working through the lives of ordinary people to achieve His ultimate aim: our salvation. There are prophets, priests, and kings, servants, soldiers, and civilians—each with a role in the high drama of Christ’s passion. Readers may see themselves in some of these people—ordinary individuals who, like us, need a Savior.
Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) is a Christian outreach ministry supporting churches worldwide in its mission of Bringing Christ to the Nations—and the Nations to the Church.