Malchus

Biblical Account

Malchus appears in the account of the arrest of Jesus Christ in Gethsemane. All four Gospels record the incident, but only the Gospel of John gives his name.

• Matthew 26:51 and Mark 14:47 record that one of those with Jesus struck a servant of the high priest with a sword and cut off his ear. Neither identifies who wielded the sword or who the servant was.
• Luke 22:49–51 records the disciples asking, "Lord, shall we smite with the sword?" and then the cutting off of the servant's right ear. Only Luke records that Jesus said, "Suffer ye thus far," and touched the ear and healed it.
• John 18:10 identifies the swordsman as Simon Peter, specifies that it was the right ear that was cut off, and names the servant as Malchus. Later, in John 18:26, a servant of the high priest who was a relative of Malchus tells Peter that he saw him in the garden, and Peter denies it.

The text does not clearly state which high priest Malchus served. On the basis of the context in John 18, he is commonly regarded as belonging to the household of Caiaphas. Some hold that the name is related to the Semitic word for "king."

Significance Within Scripture

In the Gospels, this incident shows that Jesus did not use violence to resist arrest. Two sayings come from this scene: "all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword" (Matthew 26:52) and "the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11). Luke's account of the healing shows that Jesus extended mercy even to those who came to seize him. For this reason, it is sometimes presented as the last healing miracle Jesus performed before his arrest.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Why the name appears only in John: Various explanations have been offered. Some connect it to the testimony of the disciple who "was known unto the high priest" (John 18:15). Others suggest that the earlier Gospels withheld the names out of concern for Peter's safety. All of these explanations are conjectural.
• The sword and nonviolence: Churches in the Anabaptist tradition place great weight on the command "Put up thy sword into the sheath" as a basis for nonviolence. Many other denominations read the saying as addressing the particular circumstances of Jesus on the eve of his Passion and interpret it separately from questions of state authority or self-defense.
• Later traditions: Sermons and literature often depict Malchus coming to faith after this experience. The biblical text, however, contains no record of his later life.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, Malchus is discussed mainly in sermons on Holy Week texts. Common emphases include Peter's rashness, the love of Jesus in healing even an enemy, and the lesson of the words "Suffer ye thus far." In Sunday school, the episode is presented as one scene in the Passion narrative, which continues from the prayer in Gethsemane to the trial of Jesus.