“Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.” (John 18:10)
A few things can be seen in this event.
1. Peter physically attacking the high priests servant carried a punishment of death. So Jesus takes away every bit of evidence that could be used against Peter and remains in his place. The innocent for the guilty!
2. The word sword here is used in Eph. 6:17 as well as Heb. 4:12. Showing us that the very sword that is designed to impact people’s hearts can in fact hinder them from hearing when used in the wrong manner (in the flesh), or from a place of anger, or offense.
3. The name Malchus means “king or kingdom”, scripture doesn’t tell us anymore about Malchus, but we see the King heal a king, the true Servant and High Priest touching a servant of the high priest. I believe Jesus revealed Himself through this personal encounter as He reached down to help him up and healed his right ear, thus standing him upright and giving him the ear to hear!
It is the right ear of the high priest that was touched with blood! “and Moses killed it. Also he took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. Then he brought Aaron’s sons. And Moses put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses sprinkled the blood all around on the altar.” (Leviticus 8:23-24). So we see servants (Aaron’s sons) of the high priest (Aaron) touched with blood on their right ears by Moses. Yet now in John 18 the greater one than Moses, the Lord Jesus, who is the greater Blood, is touching the right ear of the servant of the high priest!
This is the ear of the bondservant (Ex. 21:1-6), we see this in the life of John whose ear was on the Door (John 13:23). Beloved, Jesus wants us to be His friends, not slaves! “I have never called you ‘servants,’ because a master doesn’t confide in His servants, and servants don’t always understand what the Master is doing. But I call you My most intimate and cherished friends, for I reveal to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father.” (John 15:15)