John chapters 18 and 19 tell the crucifixion story, familiar to us all. I just want to look briefly at some of the characters.

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, ESV)

“The servant’s name was Malchus.” John is the only one who knew his name. I wonder what happened to him? Jesus healed him. Would he have become a believer? There are interesting differences among the gospels. They all have the ear cutting story:

• Matthew does not name the servant or Peter or mention the healing.
• Mark is the same as Matthew.
• Luke is the only one who mentions that Jesus healed the ear.
• John is the only one who mentions the servant’s name and Peter’s name.

Switching gears, this paragraph always cracks me up:

Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. (John 18.28, ESV)

They didn’t want to be “defiled” by entering the house of a Gentile, but they didn’t mind defiling themselves by condemning the son of God to death. It reminds me of an Air Force officer in the BX back in the 1970s. We shopped with cash in those days, and he didn’t have enough on him to buy both cigarettes and a Penthouse magazine. “I’ll leave the cigarettes. I don’t want to pollute my body.” Of course, he had no qualms about polluting his mind!

Pilate was a weak-willed man who had to choose his allegiance to Caesar over who he was coming to believe Jesus was. Some historical sources indicate that Pilate didn’t finish well.

From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” (John 19.12, ESV)

Finally, we have this:

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. (John 19.38 – 40, ESV)

Two secret disciples. We knew about Nicodemus (see John 3 and John 7.45 – 51). We didn’t know about Joseph of Arimathea, and we don’t know what they did next. Were they among the 120 in the Upper Room?

Who are you and I in these stories? Choose one…

• Impetuous Peter who didn’t know when to use a sword, and cutting off a guy’s ear indicates he might not know how to use one either.
• Poor Malchus, just along for the ride, but he gets to experience a miracle.
• Pious religious leaders (all the gospels point out their hypocrisy and inconsistency)
• Weak-willed Pilate
• A secret disciple, like Joseph or Nicodemus

Now these things took place as examples for us… (1 Corinthians 10.6, ESV)

You became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. (1 Thessalonians 1.7, ESV)