Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus).
John 18:10 (NIV)
Imagine it; Peter had just woken up in trouble. Instead of praying for Jesus when He most needed prayer, he fell asleep. Suddenly there was a crowd around him seeking to seize the Lord. They were armed, and before he knew it, Peter reacted by grabbing his sword and cutting off a man's ear. To make matters worse, Jesus had to grab the ear and heal the man that Peter had wounded. His Master had to fix his mess before his arrest.
Peter reacted in fear and tried to kill a man. The good news was that since he was not a warrior but an angler, he did not have a good aim. The bad news was that he was probably not aiming at the man he hurt but at someone else, or he wanted to cut off more than that man's ear and missed. The truth is that Peter had no business carrying a sword. Sadly, neither do we, but we carry one wherever we go, and if we are not careful, we can hurt people just as Peter did. The Bible tells us that the words of the reckless are like swords, but the tongue of the wise heals (Prov. 12:18).
Most of us do our best to control our tongues. We try to keep our swords in their sheaths, but we do not always succeed. I know that when I am tired, I get grumpy. Others lose their temper when they are scared or frustrated. With the different restrictions, limitations, and challenges that Covid 19 has brought into our lives, it is not surprising to see many people losing their temper and reacting with anger on airplanes, in supermarkets, or in traffic, but as Children of God, we cannot afford to let our flesh rule our lives or our tongues.
We are the light of the world. We need to be wise. Our tongues should bring healing, not pain. As I am guilty of drawing my sword lately and have also dodged some angry people's swords, I thought it wise to remind the People of God and myself that we cannot let our guards down. If Peter, who used to pray with Jesus, reacted in his flesh, there is not much hope for us unless we do what Peter did not do. We must rest, we must pray, and we must trust.
We need to take time to rest if we are tired. Even if our bodies are not tired, our souls need time to refresh. Make sure you take enough time to allow your souls and bodies to rest. We must make time to pray. If Peter had prayed before the crowd surrounded him, he would not have reacted the way he did. We must also trust Christ. He is always in control. Even during His arrest, He had everything under control. No matter what is going on in our lives, nothing is outside of our Savior's plan for us. Next time you are tempted to draw your sword, examine yourself. It may be time to trust, to pray, or just to rest.
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