“JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”
  Miracle #38-   “MALCUS’ EAR CUT OFF”
Matt 26:51; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:50-51; John 18:10

These four gospel accounts tell the same story … with John adding the two names.

 1. Malchus represents Israel
Peter was striking and cutting off Israels ear.

2. Christ smites the high priest
As Malchus represents the high priest, it’s as if Christ is saying to the high priest “Move over … your time has finished … I’m the new high priest … you’ve been struck down and cut off!”

3. Israel had become deaf and will be cut off
Israel had become deaf … having rejected Christ’s kingdom of heaven.

4. Peter strikes Malchus first then cuts off his ear
It’s an interesting twist that Peter … with the gospel to circumcised, Israel (Galatians 2:7), should be the one that symbolically strikes the circumcision (Israel) … first of all saying “Israel, I am Peter, do I have your attention?” 

Next, it’s God’s plan that Peter, given the gospel to the circumcision … Israel … that he should also be the one to symbolically cut off Israel from the kingdom of heaven dispensation saying “Israel, cop this … God now wants you to stop hearing about the kingdom of heaven. It will be replaced very shortly.”

Dear Reader, if you want two witnesses … there’s the striking and then there’s the cutting (Matthew 18:16).

5. Christ can make them hear again
Christ then says “Look I’ll attach your ear again Israel. Yes, I’ve cut you off from the kingdom of heaven dispensation, but I’ll attach your ear again, so that you may be able to hear about the kingdom of God dispensation that will replace the former.”

6. Israel gets a ‘second’ chance to hear
It’s as if Christ says …

“Look Israel, you’ve suffered under my gospel of the kingdom of heaven aka The Sermon on the Mount, but you haven’t taken it to heart … have you? … so that’s enough suffering.  Now I’ll re-attach your ear … so you’d better listen up big time! You no longer have to suffer with impossible rules and commandments and animal blood sacrifices and so on … I’ll make it easy for you … I’ll no longer be your Messiah but your Saviour. You have never received me as your Messiah … so that time has gone now … so we are going to move on … you’d better have me as your Saviour! If you don’t know what I mean, please study Paul’s book, Hebrews, that he’ll write to you … in about thirty five years from now! Yes! It will take you that long … and then just under another 2,000 years after that … when I’ll open your ears in the Tribulation! Yes, you’ll have ears to hear but you’ll be stone deaf till that time! Don’t get too upset Israel … it’s all been prophesied! YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!”

7. Does Pastor Peter preach at your church?
These Peter type-of-preachers are very good at ‘cutting’ the ears off people with their constitutional Peter-swords … you know stuck in the Sermon on the Mount and the kingdom of heaven gospels … but never are able to re-attach the ears, so that the congregation can hear about the kingdom of God.

Pastor Peter cuts off people from hearing Paul’s gospel of the kingdom of God.

Conclusion … three questions …
1. Dear Reader, which Christ will you hear … the Messiah or the Saviour?
2. Where do you get your doctrine from … the gospels or from Paul?
3. Do you follow Christ or will you follow Paul as he follows Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1)?

Harley Hitchcock
May 2023
www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com

“JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD” (Acts 2:22)
  Miracle #39-   “153 FISH CAUGHT – the 2nd catch of fish”

John 21:1-4,5-8,9-12,13-14