Page 87 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 23

Hello, I'm Malchus.

Malchus, ever heard of me? Do you
know who I am? Yes, Malchus, the
servant of the high priest Caiaphas,
whose ear Simon Peter cut off when
we arrested Jesus.
That's me. Or rather: that was me.
Perhaps you're asking how this
could have happened to me?
Well, I wasn't just any servant, but
the leader of the servants, and of
course I walked in front, standing
close to Jesus and his disciples.
Oh, that wasn't your ques�on at all?
You want to know why Peter had a
sword with him? Whether sword or
dagger, it was normal back then to
have something like that with you,
for survival, not just against humans
or animals, but also to clear one's
way through nature.
And I'm also sure that this Peter
didn't specifically want to cut off my
ear. Why would he do that? It would

Soldier / Ear require a certain skill in striking. It was already
dark, and he just started hi�ng me. It happened
really fast. Suddenly, I felt a pain in my head. It
hurt, but there are worse pains. I reached down,
and my ear was gone. I bent down to search, and
then I saw Jesus' hand searching for my head, felt
something again, reached down again, and there it
was again: my ear.
Unbelievable. It took my breath away. And believe
me, I've never forgo�en it. Almost every day, when
I touch my ear in any way, I immediately think of it.
And what did that do to me? I needed some distan-
ce from it at first because I "didn't understand the
world anymore". And for the next few days, I
"played absent", checking out of work.
By the way, the fact that centuries later, John Chry-
sostom equated me with the servant who punched
Jesus in the face during his interroga�on before
Annas is a real shock. Is it supposed to have been
me, the one Jesus healed?
Since that day, his love has touched me. For he not
only healed my ear, but also looked into my eyes
while doing so."
(Werner May)

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