Church Fathers Commentary John 18:10-11

"Simon Peter therefore having a sword drew it, and struck the high priest`s servant, and cut off his right ear. Now the servant`s name was Malchus. Jesus therefore said unto Peter, Put up the sword into the sheath: the cup which the Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" — John 18:10-11 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Peter, trusting in these last words of our Lord and in what He had just done, attacks those who came to take Him: Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant. But how, since he had been commanded to have neither a bag nor two garments, did he have a sword? Perhaps he had foreseen this situation and brought one.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, he had gotten one for sacrificing the lamb and carried it with him from the Supper.

St. John Chrysostom: But how could he, who had been forbidden to strike someone on the cheek, become a murderer? He had been forbidden to avenge himself, but here he was not avenging himself, but his Master. However, they were not yet perfect; afterward, you will see Peter beaten with stripes and bearing it humbly. And cut off his right ear. This seems to show the impetuosity of the Apostle, in that he struck at the head itself.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The servant’s name was Malchus. John is the only Evangelist who mentions the servant’s name, just as Luke is the only one who mentions that our Lord touched the ear and healed him.

St. John Chrysostom: He performed this miracle both to teach us that we ought to do good to those who suffer and to manifest His power. The Evangelist gives the name so that those who read it at the time might have the opportunity to inquire into the truth of the account. And he mentions that he was the servant of the high priest because, in addition to the miracle of the healing itself, this shows that it was performed on one of those who came to take Him, and who shortly after struck Him on the face.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The name Malchus signifies "one who is to reign." What then does the ear, cut off on our Lord's behalf and then healed by our Lord, signify, if not the abolition of the old hearing and the creation of a new one—a hearing in the newness of the Spirit, not in the oldness of the letter? Whoever is given this, who can doubt that he will reign with Christ?

The fact that he was also a servant refers to that oldness which leads to bondage, while the cure represents liberty.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, the cutting off of the high priest’s servant’s right ear is a type of the people’s deafness, which the chief priests experienced most strongly. The restoration of the ear symbolizes the ultimate re-enlightenment of the understanding of the Jews at the coming of Elijah.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Our Lord condemned Peter’s act and forbade him from proceeding further: Then said Jesus to Peter, Put up your sword into the sheath. He was to be admonished to have patience, and this was written for our instruction.

St. John Chrysostom: However, He not only restrained Peter with a rebuke but also consoled him at the same time: The cup that My Father gives Me, shall I not drink it? By this, He shows that this was happening not by their power but by His permission, and that He did not oppose God but was obedient even to death.

Theophylact of Ohrid: By calling it a cup, He shows how pleasing and acceptable death for the salvation of mankind was to Him.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The cup being given to Him by the Father is consistent with what the Apostle says: Who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. But the Giver of this cup and the Drinker of it are one and the same, as the same Apostle also says: Christ loved us, and gave Himself for us.