Thomas Aquinas 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)

1. The Evangelist has shown how ready Christ was to suffer His betrayal, since He willingly offered Himself. He now shows this same readiness because Christ forbade a disciple to resist.

   First, he mentions the resistance of the disciple;

   Second, his being restrained: Jesus therefore said to Peter: put up your sword into its scabbard.

   In regard to the first, he does two things:

   First, he shows the zeal of the disciple in striking the servant;

   Second, we see the name of the servant, the name of the servant was Malchus.

2. He says that the officers arrested Jesus, but that Simon Peter, more volatile than the other disciples, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, who was among the officers, and cut off his right ear. This was not his intention; rather, he wanted to kill him, but the strike to the servant’s head missed and struck the ear. Peter aimed for the head so that he could more easily show that he was doing it out of zeal for his Lord: I have been very jealous for the Lord (1 Kings 19:10).

3. Two questions can be asked about this. Since the Lord had commanded His disciples not to have even two tunics (Matthew 10:10), why did Peter have a sword?

   I answer that Christ gave them this command when He sent them out to preach, and it was to be in effect until His passion. But when His passion drew near, Christ revoked it: when I sent you out with no money bag or bag or sandals, did you lack anything? (Luke 22:35). And then He said, but now, let him who has a money bag take it, and likewise a bag. And let him who has no sword sell his mantle and buy one (Luke 22:36). Because of this permission, Peter understood that he was allowed to carry a sword.

   How could he get a sword so quickly, since our Lord had spoken these words such a short time before?

   According to Chrysostom, Peter obtained the sword earlier, when he heard that the Jews were planning to deliver Christ over to the chief priests to be crucified. Or, we could say, with the interlinear, that sword is used here for a knife, which he probably had at the paschal meal and which he took along when they left.

4. The second question is why Peter struck the servant of the high priest, since our Lord had told them not to resist evil (Matthew 5:39).

   One could answer that they were forbidden to resist someone in order to defend themselves, but this did not apply to defending the Lord. Or, one could say that they had not yet been strengthened by a power coming from above: stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49). For this reason, they were not yet so perfect that they could entirely refrain from resisting evil.

5. Now the name of the servant is given. Only John mentions this name because, as stated below (John 18:10), John himself was known by the high priest, and so he also knew some of the priest’s servants. Since John was certain of this servant’s name, he gives it. It is Luke who adds that our Lord healed the ear (Luke 22:51).

   This is appropriate for a mystery, for the servant stands for the Jewish people, who were oppressed by the chief priests: you eat the fat (Ezekiel 34:3). Peter, the head of the apostles, takes away this servant’s sense of hearing, because he heard the words of the law in a defective, carnal way. But our Lord gave him back a new sense of hearing: as soon as they heard of me they obeyed me (Psalms 18:44). With this in mind, the servant is fittingly named Malchus, which means “king,” because through Christ we have become kings by having a new life: you... have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on earth (Revelation 5:10).

6. Now we see Peter’s zeal being restrained.

   First, we see Peter’s restraining;

   Second, the reason it was restrained: the chalice which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it?

7. The Evangelist says that Peter drew his sword, and our Lord said to him, put your sword into its scabbard. It was as if to say that it was not defense that was needed, but patience, and that he was not allowed to use a material sword: ah, sword of the Lord! How long till you are quiet? (Jeremiah 47:6).

   The mystical interpretation is that this signifies that the sword of God’s word was to be put into its sheath—that is, into the faith of the Gentiles.

8. The reason Christ restrained Peter is given when He says, the chalice which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it? For one should not resist what has been arranged by divine providence: who has resisted him and has had peace? (Job 9:4).

   The passion is called a cup, a drinking vessel, because the love of the one suffering gave it a certain sweetness, though in its own nature it was bitter. It was like a healing medicine which, because it gives hope of being cured, acquires a certain sweetness, although it has a bitter taste: I will lift up the chalice of salvation and call on the name of the Lord (Psalms 116:13).

   The Father gave Christ this cup because Christ willingly underwent the passion by His own will and by the will of the Father: you would not have any power against me, unless it had been given to you from above (John 19:11).