Exhuming Easter (complete - 3rd edition)

Suddenly, in the midst of the turmoil – with the crowd moving in on Jesus and
Jesus’ disciples asking him if they should attack in return, Simon Peter drew his sword
and struck Malchus, the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. [Matthew 26:51,
Mark 14:47, Luke 22:49-50 & John 18:10] But Jesus said, “No more of this! Put your
sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you
think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve
legions of angels to defend me? But if so, then how then would the scriptures be
fulfilled, which say that it must happen in this way? Am I not to drink the cup that the
Father has given me?” And then Jesus reached out to Malchus, touched his ear and
healed him. [Matthew 26:52-54, Luke 22:51 & John 18:11]
Then Jesus turned and said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and
clubs to arrest me, as if I were a bandit? Day after day I sat openly in the temple
teaching, and yet you did not arrest me. For this is your hour, under the power of
darkness! And yet I understand … All this has taken place so that the scriptures of the
prophets might be fulfilled.” Upon hearing this, his followers deserted him and fled. One
of them, a young man wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was briefly caught, and yet his
cloth fell away, and he ran off naked. Then the crowd seized Jesus and led him away to
the high priest’s house. [Matthew 26:55-56, Mark 14:48-52 & Luke 22:52-54a]
15