WAY OF THE CROSS

  Peter had cut off the ear of the servant of Caiaphas named, Malchus. Symbolically, since Malchus means “king,” Peter was rejecting authority. There is much debate about the meaning of cutting off the ear. The most appropriate reason is Jesus’s own words:

  Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. (Mat 18:8)

  Whatever offends anyone should be cut off. Jesus mentioned the hand and foot but honestly, what offends people the most? The eyes, ears, and mouth. The eyes and ears receive visual and audible information and the mouth broadcasts it. Of course, the most offensive is the brain, but lobotomies were surely not used until the 20^th century to cut off what offends.

  Why would Peter target the ear? Because, as the servant of Caiaphas, he should have known Jesus and should have known the writings of Samuel. God told David that he had cut off all his enemies (2 Sam 7:9). God did that… not David!

  Jesus could have cut down the mob out to get him, but Simon Peter cut off the ear of Malchus. How feeble; Simon Peter was standing next to God but he endeavored to do what God could easily do. He did not trust Jesus but trusted himself.

  People are everyone types of “Peters.” Rather than trust God for justice, most people are part of the mob. Some of the mob would be shouters, others encouragers for the mob, and others silent but they were all the mob. Peter was as bad as the mob because he took the law into his own hands.

Peter surely chose the ear of Malchus because he had ears to hear but had not heard. David long before had trusted God because, “Thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears” (2 Sam 7:22).  Hearing is believing; Malchus knew scripture and had heard Jesus in person with every Word corresponding to Holy Scripture.

  Simon Peter was punishing Malchus for failing to hearken unto God’s Word. Ironically, the name Simon means “listening.” He used violence but Jesus taught love. Just who was it that had ears to hear but did not hear? It was Peter. Why did Jesus restore the ear of Malchus? Because love does not come through violence. If Peter had listened to Scripture, how would he have responded? “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:  For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee. (Prov 25:21-22). Paul quoted Scripture to focus better on that point — “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rom 12:19).

  If there was to be vengeance, it would be vengeance from Jesus. Indeed, Malchus was surely cut off from the Lord for his grievous sin. Simon Peter was merely in the way of the Way Jesus performs. Wrath belongs to God and kindness to mankind. The mob was wrong but the “crucifixion” of Malchus’s ear would not be enough!

  Conversion can not be obtained by the sword. Muslims proselytize that way, but they are the religion of violence. Their “Jesus” (Isa) will return with a vengeance. Isa is more like Peter than Jesus! Angry Christians are more like Muhammad than Christ. Everyone, even Christians, have a natural desire to strike out at their enemies, but what did Jesus say? “I say unto you which hear, ‘Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you’” (Luke 6:27). Jesus followed His own sayings. What did he do? He restored the ear of Malchus; He healed His enemy. That was an act of love. What happened to Malchus in the long run? Likely, but nobody knows, that on Judgment Day Jesus will remind Malchus why his soul is in Hell.

  Simon (Peter) the “listener” failed to hearken unto the Words of Jesus. His vengeance was to cut off the ear of Malchus (king). Consider the Words of Jesus, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? (Mat 7:2-3).  Verse three could as well be written, Why behold the wax in thy brother’s ear, but not consider the log in your own ear?

  Peter denied himself as the person who had been with Jesus. Malchus even identified him later as the one who cut-off his ear. Peter should hope that when Jesus healed his ear, Malchus would be convinced that Jesus is the King, not he himself! Hence, Peter even denied his own identity, and by that denied Jesus.

  Jesus had said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Simon Peter, the “stone” (Stone-headed) “listener” had indeed denied himself, but he had denied Jesus as well. Simon, surely influenced by Satan, then in Judas, denied Jesus in much the same way that Judas did. Denying oneself is only part way to the Cross. Meekness is not the entire path. What did Simon Peter not do? He failed to take up his cross and follow Jesus all the way to His death. When Jesus was crucified, meek Simon Peter merely stood away and listened. What should he have done? Symbolically, he should have “washed” Jesus’s feet by begging to bear the “cup” of Jesus;  that he himself would bear the Cross.

  On either the fifth or seventh of the Stages of the Cross on the Way of the Cross, Simon the Cyrene bore the Cross for Jesus. Ironically, Simon Peter surely would have been ashamed. He could have borne the Cross that Jesus carried, all the way to Calvary unto death.

  The Old Testament (Torah) says, “God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant” (Gen 9:27). What does that mean? Worship was in tabernacles or “tents” in the times of Exodus before the Temple. “Tents” in that passage symbolize the Temples of the Holy Ghost in scripture. Of course, the Jews (Shemites) were God’s chosen and peculiar people, and finally Christian Gentiles (Japhethites) were as well. How about Canaan? They will serve Jews.

  Simon hearkened and carried the Cross for Jesus. Just as his name means, he “listened.” He picked up the Cross of Jesus and followed Him to the very last Station where Shem had placed Adam’s Skull. [1] The nationality of Simon the Cyrene cannot be proven, but since Greeks from Thebes had founded that city, many think that Simon was a Greek. Something about Simon stood out to cause him to be appointed by the Romans to carry the Cross. Since Libyans (wherein Cyrene lies) are dark peoples, the obvious guess is that Simon was of the dark race of Canaan. Noahic prophecy was surely fulfilled on Good Friday when Simon became the servant of Shem. Rather than the Shemite, Simon Peter, carrying the burden, the Canaanite, Simon the Cyrene did. Simon would become the servant instead of Simon Peter - a servant to the Lord. Simon would surely by that sacrifice become one of the “tents” of Shem. 

³¹ And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. ³² And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. (Mat 27:31-32) 

  Simon, probably considered a meek servant by the Romans, had been forced to deny himself by servanthood, but like any good servant, he did not object to laboring for Jesus. He surely had compassion and did what Simon Peter should have done. Simon the Cyrene denied himself, took up the Cross, and followed Jesus to His death. Simon, however, did not die. Jesus died in his place. He did for Simon Peter as well.

  How about Simon Peter? He was finally crucified upside down at his request so as not to dishonor Jesus (Foxe’s Book of Martyrs). Jesus knew that he would. Jesus said this to Peter:

⁸ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. ¹⁹ This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. (John 21:18-19)

  When Peter was old, indeed, he stretched out his hands and was crucified upside down. He went by force to his death for Christ, where otherwise he would not have gone. Peter, by “picking his own cross” glorified Jesus. Once Peter “crucified” Jesus by his silence, but when he was old, Simon Peter was crucified to magnify Jesus.

  Finally, long after Peter denied himself, but failed to pick up the Cross of Jesus, he picked up his own cross and followed Jesus. Simon, became “the rock” (Peter) and the Church was built on him, the other apostles, and the prophets of old. How so? Ironically, Peter is buried beneath Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He was part of the second layer of the Church but was preceded by the prophets. (Ephes 2:20).

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[1] Read the author’s book, The Skull of Adam, to understand the significance of that.

(picture credit: "Malchus" Wikipedia)