Then one of those standing around drew his sword, struck the High Priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.
This action shows the misguided zeal of a disciple’s temperament. Christ was going to voluntary sacrifice, and the disciple tries to defend Him with a human weapon. Yet the kingdom of God is not established by the sword, and Christ’s saving path cannot be stopped by human strength. The cutting off of the ear is also symbolic: those who had come to seize Christ were not spiritually hearing the truth. But the Lord’s will was not revenge, but obedience unto death. The believer must learn to distinguish holy zeal from fleshly zeal.