and now, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his ear.
This episode shows how the natural human reaction—to defend oneself—stands in contrast to Christ’s way of peace. The one who drew the sword (according to the Gospel of John, it was Peter, John 18:10) was driven by sincere but unwise zeal. He wanted to protect the Lord, not understanding that Jesus’ mission is not carried out by violence. His cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant was symbolic: a person who tries to defend the faith by force is the first to bring about loss, cutting off the ability to hear and closing spiritual hearing. Christ allows this event in order to show that the kingdom of God is not established by the sword, but by love and sacrifice. This is also a reminder to believers of every age that even in a righteous struggle, violence always comes into conflict with the essence of the Gospel.