Knee-Mail: Kent and Malchus

From:    Kent Hovind
Sent:    October 28, 2007
To:    Malchus
Subject:    Belief During Persecution

First read John 18:10 and Acts 9:1-2.

John 18:10 Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

Acts 9:1-2 And Saul, yet breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

(At Acts 9:2)
KH:    Hey, Malchus! Are you OK? You seem a little nervous.

Malchus:    Well…I don’t know if nervous is the right word. I’m certainly confused.

KH:    What has you confused?

Malchus:    A very zealous young man named Saul of Tarsus just left here with arrest warrants for the people in Damascus who believe in Jesus.

KH:    Where are we?

Malchus:    This is my boss’s house. He is the high priest of Israel.

KH:    Is he really authorized to give out arrest warrants?

Malchus:    That’s a hard question to answer. He does it all the time, but I can’t find any Scripture that really grants him authority to do it. It’s more of a tradition that no one ever challenged to see if it is legal.

KH:    Why does Saul want to arrest people who believe in Jesus? Are these people dangerous or rebellious?

Malchus:    That’s what has me confused. I don’t understand the great hatred both he and my boss have for Jesus and His followers. All the ones I’ve met are good, law-abiding people. They don’t seem to be a threat to anyone. I met Jesus myself one night.

KH:    What was He like?

Malchus:    He seemed to be the sweetest, kindest, gentlest man I’ve ever met! My boss, the high priest, had paid one of Jesus’ disciples a lot of money to betray Him (Matthew 26:15). The traitor led us to the garden where Jesus was praying. His disciples were sleeping. They were not bothering anyone.

We snuck up on Him to take Him by surprise, but I’m sure He already knew we were coming. It was as if He could read our thoughts (Matthew 9:4; 12:25; Luke 5:22; 6:8)! He just stood there calmly. Everything was going fine until one of our soldiers grabbed Jesus (Matthew 26:50). When he did that, Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, swung a sword at me. I ducked, but he cut off my right ear (Luke 22:50).

KH:    Your ear looks fine to me.

Malchus:    It is now. That’s because Jesus told Peter to put his sword away. Then Jesus picked up my ear and put it back on! It healed instantly and didn’t even leave a scar!

We started the fight. We attacked them in the middle of the night while they were praying in a garden doing nothing wrong. Jesus and His disciples had every right to be angry and fight back, but instead, Jesus healed me!

It’s as if I can still feel His tender hand on my ear. I’ve never met a nicer man. He even called the traitor, “Friend” (Matthew 26:50). I’ve never met a man like Jesus. I don’t know why they hate Him so much. It’s totally irrational. That’s what has me puzzled.

KH:    How long has this been going on?

Malchus:    Oh, for several years now. It’s getting worse. The high priest seemed to hate Jesus long before He even met Him. It’s strange. It’s much more than just a religious dissagreement. It’s almost a demonic hatred!

I had never met Jesus until that night, but I had talked with many people that knew Him. Hundreds had been healed by Him. There was no middle ground. People either loved Him or hated Him. Even those who hated Him couldn’t really point to a reason why or to any bad thing He had done. They just hated Him, that’s all. It’s crazy.

KH:    So what do you think is going on?

Malchus:    I’ve worked for the high priest for a long time. He is normally a ice guy, but when the name of Jesus comes up, he goes crazy with hatred. I guess his attitude rubbed off on me for a long time until I actually met Jesus that night and felt His healing touch. There must be money involved. Maybe the priests feel their job is threatened if people follow Jesus.

KH:    All evil seems to stem from the love of money (I Timothy 6:10). Say, Malchus, what are you personally going to do about the claims of Jesus? He claimed to be the only way to Heaven, you know.

Malchus:    Oh, I know. Don’t tell my boss but…I believe Jesus was right.

KH:    When your boss had Jesus crucified, did it satisfy his anger?

Malchus:    Yes, for a few days. He was giddy with joy. But then, rumors started flying that Jesus had risen from the dead. My boss was scared and angry. He gave a lot of money to the soldiers to spread the rumor that Jesus’ body was stolen by His disciples (Matthew 28:11-13). We all know this was a lie because Roman law requires the soldiers to be killed if they fail at their job and those soldiers are still alive.

Jesus appeared to hundreds of people (Acts 1:3; I Corinthians 15:4-8). Now there are many thousands of believers. The high priest is frantic to stop the spread of this new religion! That’s why Saul got the warrants.

KH:    Why doesn’t he honestly examine the evidence and accept Jesus as the Messiah?

Malchus:    That’s what I did. I’ve been secretly attending the meetings of the disciples. I need to keep it quiet for now. If my boss found out, I’d be fired…or worse!

KH:    What about this guy who just left?

Malchus:    Let’s pray for him. “Dear Heavenly Father, Please stop Saul from persecuting Your children. Please convert him, Lord. Do whatever You need to do to get his attention, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.”

KH:    Amen. Thanks, Malchus.

Malchus:    You are welcome, Kent.

See Acts 9:3-20 for the rest of the story!