Put the Sword Away, Captain Oblivious

Leadership

With the unmistakable sound of a sword being unsheathed and whizzing through the air, the right-hand man of one of the mob’s leaders lost his right ear. Even with all of the commotion going on, everyone must have heard the guy's screams and saw the blood dripping from his face. It was just the kind of spark that ordinarily would have lit the wick of the angry mob. Things were about to get ugly fast. But they didn't.

"When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, 'Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!' And one of them struck at the high priest's slave, slashing off his right ear. But Jesus said, 'No more of this.' And he touched the man's ear and healed him." (Luke 24:49-51)

Remarkably, even though the angry mob that came under the cover of night with clubs and swords to take Jesus out, nobody did anything when the first strike found its victim. Even more remarkable was the fact that when Jesus said "No more of this", both sides just stopped and obeyed. Even still, the most remarkable part of this event, in my opinion, is that when Jesus reaches over in an act of quiet, mighty grace, love, and power and heals the man's ear, everyone didn't just fall to their knees in awe, aborting the mission and moving straight to adoration. I guess ignorance and hate can cause us to be blind to miracles right in front of us.

We see what we want to see.

Sometimes in life, we allow emotions to blind us to what God is doing right in front of our faces. How could they have missed Jesus healing the bloody, screaming man's ear? It had to be so obvious. So miraculous. So powerful that surely somebody would have said, Uhhh, Frank, maybe we got the wrong guy.... but no. They were oblivious. They completely missed it. How about you? How many amazing things are happening right in front of you that you are too busy, too emotional, or too blind to see?

The other sober truth is that Jesus stepped into the conflict and brought peace, even at his own peril. He was in the right, his opposition completely wrong. But he knew that when conflict arises, a real man brings peace. Despite the personal harm to himself, he stepped in so that others could be spared. Even loving His enemy. I heard recently that when a husband and a wife are having conflict, it's the man's responsibility to bring peace, even when he believes he's right (which we all think... but rarely are). Then, I read the above verse and saw that idea in action. Jesus is the groom, and His church is his bride.

Don't be so emotional, single-minded, or too distracted to see the miracles God is doing right in front of you. I feel I walk around some days as Captain Oblivious when things should be so obvious. And speaking of obvious (but difficult), our job is to courageously step in and bring peace and healing. Whenever possible, say "no more of this" and put your sword of pride back in its sheath and offer the hand of peace and healing. It may cost you in the short term, but in a few short days, it will all be different.