Malchus and the Sperm Whale

In January 2004 a 60t sperm whale died and was beached on the southwestern coast of Taiwan. Two weeks later, authorities decided to truck the dead whale to a laboratory, where they could do an autopsy. It took 50 men and 3 cranes thirteen hours to hoist the whale onto a flatbed. People poured into the streets of a local city to watch the spectacle of a whale carcass being driven through their downtown.

Guess what happened next?! The whale exploded right in the middle of town! Whale guts all over people, cars, shops, it was everywhere. And the traffic was stopped for hours while the mess was cleaned up.

I wonder how bad the smell was?

And did ya think anyone saw that coming? … nope!

Isn’t life just like this sometimes though? We’re going about our daily business, and just like that a whale explodes on our life. We are left confused and more often than not with question that just aren’t answered. Why did she leave me? why did he or she have to die so young? Why did we loose so much money? Why do our kids cause us so much pain? Why why why why why?

Tonight we are continuing our series on the Witnesses to Christ. Today we are welcoming John 18 into the fold as we meet Malchus. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Malchus was going about his business, and before he knows it, a whale exploded. Suddenly, his right ear was cut off by a fisherman from Galilee. No one saw that coming!

The New Revised Standard Version The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.

Judas brought a detachment of soldiers, that’s not just one or two! These Roman soldiers will come into the picture the next day when they mock, flog and crucify Jesus.

Let’s get a bit of context on this arrest, and who was sent to arrest the Rabbi Jesus. The crowd that arrests Jesus is made up of Romans (who controlled the country), chief priests (who controlled the temple), and pharisees (who controlled the religion). In our culture this would be the equivalent the the Supreme Court sending in the Australian Federal Police to arrest one of the teachers at the school! At night!

Then comes all the chaos.

The New Revised Standard Version The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus.

Peter cut off Malchus’s right ear. For him a while just exploded in the middle of his life. and I could imagine he did what anyone would do with the pain from that. Double over screaming and holding his ear.

Has a mess suddenly appeared in your life? Are you doing everything you can to survive? Have you consulted the bank? changed your diet? called an attorney? tightened your budget? gone into counseling or rehab or therapy? Don’t give up! Don’t ever give up! Why? The control is clear. Whose control? Christ’s control! It’s very clear! Judas, the Jews, and the Romans appear to be running things. Let me accent the word appear. Christ is really the one in control! How so?

The New Revised Standard Version The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

4 Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward

The control is with Jesus the whole time. When the enemies of Jesus approach, he comes out to meet them. he doesn’t wait for them to come to him. When Judas approach Jesus, he didn’t run away. When Peter strikes the ear of Malchus, Jesus tells peter to put his sword away. Jesus is in full control the whole time.

This is what Jesus says in John 10:18

John 10:18 NRSV

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

Although the powers of darkness and the devil are moving against Jesus at full throttle, Christ is still in control. If we take a look at Matthew's gospel we can also see Jesus telling us he could summon 12 legions of angels from his father in heaven if he wanted to. 12 legions. There were 6 000 men in one Roman legion. If we do the math that’s 72 000 angels! now wouldn’t that be intimidating! But Jesus doesn’t need 72 000 angels becasue he is in absolute control of what is happening.

During World War II, psychologists compared ground troops with fighter pilots. They determined that after sixty days of continuous combat, the anxiety of ground troops was off the charts. After sixty days, though, an astounding 93 percent of fighter pilots were happy and at peace. Why is that? The fighter pilots had control. They had their hands on the throttle! Ground troops, on the other hand, felt forlorn and helpless. They could just as easily be killed standing still or running away. What’s the point? Popular wisdom tells us, “Always seek control!”

We don’t need war to prove this! all we need is for there to be a traffic jam in Wagga at 4pm. And have traffic banked up everywhere. Scientists have done a study that being stuck in a traffic jam triples our chance of a heart attack. Makes sense right? That’s why popular wisdom tells us that we always need to be in control.

There’s only one problem with this popular wisdom. It doesn’t work!

Would you like something that does work though? Rather than seeking control, releasing control! give it up, give it all up. Resign as CEO of the universe, which is something more are more and more people are trying to be. Give your entire mess to Jesus. Christ is in control!

Whats the other option? Whats the plan for when another whale explodes in the middle of your life. Follow the popular wisdom? Never board a plane without a parachute. Never leave the house without a gas mask. Never step on a crack lest you break your mothers back. That’s what we can do, face every exploding whale by taking control. Let me know that goes later on.

Do you remember the Peanuts comic strip? well in one of them Lucy is struggling with her Sunday School memory verse. Finally she suggests that maybe it’s a verse from the book of “Reevaluations”, Reevaluations!

The whole of Scripture is a book of reevaluations! They help us reevaluate who really is in control. John 1:29

John 1:29 NRSV

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Christ is in control of Sin, and he takes it all away.

John 4:14 NRSV

but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”

Christ is in control of our aching thirst - He quenches it with his unconditional love!

John 8:12 NRSV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Christ is in control of the darkness as well. Because he is the light of the world.

When our children go on any school camps, or excursions there is always this form that needs to be signed asking the parents who the responsible party is? if an accident happens you as the parent sign the form as the adult responsible for the child.

Christ signed His name for us—and He wrote it in His own blood. When we were baptized, Jesus took full responsibility for us. When the whale explodes, Jesus is the responsible party! Not us! It’s His job to see us through. Christ is the Shepherd; we are the sheep. Christ is the Bridegroom; we are the Bride. Christ is the Rabbi; we are the disciples. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness!”

nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness!”

One of three things is happening in our lives right now. We are either heading for a mess or we are in a mess or we just went through a mess. No matter what, we don’t have to become hopeless or anxious or faithless. We can stay calm. Why?

When whales explode, Jesus delivers perfect peace. He reaches out His hand and heals us. Don’t believe me? Then just ask a man named Malchus. Amen.