While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. – Luke 22:47-51
Our study of the fruit of the Spirit brings us to today’s meditation on the fifth fruit of the Spirit – Kindness. And so we begin by asking ourselves two important questions. One: What does kindness look like? And two: In what ways do I extend kindness to others?
We tend to think of kindness in fairly simple terms, like holding open the door for someone entering the building behind us, or maybe giving up our seat for someone in the waiting area of a restaurant. It’s true that these everyday gestures reveal a certain level of kindness. But I think that these things are more referred to as common courtesies. And it’s also true that many of us would argue that what used to be common courtesies are becoming increasingly more uncommon, making it quite easy to elevate these expected gestures of decency to the level of kindness.
I suppose this takes us back to the first question. What does kindness look like?
I wish the Bible told us more about Malchus. Perhaps his story might reveal a little more clarity that would help us answer that question. According to John, Malchus was the servant of the high priest, and the one whose ear was severed by Peter’s sword that evening when they came to arrest Jesus.
After Peter had struck the man, Jesus rebuked him. “No more of this!” Jesus exclaimed. Jesus then touched Malchus’ ear and healed him.
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus’ last miracle prior to his crucifixion was an act of lovingkindness for a man that had come there that evening to help apprehend him? I sometimes think about what Malchus might’ve felt as Jesus touched him. I’m sure the enormous pain he was suffering was immediately gone. But could the touch of the Savior’s hand have conveyed more than just total physical healing and restoration? Could Malchus feel the love and kindness that flowed from Jesus’ heart, through his hand, into Malchus?
We remember the story of the woman who was desperate to be healed from her years of bleeding, and how through only the tips of her finger touching the hem of Jesus’ robe as he walked by that she instantly realized she was healed. Of course, it was this woman’s faith that healed her, and Jesus reminded her of that during their encounter. But it wasn’t just the healing that we remember. This woman enjoyed the exclusivity of being the only woman in the New Testament that Jesus called “Daughter.”
What impact might Jesus’ kindness have had on Malchus’ life that evening? Did he recognize Jesus as the Messiah that evening and become a believer? Was he there when they whipped and beat him? Did he go home and tell his family that they had just killed the most kind and loving person the world would ever know?
Like so many others who would experience firsthand the kindness of Jesus, the Bible doesn’t provide further details about what became of Malchus. After all, he was just one of the thousands of people whose lives had been forever touched by Jesus during the time he walked the earth.
And this brings us to the second question. In what ways do I extend kindness to others? Is it holding open a door, giving up a seat, or returning a grocery cart to the cart stall in the parking lot? Or is it something deeper and more meaningful? Something that might prompt a person to tell a family member about later that day?
John concludes his gospel account by saying, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (21:25)
If someone decides to write a book about our lives after we pass on, how many pages do you suppose might be needed to reveal how kind we were to others? A few? Several? An entire chapter? Several chapters? Or maybe there could literally be volumes written about how your kindness touched people. Not that we extend kindness to others to earn our salvation, but rather our kindness is the fruit that reveals Christ living inside of us.
Former Blackout Artist 