Have you ever heard of him?  Maybe you’ve heard of Shoeless Joe Jackson, no relation as far as I know.  Malchus wasn’t earless for long; he has the distinction of being the only guy in the Bible who lost an ear and had it put back on.  Those of you familiar with the story of Jesus’ arrest will remember that Malchus’ ear didn’t just fall off.  It was lopped off by Peter who was very likely going for a death blow on the nearest target possible.  Peter was the kind of guy who one author stated, “went for the head and hit hard.”  Peter was ready to face a mob of up to 500 armed men with only a small sword in hand.  If this story wasn’t so sad it would be comical.  I can’t feel bad about Peter.  He was mistaken but there was so much good in his heart.  He loved Jesus.  He was willing to die for Jesus.  He was committed to Jesus without reserve.  He would not run and would happily have taken a spear through his ribs before he let them arrest His Lord.  His bravery may have been a mix of ego, pride and machismo but it was still bravery.  Some Christians won’t even pray in public for fear of identifying with Jesus but Peter went all in with a swinging sword.  There is an important lesson in that incident that we should be aware of as we follow Jesus…namely, we can be sincere and be sincerely wrong.  We can be passionate and be mistaken.  We must not confuse zealous actions with righteousness.  There is certainly a place for the sword according to Romans 13…but impulsive behaviors, even when brave, are often contrary to Jesus’ ways.  Matthew doesn’t bring it up but Luke wrote in chapter 22 that the disciples actually asked, “Should we smite them with the sword?”  Before Jesus could answer, Peter was making his epic move.  I’ve sure done that before.  I’ve asked the Lord for an opinion and then acted without an answer; that is always dangerous.  So, for all you “Peters” out there, be careful.  God has the power and He has given us the means to do His work.  Let’s walk in His good ways and wait for His Word.