Forgotten Characters

in the

Easter and Passover Stories

In a garden, Gethsemane or Cedron as reported in the gospel of John, Judas identified Jesus for the soldiers and the Chief Priest and his staff. Simon Peter in an impulsive act cut off an ear of Malchus a servant of the Chief Priest. In Luke's story Jesus reaches out and heals the slaves ear. I wonder what happened to Malchus. If he wasn't healed and lived the rest of his life with the scar, was he bitter, did he blame Christ for the action of his follower? Malchus was a follower and a servant to a powerful master. All of this about Malchus is just speculation; however he was mentioned in the story and I wonder why.

In the Passover story the final plague set upon Egypt was the death of all the first born sons of the Egyptians.

 ¹² On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn-both men and animals-and I will bring judgement on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.

 ²⁹ At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. ³⁰ Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

The first born of the prisoners in the dungeons, dead. Loud wailing, all the mothers holding their dieing boys. It was supposed to be a judgment on the gods of Egypt. Did the people blame their gods for not protecting them against the plagues? When Hagar and her son were thrown out into the desert to die, God rescued them and promised Hagar that her son would be great. Did God comfort any of the Egyptian mothers, did they hear assurances that the remaining children would be blessed?
I wonder what it was like to be a daughter, still alive when the treasured son had died. Where they despised for  surviving? What about the younger sons, I am sure there were jealous younger brothers happy to step into the older brother's place and claim his inheritance and power.

I wonder.