“And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear.”
Matthew 26:51 — Greek Interlinear
Church Fathers on Matthew 26:51
So Luke relates, the Lord had said to His disciples at supper, 'He that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip; and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one;' [Luke 22:36] and the disciples answered, 'Lo, here are two swords.'
In another Gospel [marg. note: John 18:19], Peter is represented as having done this, and with his usual hastiness; and that the servant’s name was Malchus, and that the ear was the right ear. In passing we may say, that Malchus, i.e. one who should have been king of the Jews, was made the slave of the ungodliness and the greediness of the Priests, and lost his right ear so that he might hear only the worthlessness of the letter in his left.
For though they seem even now to hear the Law, yet is it only with the left ear that they hear the shadow of a tradition concerning the Law, and not the truth. The people of the Gentiles is signified by Peter; for by believing in Christ, they become the cause of cutting off the Jews' right ear.