Devotional Reflection Based on the Incident of Peter Cutting Off Malchus's Ear: “Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.” ( Mark 14:47, Today's Korean Version ) 1. Identifying the People Involved: The person who stood beside Jesus and drew the sword was Simon Peter . The servant of the high priest was named Malchus . “Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.” ( John 18:10 ) 2. Jesus' Response to Peter's Action: (a) Jesus said: “Permit even this.” ( Luke 22:51, KJV: “Suffer ye thus far”; RSV: “No more of this” ) The Greek words clarify this: “ἕως τούτου” (“heōs toutou”) = “up to this point” or “even this” “ἐᾶτε” (“eate”) = “allow it,” “let it be,” “leave it alone” Therefore, Jesus is essentially saying: “Let them do what they are doing. Do not resist any further.” “If ...
Jesus calling us (1)
[Mathew 4:18-22]
We all want to live a life that follows Jesus more closely. May we all write “Follow Jesus” on the tablet
of our hearts. What must we do to follow
Jesus? As we meditate on Matthew
4:18-22, we would like to receive the lesson that God gives us by meditating on
the scene where Jesus calls Peter and his brother Andrew, and James the son of
Zebedee, and his brother John.
Look at Matthew 4:19 – “Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will
make you fishers of men.” This is the
word Jesus said to the fishermen when he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called
Peter, and Andrew, his brother, casting their nets into the sea while he was walking
on the shores of Galilee (v. 18). As I
meditated on these words, I divided them into two categories. (1) It is Jesus’
calling. Jesus called Peter and Andrew,
“Follow me.” (2) It is Jesus’ promise. That promise is, “I will make you fishers of
men.” What do you think of this call and
promise of Jesus? As I meditated on
these words, I thought that Jesus is giving us a higher calling. In other words, Jesus gave Peter and Andrew the
higher calling. Peter and Andrew were
Galilean fishermen, who had a job of catching fish in the Sea of Galilee, whom
Jesus had promised to make them fishers of men (vv. 18-19)
Jesus is calling you, “Follow me.” Jesus
is giving you a higher calling. Jesus is
giving you the higher calling than your job.
Jesus is calling you to be fishers of men. Jesus wants to save the dying souls by using
us to share His gospel. And Jesus wants
to save those souls and make them His disciples through you. How should we respond to this call of Jesus? See the reaction of Peter and his brother
Andrew: “At once they left their nets and followed him” (v. 20). And see the reaction of James the son of
Zebedee and his brother John: “and immediately they left the boat and their
father and followed him” (v. 22). They
immediately left their nets, their boats, or even their father, and followed
Jesus. We, too, must immediately leave
everything behind at the call of Jesus and follow Him. Therefore, I hope and pray that all of us
will become fishers of men according to the promise of Jesus.
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