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 ...
When God's calling and God's will
conflict with human will
and commands ...
The
people who sought to accuse Daniel went in groups to Daniel's house
and
saw him praying three times a day, as he had always done,
kneeling
down and praying to God.
They
went to King Darius and said, 'Daniel, who is from Judah
and
has been exiled, disregards your decree, O king,
and
still prays three times a day.'
Eventually,
the people who sought to accuse Daniel found no fault in him
because
'Daniel was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.'
They
realized that 'if it were not for matters related to his religion,
they
would not find any grounds to accuse him.'
Therefore,
they persuaded King Darius to issue a decree
that
'for the next 30 days, anyone who prays to any god or human being
other
than the king will be thrown into the lion's den'
(Daniel
6:10-13).
This
was done to trap Daniel into breaking the law.
As I
reflect on this passage, I consider from Daniel's perspective
that
when God's law—'to kneel and pray to God three times a day,
as he
had always done before' (v. 10)—conflicted with King Darius' decree—
'that
for the next 30 days, anyone who prays to any god or human
other
than the king will be thrown into the lion's den' (v. 7)—
Daniel
chose to obey God's law, even though it meant breaking the king's decree.
This
reminds me of something I told my dear daughter Yeri
after
meeting with the senior pastor of our church last evening:
'When
God's calling and God's will conflict with human will and commands,
we
must obey God's calling and God's will.
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