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 ...
We must voluntarily take
up our own cross and follow Jesus.
The Roman soldiers, as they were leading Jesus
out to crucify Him,
encountered a man from Cyrene named Simon.
They "forced" him to carry Jesus'
cross
(Matthew 27:31-32; Mark 15:21, Korean Modern Bible).
I am reminded of Jesus' words:
"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny
themselves
and take up their cross and follow me"
(Matthew 16:24, Korean Modern Bible).
According to these words, as disciples of Jesus,
we must follow Him not by force but voluntarily,
willingly taking up our own crosses and
following Him.
Jesus will never force us to carry our cross.
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