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 ...
" Theology and the Church W. Robert Godfrey Theology, the truth that is from God and about God, is for the life of the church. Jesus is building His church by making disciples who follow Him, confessing the truth that He is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” ( Matt. 16:16 ). Disciples are those to whom Jesus gives life so that they will walk in His way according to His truth. As Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” ( John 8:31–32 ). In the Great Commission, Jesus sends His disciples to make disciples and build His church throughout the world. How are the disciples to make disciples? Jesus sums up that huge task in two remarkably brief points: His disciples will make disciples by baptizing them and by teaching them. If these words of Jesus were not so familiar, many of us might find this summary somewhat surprising. We might well expect the commission to teach, but including the commis...