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 ...
Moses (3) [Acts 7:36-38] The leadership of Pastor Nakjoong Choi at Sunrise Church is intriguing: A leader is like a conductor of an orchestra. He must harmonize the diverse individuals in the world to become one. They are not one in uniformity, but one in harmonizing diversity. Nothing different is wrong. A spiritual leader is someone who, regardless of age, gender, social status, or wealth, brings people together in unity through the Holy Spirit. Our society needs efforts to acknowledge and achieve harmony in diversity. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3) (Internet). I believe this is a fitting definition of leadership for our church. It is the responsibility of both myself and our church leaders to harmonize Korean ministry, English ministry, and Hispanic ministry brothers and sisters in Christ, making t...