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 ...
The happiness of those who are credited as righteous by God (2) [Romans 4:9-17] We have already learned who is the happiest person in the world based on Romans 4:1-8. We learned that the happiest person in this world is the one who has received the remission of all sins only through faith in Jesus Christ, and whom God credited as the righteousness. In the midst of that, I personally created a “happiness formula”: Happiness Quotient = Only grace + Only Jesus' work on the cross + Only faith. The more we get to know Jesus through the words of the Bible, and the more we realize what He did on the cross for our salvation, the more our faith grows. And the more our faith grows, the more we will think of the salvation that God has given us in Jesus Christ. And the more we think of the salvation that God has given us, the more we realize how great God's grace is. The more we do...