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 ...
Jonah’s God (3) [Jonah 1:11-17] Pastor AW Tozer, who was called the 21st century prophet, said this: ‘God calls man to worship first and then to worker.’ I cannot but agree with what he said. However, I think we are trying to do something for God like Martha (Lk 10:40), rather than trying to be true worshipers who worship God in spirit and truth (Jn. 4:23). Here we must remember the relationship between "being" and "doing". In other words, our actions must come from our being. For example, our good deeds should come from our character that resembles God's goodness. The Bible divides the true worship into two categories: (1) The first is the people who worship God as they focus on who God is. These worshipers acknowledge the sovereignty of God. Look at David...