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 ...
Jesus on the road to Golgotha (3) [Luke 23:26-32] The first thing that happened on the way to Golgotha was Simon of Cyrene forcibly carrying the cross for Jesus (Lk. 23:26). The second thing that happened was that many people followed Jesus (v. 27). The third thing that happened was that two other criminals were taken along with Jesus. Look at Luke 23:32 – “Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.” Here, the word “two other men, both criminals” refers to “two other men” (Jn. 19:18) in the Gospel of John, and “Two robbers” (Mt. 27:38) or “the robbers” (v. 44) in the Gospel of Matthew and in the Gospel of Mark, it says “two robbers” (Mk. 15:27). At that time, the punishment for robbers was not only crucifixion. However, when we see that these two robbers went to Golgotha wit...