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 ...
Let’s pray. [ Matthew 7 : 7-11] When we think about prayer we Christians often talk about Pastor George Mueller, who was called a man of prayer or a warrior of prayer. The reason is because he is known for receiving the most answers to prayers in history. He is said to have received answered prayers more than 50,000 prayers. As I was preparing for this sermon, I learned about Pastor George Muller's six lifelong prayer tips and shared them with you (Internet): (1) Trust in Jesus! Pray on the merits of Jesus, not on your merits. (2) Forsake sin! If we pray with sin, God will not hear our prayers. Forsake the sin hidden in your heart (Ps. 66:18). (3) Believe! We must believe in the word of promise that God has sworn and pray (Heb. 11:6). (4) Pray with patience! The attitude of a prayer is firstly patience, secondly patience, and thirdly, patience. As a farmer waits pati...