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 ...
Eight blessings (5): The blessing of the merciful [Matthew 5:7] We have already meditated on “The blessing of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” the fourth of the eight blessings Jesus taught. That blessing is ‘satisfaction’. There is one point that we did not go into more detail as we meditate on the fourth blessing. There are three meanings of the word “righteous” (Swanson): (1) The first meaning is righteousness, what is right, justice. One example is Matthew 5:6, which we have already meditated on, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” Another example is Matthew 5:10 – “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Here, “righteousness” is “God’s righteousness,” not “self-righteousness” or “righteousness of the law” that the Pharisees sought. And the righteousness...