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 ...
We are justified by faith alone! [Romans 3:19-31] In our life of faith, what we must never forget is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which God did for our salvation. We must never forget this wonderful work of God, in which God raised us, who was dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1), back to life through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ and made us the greatest masterpiece of God. However, the problem is that we believers who have been saved by God's exclusive grace often lose focus while living a life of faith. In other words, when we first live a life of faith, we tend to focus on the grace of salvation that God has done in Jesus Christ, and later on, we tend to focus on what we have done for God. Therefore, we commit the dangerous sin of relying on human merit rather than the concept of grace. As a result, we see ourselves serving the church, the body of the Lord, for our own glory in our arrogance r...