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 ...
Slaves to obedience [Romans 6:15-23] Last week, during a wedding service for a couple in our church's English ministry, I gave three recommendations under the title of the sermon titled “By Faith,” centered on Hebrews 11:23-26. One of those three exhortations was to have higher values by faith, refuse to enjoy the sinful pleasures of the world, but choose to be mistreated and to suffer for Jesus Christ. I took Moses as an example. What did Moses do with faith? He made the right choice “by faith”. Moses made the right choice with faith in the choice between to be called the son of Pharaoh's princess (v. 24) or to be called the son of God, to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a short time (v. 25) or to suffer with the people of God (v. 25), to choose all the treasures of Egypt or suffering disgrace for the sake of Christ (v. 26). In this way, faith makes the right choice on the path o...