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 ...
"While he was still confined" "Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard, saying" (Jeremiah 33:1). Sometimes I feel like I'm in jail. There are times when I cannot see the solution of the problem even if I look around everywhere. At that time, I don’t know what to do so I just sit down without doing anything.’ The reason is that I feel a lot of my own incompetence and helplessness in a situation where everywhere looks like a wall. What I can do then is to meditate on the Word of God and to ask God for help. Especially I ask God for help in the Morning Prayer meeting when I don’t know what to do with family ministry and church ministry and when I feel helpless and powerless. When I do that, the Holy Spirit who dwells in me makes me to hold onto the promise Words He gave me. At that time I hold onto that Wor...