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 ...
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous” [Psalms 34:15-22] Can suffering be light? If you answer "Yes" to this question, how is this possible? As I was reading what Pastor Nam-joon Kim said, I got some answers on how suffering can be light. This is what Pastor Kim said: ‘The depth of sin in the world becomes clearer in the sufferings of the righteous. ... The suffering of the righteous is a sense of atonement for the sins of the world. There is sure punishment for evil is human feeling, intuition and belief. But the world is tainted with evil. Then isn’t this world supposed to be perished? The fact that the world is evil and is not being perished means someone is paying the price for sin. That is the meaning of the sufferings of the righteous. The suffering of the righteous is to bear the sins of the world and pay the p...