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 ...
The number of believers increased? “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food” (Acts 6:1). Last night, I began reading Acts chapter 6, which is the Bible passage I'll be using for today's morning prayer meeting. As I started reading from verse 1, my attention was immediately drawn to the phrase "In those days" (6:1). I found myself wondering, "What was happening at that specific time that led to an increase in disciples (believers)?" So, I turned back to Acts chapter 5 and focused on verses 17 onwards. In these verses, the apostles were arrested and put in jail (v. 18), brought before the high priest and the Sadducees (v. 27), and sternly ordered not to teach in Jesus' name anymore (v. 28). They even intended to kill the apostles after hear...