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 wise man who built his house on the rock [Matthew 7:24-29] If you live here in California, have you ever experienced an earthquake shaking your house or building? During the 1994 Northridge Earthquake (magnitude 6.7), my apartment building shook violently. At that time I was lying on the second floor in a bunker bed. I was amazed at how loud it vibrated. According to one Internet site, the Northridge earthquake in the United States did not appear in the list of the 10 most powerful earthquakes since the 20th century, but the Northridge earthquake ranked second in the disaster damage list ($44 billion) (1st place was the Kobe earthquake in Japan, estimated property damage is $100 billion) (Internet). If I share only two pieces of information, the most powerful earthquake since the 20th century was the earthquake in Chille in May 1960 with a magnitude of 9.5. The second and thi...