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 result is eternal life’ [Romans 6:19-22] “Those things result in death!” (Rom. 6:21) In other words, the end of the slavery of sin is death. First, the slave of sin yields his own members to impurity and to lawlessness (v. 19). Here, impurity refers to being morally unclean, and lawlessness refers to disobeying and breaking God's law. Second, the life of a slave to sin is freedom in regard to righteousness (v. 20). Third, the slaves of sin produce shameful fruits (v. 21). Fourth, the end of the slave to sin is death (v. 21). Here, death means three things: (1) Spiritual death: The slave of sin is already spiritually dead. The reason is because the slave of sin has been cut off with the life, the...