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 ...
‘Wait for what the Father had promised’ [Acts 1:1-5] In a verse from a children's song, there are lyrics like this: ‘Promise with your pinky finger tightly crossed.’ It's a verse that young children enjoy singing when making promise. However, it seems they understand that promise can be easily broken, as the method and procedure for reaffirming promise continue to evolve. Initially, they would simply hook their pinky fingers, but at some point, after hooking their pinky fingers, they stamp it with their thumbs as a sort of "seal." Now, after making the promise and sealing it, they say "copy" to each other while pressing their palms together. This means that the promise has been duplicated, so it must be kept. Some children go even further and add a step of signing on the palm after copying the promise. It's their own triple or quadruple lock system for promises (Internet). ...