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LUKE 22:35-38
Luke 22:35 And He said to them, “When I sent you out
without purse and bag and sandals, you did not lack
anything, did you?” And they said, “ {No,} nothing.”
Jesus had previously sent the disciples on evangelistic missions and told them
not to be concerned about their necessity detail needs (food, shelter,
clothing).
At Mat. 10:9-10 (Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:3-5; 10:4-12) they are instructed,
“Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your
money belts, or a bag for {your} journey, or even two
tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is
worthy of his support.”
They were to find those necessity details from the
people who responded to their message.
This was not a church mandate, but instructions
specifically for the 12 and the 70 disciples, as is
clarified by the next verse at Luke 22.
Luke 22:36 And He said to them, “But now, let him who has a purse
take it along, likewise also a bag, and let him who has no sword sell his robe
and buy one.
BUT NOW: There is now going to be a new focus because
the spiritual conflict is going to advance to a more
intensified level.
When Satan finds himself defeated through the cross
and the resurrection of Jesus, he is going to attack
believers with much more ferocity, as is expressed at
1 Peter 5:8.
“The devil as a roaring lion, prowls about seeking
someone to devour.”
In anticipation of His victory over Satan via the
cross, Jesus announced to the disciples, “Now judgment
is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall
be cast out.” John 12:31.
So in anticipation of the new SPIRITUAL focus, Jesus
tells them to acquire a sword. The sword, here, is
symbolic of SPIRITUAL warfare. But let us keep in mind
that, “the weapons of our warfare are NOT of the
flesh” (2 Cor. 10:4
There is another reason for acquiring the sword.
As quoted at verse 37, “he was numbered with the
transgressors,” gives Jesus an ASSOCIATION with
sinners so that he can fully identify with them and
thus carry their sin. This association with and
intercession for is seen at Isaiah 53:12, from where
the phrase is quoted.
Luke 22:37 “For I tell you, that this which is
written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘AND HE WAS NUMBERED
WITH TRANSGRESSORS’; for that which refers to Me has
{its} fulfillment.”
Notice also, that here we have a DIRECT statement from
Jesus that Isaiah chapter 53 was written with HIM in
mind.
Luke 22:38 And they said, “Lord, look, here are two
swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”
The disciples produce two swords. Somehow, Peter ends
up with one of them and as usual, gets himself into
trouble with it later (Luke 22:47-51; John 18:10-11;
Mat. 26:48-54).
When Judas and the soldiers confront Jesus in the
garden, one of the disciples asks, “Lord, shall we
strike with the sword?” But before Jesus can answer,
Peter impetuously takes the situation into his own
hands and tries to kill the nearest opponent, who
happened to be a servant and not even a soldier.
However, as good a fisherman that Peter was, he was no
swordsman and simply got an ear instead of a head.
By comparing the three passages listed above we can
reap a few interesting details.
Jesus rebuked Peter, “Put your sword back in its place
for all those who take up the sword shall perish by
the sword,” (Mat. 26:52).
This is not a statement against self armament or self
defense. Jesus advocated self defense at Matthew
24:43, when he taught about being prepared for His
second coming and compared it to a man protecting his
household from a thief.
What Jesus is saying is that those who resort to
physical violence as the solution to their problems,
are doomed to reap the RECIPROCAL consequences when
the other person uses the sword against them.
This statement should not be used to advocate against
self defense, the military, or the law enforcement
agencies. It is talking about the negative mental
attitudes that resort to violence as a means of
solving personality and persecution conflicts.
What is happening to Jesus here is part of the
spiritual conflict and He has accepted the divine
strategy that is being played out. Later when Pilate
says, “don’t you know that I have authority to release
you and authority to crucify you,” Jesus answers from
the perspective of the divine strategy, “you would
have no authority over me unless it had been given to
you from above.” (John 19:10-11).
He tries to teach this to the disciples when he
explains, “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My
Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more
than twelve legions of angels? “How then shall the
Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this
way?” (Mat. 26:53-54).
Three of the disciples had heard His prayer, “Yet not
my will, but Yours be done,” (Luke 22:42), and should
be able to now understand.
Jesus said to Peter, “the cup which the Father has
given, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11).
But the conflict that is now being launched upon the
world (John 12:31; 16:11) is NOT a physical struggle
from the divine perspective. Even though Satan and his
servants will use physical violence to defend their
many false doctrines and religions, and to persecute
the church, Christianity must never resort to
responding in kind for “even though we walk in the
flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,” (2 Cor.
10:3).
This rebuke of Peter, although so often misunderstood,
should be enough by itself to be the standard for the
church that physical violence should never be used to
counter error.
And yet all throughout history and even today, those
who claim association with Jesus Christ, have resorted
to physical violence; punishing, maiming, killing,
destroying property, buildings - all in support of
what they THINK is of God. But God’s way does not
employ such violence, and will not until Jesus Himself
comes to judge the world in righteousness.
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