Rev. David Holwick Attendance: 47
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
March 31, 1988
MAUNDY THURSDAY
TAKING UP OUR SWORDS
Luke 22:35-38
This is a fascinating passage, and a very troubling one. It is at this point that the ministry of Jesus goes from an atmosphere of triumph to one of desperation. I personally prefer triumph. I like it when new people are coming, and the church is growing. Enthusiasm breeds success, and everyone likes to be successful. Jesus had known what it was like to be hugely successful. Early in the ministry he was preaching to thousands of people, perhaps even tens of thousands. People were flocking to him from miles around and from every level of society. On top of the popularity of his preaching, many people were being miraculously healed and delivered from spiritual bondage. His disciples had shared in this popularity.
Turn in your Bibles to Luke 10. In the first verse Jesus is appointing 70 followers to go on a preaching mission. The 12 apostles would have been among them.
Now look at his instructions to them in verse 4:
"Carry neither purse, nor scrip {knapsack}, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house."
He is telling them to travel fast and light. They won’t need much in the way of provisions because their message will be well-received. The people will take good care of them.
The preaching mission was a huge success. In Luke 10:17 the seventy disciples report back and say that even the forces of Satan were overwhelmed by them. They got used to this kind of reception. When Jesus had finally entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the enthusiastic crowds made the disciples think the Kingdom of God was about to break in. Even at the Last Supper, which we are commemorating tonight, the followers of Jesus were still expecting great things to happen. Turn back to Luke 22:35. Jesus is reminding them of their popular preaching mission. Did they lack anything when they went out without provisions? Nothing. In verse 36 he says, "But now, things will be much different." Instead of trusting in the kindness of strangers, they’re going to have to fend for themselves. Verse 36 is one of the most puzzling passages in the New Testament. Jesus says: "But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip {knapsack}: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." It’s the part about the sword that bothers people. Could the same Jesus who said, "Turn the other cheek," change his mind at the end of his ministry? Some scholars think so. They say Jesus was actually a revolutionary, just like the PLO. He was calling on his disciples to rise up and fight against their enemies. Thousands of Christians think this is God’s teaching for us today. They are in a movement called "Liberation Theology." In places like Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala, these Christians are using military weapons to achieve their goals.
Many of them combine their Christian faith with the principles of Communism. They say it’s not good enough to wait for heaven. -They want change now. Is this what Jesus meant when he told them to get swords? Probably not. There are several reasons why this passage should not be taken literally. First of all, the rest of the teachings of Jesus are anti-revolutionary. The whole Sermon on the Mount goes against revolutionary tactics. Instead of force and revenge, Christians are supposed to rely on love and forgiveness, even for enemies.
Second, Jesus did some things no self-respecting Jewish revolutionary would do. He ate meals with tax collectors. These people were hated because they served the Roman government and were cruel and dishonest toward the Jewish people. If he was a true revolutionary, he would have avoided them. Third, when the disciples tell him they have 2 swords, Jesus says, "Enough." You can’t win a revolution with only 2 swords, no matter how good you are with them. Just ask the Contras in Nicaragua.
What did Jesus mean, then, when he says "Enough"? He is probably rebuking them instead of agreeing with their action. It’s his way of saying, "You completely miss my point." And it was not the first time. During the Last Supper alone, they misunderstand Jesus, 3 times. To prove that he is rejecting their offer of swords, we just need to turn to Luke 22:49. As Jesus was about to be arrested they asked him, "Lord, shall we smite with the sword?"
Before he answers, they whack off a servant’s ear. In verse 51 Jesus orders them, "Suffer ye thus far - no more of this!" And he healed the ear. Matthew [26:52] adds this statement from Jesus: "Put up again thy sword into its place, for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."
So why did Jesus tell them to buy a sword to begin with? He meant it as a powerful illustration. Years later, the apostle Paul would say Christians are soldiers of Christ, waging war against spiritual forces of evil. That’s pretty much what Jesus means here. Instead of a quick, clean victory, followers of Jesus can expect violent opposition and suffering. We must be prepared for the worst.
