Love, More Powerful Than A Sword

Reflections for this date are based on the following scripture passages:
Luke 22	Luke 23	Luke 24	Exodus 35	Exodus 36

"Then He said to them, 'But now, whoever has a money-bag should take it, and also a traveling bag. And whoever doesn't have a sword should sell his robe and buy one. For I tell you, what is written must be fulfilled in Me: And He was counted among the outlaws. Yes, what is written about Me is coming to its fulfillment.'" (Luke 22:36-37)

Having spoken the words recorded in verses 36 and 37 of Luke 22 to His disciples, Jesus then rebuked them when they responded saying, "look, here are two swords." He said to them, "Enough of that!" (V. 38)
On the surface this exchange between Jesus and His disciples seems confusing, but upon reflection we come to realize Jesus was not telling them to bear arms but rather was speaking metaphorically. With Jesus' crucifixion things would suddenly be different, and as Jesus' followers they would be in danger. For Jesus pointed out to them, "what is written must be fulfilled in Me: And He was counted among the outlaws. Yes, what is written about Me is coming to its fulfillment." Jesus would be crucified as an outlaw and His disciples would be hunted down as outlaws. They would need a defense against this threat, but not by their own actions with the use of a sword. The mention of the sword merely pointed out the danger they faced.

We find ourselves to be like His disciples upon hearing Jesus say they would need to get swords. We ignore all His other teaching and take this statement literally in contradiction of His teaching. We are ready to do battle on His behalf and on behalf of our faith. One of the reasons Jesus was rejected as the Messiah was that He failed to live up to the expectation that He would be a military leader who would deliver the Jews from the rule of the Romans. In contrast to this idea, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey rather than a stallion. He came to them, not as a mighty leader on a horse, but as a gentle savior on a lowly donkey. It was a fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, "Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

As already mentioned, we find ourselves misunderstanding, as did Jesus' disciple on this occasion in the upper room. Though we don't take up swords, we sometimes do battle with those who oppose Jesus or His teaching using angry words and actions. This is no more Jesus' way than using a sword. Jesus did not call us to defend Him or His teachings, but to be His witnesses, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)