Buy A Sword – Luke 22:36

Luke 22:36He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”

Various conditions in life require different responses from us. Just like on the TV show Jeopardy, there are always different questions to be asked. And asking the right question at the right time really is an art. Ask any spouse about the timing of questions. There are sometimes that are better than others, and some when questions just shouldn’t be asked.

Jesus even had different strategies at different times, and these variations included how His disciples were to behave. Our text tells of one of those variations. Earlier in Jesus’ ministry He had sent out the disciples to spread the good news of the Kingdom. They were told not to take provisions with them, but to rely on those who would accept the message.

During that previous charge to the disciples, Jesus told them specifically not to take money or provisions or an extra pair of shoes. They were to be minimalist. They were to demonstrate their trust in God’s provision even in the face of possible rejection. Their faith was put into action and strengthened.

Now Jesus and the disciples are facing something very different. Jesus is going to be killed in the next few hours and the disciples will scatter. This is a very different situation than their previous mission. This is a time of potential physical danger on a totally different scale. This is not the youth mission trip to inner city kids. This is being dropped into hostile territory behind enemy lines in order to overthrow the world order.

And because the mission is so different this time around, Jesus sets them up by helping them change their mindset. He tells them to purchase a sword.

Now think about this for a moment. Are the disciples skilled at wielding a sword? No, anything but that. They are not trained soldiers. We can see their skill level when one of them swings their sword and cuts off an ear! Not the best aim, or the best strategy for defeating an enemy.

It takes more than a wildly swung sword to defeat the Roman empire and the religious powers that exist in Jerusalem. Jesus isn’t promoting armed advancement of the Gospel. The Crusades were not an advancement of the Gospel, although some did come to faith in Christ through this ungodly means.

But instead, Jesus is shifting their mindset from one of peaceful acceptance to one of resistance. Jesus has been accepted by the people because of His message against the religious leaders and His simple call to obedience. He provided food and healing; who wouldn’t follow a guy like that!

But now the religious leaders have tipped the scale. No more Mr. Nice Guy. They are willing to do anything, including violence, to keep this Jesus’ message from spreading. Every minute Jesus is alive, they think, the more we loose control. They had to crush the message, so they used violence.

So the disciples need to begin to frame their interactions with the outside world differently. They must face the reality that there will be hostility to the message offered in the person of Jesus. And just as Jesus faced death, so they to face death. They were told to shake the dust off their feet when they were rejected previously. Now they are told that rejection will be even greater than it was before.

We live in an area of the world where being a Christian was at least tolerated in the past. But we are entering a period, I believe, where even toleration will not be tolerated. It is becoming a very black and white world. Anyone not holding the belief system of the people in power become the objects of their wrath. We must accept this reality for ourselves and be willing to stand up in Christ.

This of course will mean persecution and perhaps imprisonment and death. So we will join the millions of other Christ-followers around the world who have faced this kind of opposition for centuries. It is our turn now.