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He that Hath No Sword;
Let Him Sell His Garment and Buy One
(Luke 22:36)
Was Christ Really Advocating Self-Defense?
(http://spiritualbiblestudies.com)
Let Him Sell His Garment and Buy One
(Luke 22:36)
Was Christ Really Advocating Self-Defense?
(http://spiritualbiblestudies.com)
There could be volumes written concerning Luke 22:36. The New Testament teaching is basically out of this world and in essence unattainable to all who insist upon harboring weapons of self-defense for the simple fact that the Gospel of Christ unequivocally and indisputably requires one to sacrifice himself for the sake of Christ’s truth if need be. That is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ in a nutshell. The New Testament is filled with verses that support this basic truth. It is indeed “where the rubber meets the road” for those who are truly serious about serving the true Lord. This is a very sensitive subject and most “confessing” Christians will have little or no desire to search out the scriptures concerning this matter. For many of them already know what they will find, therefore they simply invent various non-biblical studies in an attempt to pawn off the matter as irrational or without practical worldly reasoning with regard to this basic doctrine.
Some have said that due to the fact that the early Church did not have the invention of guns in which to possess, they had to harbor swords instead. In Luke 22:36 Christ is speaking strictly to a few of His disciples concerning what is about to transpire and certainly Christ IN NO WAY was advocating violence or self-defense against the Roman soldiers or the Jewish hierarchy. This would go sternly against everything that Christ preached from the time He was a child. Why then do the majority of those who call themselves Christians directly or indirectly advocate violence or self-defense when it comes to certain causes or principles that may be near to their hearts?
1 John 2:15-17
15 - Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 - For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 - And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Revelation 12:11 - And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Why then is the vast majority of “confessing” Christians not only dead to these verses but vigorously opposed to them? Simply put, they have not surrendered all to Christ as they claim.
John 15:19 - If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
John 14:15-17
15 - ¶If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 - And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 - Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
He that Hath No Sword Let Him Sell His Garment and Buy One
At the Mount of Olives just before the Roman soldiers came to arrest Christ He had just told Peter that before the cock would crow this day he, Peter, would deny Christ three times, Luke 22:34. After being with Christ all that time the disciples still did not have much spiritual insight because they were yet on the Old Testament side of the cross. Let us now briefly look at a one-time event that has been, in many cases, deliberately misconstrued in order that we may sub-consciously escape the reality of having to deal with this great spiritual command. Christ is speaking to His disciples shortly before His arrest and betrayal:
Luke 22:35-37
35 - And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.
36 - Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
<But NOW - meaning now because more Scripture is being ready to be fulfilled! But WHY would Christ tell His disciples to buy a sword? He is not talking about the sword of the spirit, He is speaking of a literal sword; a weapon.>
37 - For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end.
Christ was clearly telling His disciples to buy a sword so that this particular scripture would be fulfilled. What scripture was that? It should be marked or a footnote in all bibles. Christ was speaking of Isaiah 53:12 that had to be fulfilled in Him at that very time.
Isaiah 53:12 -
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he <Christ> was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Christ was numbered or reckoned with the transgressors - His own disciples! He wasn't only numbered with the transgressors at the cross because of the two thieves on either side of Him ... but these verses in Luke prove that being "numbered with the transgressors" was also speaking of His own disciples. His disciples were still on the Old Testament side of the cross and therefore still believed that they had to literally fight! They clearly did not understand the spiritual concept of turning the other cheek until after the resurrection and the beginning of the Church Age.
Therefore Christ tells His disciples that if they don't own a sword, they had better sell their garments and buy one. WHY? Because they were about to be counted as transgressors along with Christ! He then goes on to Gethsemane and is betrayed by Judas. Then one of the disciples, Peter, drew his SWORD and cut off the right ear of a servant of the Jewish High Priest!
Luke 22:50 - And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.
John 18:10 - Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.
John 18:26 - One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?
This is why Jesus told His disciples to buy a sword - because the cutting off of the right ear had to be fulfilled with Christ being numbered with the transgressors:
Luke 22:37 - For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors <Isaiah 53:12>: for the things concerning me have an end.
The worldwide corporate church will NEVER “buy in” to this seemingly bizarre doctrine of truly turning the other cheek. Today there are congregations that are actually telling their members to carry weapons to church as a means of deterrence against a rising tide of church violence. Is this how the early church responded? Certainly not. On the New Testament side of the Cross we are to "beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks." We are to cease from violence and wars and work in the spiritual harvest fields - plowing, tilling, etc. Christ tells us in John 4:35 to “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”
The follow is Christ’s answer to Peter who by the sword cut off the right ear of a servant of the High Priest:
Matthew 26:52 - Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
New Testament Scripture is stocked full of references as to how we as Christians are to live out our lives. There would be no space upon this short study to render all of Christ’s commands on this subject. God’s elect are not to pick up sword against another human in any circumstance. The world can continue on in their unbelief and the corporate church will do as it pleases, but God’s Elect has their marching orders and the true Elect know this. The following verse sums up the matter quite nicely:
1 Peter 2:21 - For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
End of Study
