Good defence is a good strategy

Image from www.thebricktestament.com

This morning while checking my facebook, one of my former students (from my second youth position at Guthrie's First United Methodist Church) messaged me and asked me a very good question.

He asked me "What does Jesus mean in Luke 22:36 when he tells his disciples to buy swords and then he tells them '2 will be enough'?"

This verse through me for a loop at first. I don't think I've ever payed attention to it before. If you read through the Book of Luke, and look at it in the correct context the answer is there.

I think J. Vernon McGee gives the best explanation about it in his "Thru The Bible Commentary Series on Luke"

Here is what Dr. McGee said on Luke 22:36:

"You had better pack your suitcase and get your traveler's checks if you are going out for the Lord today and give out the gospel. You had better be prepared to protect yourself and your loved ones. We are living in difficult days. The Lord said, 'He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.' Why? For self protection, of course. They were living in days that required a sword. We need to recognize that fact also. IF we do not resist evil today, all kinds of evil will befall us. We could end up in the hospital or have some of our loved ones slain"

John Wesley commented about this verse too. He said "It is plain, this is not to be taken literally. It only means, This will be a time of extreme danger."

I personally think that Jesus was telling those with him to be prepared to defend yourselves and your families. In those times everyone had a sword, and if someone decided to come after you with a sword and you didn't have one then your pretty much a goner.  Jesus didn't say to use the swords to harm or attack others, but at the same time he knew that the disciples and his followers would be in danger and that they needed to be able to defend themselves.

Now the question is: "But, didn't Jesus tell us to turn the other cheek?"

Yes, Jesus said to turn the other cheek in Matthew 5:39 and Luke 6:29. But he was talking in a different context than what he was in Luke 22:36. Jesus is saying here not to retaliate. Sometimes, when we are doing what Jesus has asked us to do, people are going to get mad at us. I've even seen evangelists get punched in the face for saying Jesus Loves You.

Jesus is talking about showing those people love and kindness. When someone has wronged us, we shouldn't react in a hateful or angry way, but in a way that demonstrates Jesus character and values. The actions we make when someone is mean to us should cause them to consider what Jesus is like so that our example might lead them to accept Jesus as their Lord God and Savior.

I know people that take both of these verses to the extreme. One of my professors in college said that if he walked in on his wife being raped he would allow it to happen, and when the attack was over he would simply set down with the guy and talk with him to lead him to Jesus. On the other hand, I know a guy that thinks that you should kill anybody that even looks at your house from the side walk. Both men are Christians, and both of them take these two verses to the point of being extremists. Which is a bad thing.

Jesus said to turn the other cheek, but didn't say what to do if the person kept attacking. I think that is where Luke 22:36 comes in. If someone hits you once and then its over then don't react. If someone comes breaks into your house while your there or someone is attacking you, by all means defend yourself and your family! The hard part is, you have to defend yourself and your family in a way that will show Jesus to the person attacking you. It may mean that you grab a baseball bat and scare the person. At the same time it may mean knocking the person out, then taking them to the hospital, and once they wake up tell them you forgive them and tell them about Jesus. The thing we have to remember is to not act out of hatred or vengeance, but to act out of love for your family first then to the attacker.

I hope that this helps my former student out, and that others may learn something from it also.

What an awesome question! Thank you so much for asking!

If you have any comments, questions, or want to play devils advocate about this topic, please feel free to do so.


If you have any questions like this one, please feel free to ask! I love trying to answer them.