Buy a Sword?

Several observations regarding this matter are in order.

First, one cannot take a passage that presents a difficulty and set it against an almost encyclopedic collection of information that leads to an opposite conclusion. That isn’t a legitimate approach to biblical interpretation, and it reveals more about those who argue in this vein than is complimentary to them.

It is somewhat analogous to the skeptic who dismisses the vast body of data supporting the unity of the Bible (and hence its divine origin) by appealing to a single text that superficially appears to imply a contradiction.

It is also similar to the Protestant who disregards all texts that require immersion in water as an act of faith for obtaining the remission of sins, and focuses only on passages that mention “faith” as a condition of salvation.

Second, the immediate context (Luke 22:35-38) concerns the instructions about how the disciples would be treated as they embarked on their dangerous mission to proclaim his gospel. They were to go forth trusting in God to care for them.

The Lord reminds them of the providential care that surrounded them in their previous evangelistic labors. As they initially went forth, were they abundantly provisioned? No. God provided for them day by day. Did they lack anything? They conceded that they did not.

Christ then quoted Isaiah 53:12, in which the prophet foretold that he, Christ himself, would be “reckoned with transgressors” (i.e., treated as a common sinner). The larger context of Isaiah 53 reveals that in implementing Heaven’s gracious plan of redemption, the lamb of God would do “no violence” (Is. 53:9). His example in dealing with hostility was to be their model to emulate.

Third, when the authorities came to arrest Jesus, Peter attempted to defend his Master with his sword, and the Savior sternly rebuked his apostle for the effort (Mt. 26:51-52).

Fourth, with reference to Luke 22:36, I introduce the testimony of the late William Arndt, professor of New Testament exegesis and hermeneutics at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. Incidentally, he was one of the esteemed editors of the world-famous Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, in collaboration with Gingrich and Danker.

In his book, Does The Bible Contradict Itself?, he wrote regarding Luke 22:36:

It is a warning to the disciples that troublous times, days of suffering and persecution, are coming for them and that they will have to arm themselves to withstand the onslaughts that are impending. The connection makes it clear that our Lord is not speaking of swords of iron or steel in this admonition. The disciples thought that He was referring to such physical weapons, and they said, v. 38: “Lord, here are two swords.” Jesus, seeing that they are still very dull in their understanding of the spiritual teaching He has been giving them, says: “It is enough.” He does not pursue the instruction any further, leaving it to the Holy Spirit to open up the full meaning of this matter to them later on. To put it briefly, the words of Jesus, Luke 22:36, are a figurative way of saying: Perilous times are coming; prepare for them. The swords He has in mind are the spiritual weapons of strong faith, fervent love of the Savior, fortitude, patience, and hope. This text, then, treats an altogether different subject from the one touched on in Matt. 5:39, and a collision of the two passages is out of the question (1955, 147-148).

It is a regrettable circumstance that far too many Christians have their minds made up on a variety of biblical themes before ever carefully studying the matter.

Such individuals are easily disposed to sweep under the carpet much of the evidence about a subject, and then almost frantically search for a single text that will justify what they already want to believe. This is a common though sad situation.