Luke 22:35-38 35And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag and bag and sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a bag, and let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37For I say to you that it is necessary for what has been written to be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” 38 And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”
This is the last part of Jesus’ words to his disciples at the Passover gathering in the upper room. This passage is oblique and difficult to interpret because of the two ways it could be interpreted. Jesus may have meant one way and the disciples interpreted it another. Jesus reminds the disciples of when he sent them out without money or luggage. All they had was their faith and the message he gave them to proclaim. Their experience showed that there is power in Jesus’ name and the good news of the kingdom. They learned the important lesson of trusting and obeying.
They would be tested in this lesson even more in the coming days. The situation would be different, marked in verse 36 with but now. The now would soon come, but the implied question is if they were ready for it. They would need money, a knapsack, and a sword for the new situation. The challenge with the passage is the mention of a sword. Did Jesus want his disciples to be vigilantes or zealots, taking up arms against their opponents? Was the kingdom to come through force? Did they need to defend themselves against enemies?
Verse 37 serves as a clarification and reason for the readiness of verse 36. There are two ways to interpret sword here. One is literal, but Jesus did not advocate for violence in his teachings but peace and turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:38-42). The other is metaphorical in a spiritual sense; the disciples were in a spiritual battle, and they needed to be equipped and ready to fight the forces of evil. This battle was so important that the disciples should be willing to sell their cloaks, which were essential clothing to stay warm and be protected from the elements.
The reason for their readiness was the need for Scripture about Jesus to be fulfilled. Jesus quotes a part of Isaiah 53:12. This whole chapter of Isaiah is a prophecy about the coming Servant of the Lord who would suffer for his people by taking their sins upon himself through death. He would go to the cross so that they would have victory in their spiritual battle.
The disciples apparently interpreted Jesus’ words literally since they showed him two swords. Why did they have swords in the first place? Did they have grand ideas of insurrection, or were the swords only for personal protection? Having swords shows they still lacked full faith in Jesus. Jesus’ response implies that he meant all this talk of swords to be metaphorical because two swords would not get far against the Romans or the temple guard.
Another possible interpretation is that Jesus was preparing for his arrest in verses 47-53. A sword would be needed to instigate his arrest. After one of the disciples (unnamed by Luke, but named as Peter in John 18:10) drew on of the two swords and cut off the servant’s ear, this was an occasion for Jesus to teach another lesson in the heated moment of arrest. The situation would be another test of Peter as he learned the lesson of faith and trust. There are mysteries about this passage that we can only surmise about, but we can see how Jesus’ arrest, suffering, and death were all a fulfillment of Scripture and part of God’s plan.
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