This is an excerpt from my book “40 Moments From Christ’s Final Days.” Click here to get it from Amazon using my affiliate link.
Find this moment in: Lk. 22:35–38
Christ’s meal with His disciples grows increasingly somber as the evening continues. Knowing His arrest, trial, and execution were imminent, He prepares His disciples to stay faithful in His absence. He points out that things would be radically different from what they’d grown accustomed to.
Back in Matthew 10:5-15, Jesus sent His disciples throughout Israel to tell God’s chosen nation about the arrival of their King. He promised them provisions and support during their journey. He now contrasts that time with what their new lives will look like.
And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Not a thing.” And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword should sell his garment and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be completed in Me, ‘AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS’; for that which refers to Me has its completion.” And they said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.” (Luke 22:35-38)
This passage, especially the discussion about swords, has generated plenty of confusion and misinterpretation over the years.
Let’s start with what Jesus isn’t saying. Because Judas is out betraying Christ, there are eleven disciples with Jesus. If Jesus says “it is enough” to have two swords for eleven men, He’s not talking about using them for personal protection. We must also remember that we never see a positive instance of a disciple using a sword for personal protection. The one time we see it is eleven verses later, in Luke 22:49-51 when Jesus rebukes Peter for using His sword for self-defense.
Instead, we need to pay attention to His central point. His two statements about swords are split by His primary focus. Jesus tells them to do these things because He must fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 53.
By His knowledge the Righteous One, my Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will divide for Him a portion with the many, and He will divide the spoil with the strong; because He poured out His soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:11b-12)
Jesus would soon become the Passover lamb, slain for the sins of His followers. He would take their sins upon Himself and take the righteous punishment for sins. But to do so, He would be “numbered with the transgressors.” And as His followers, they would likewise be deemed guilty by association. In John 15:18-27, He reminded them of this truth after His resurrection.
If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. (John 15:18-19)
Understanding all of this, it’s important to hear the tone of what’s happening with the disciples and the two swords. They aren’t proudly proclaiming that they have two whole swords. Rather, they are timidly saying that they have a minimal number of swords. Surely two swords between eleven men won’t label them as criminals or make them seem threatening. Yet, as Jesus says, it will be enough because of their association with Him.
Jesus, who loves His disciples deeply, prepares them for a time of great struggle. The world will hate them because of Him. They may not find rest anywhere. Rather than being able to depend on the hospitality of others as they go out to preach the gospel, they need to prepare for harsh conditions and self-sufficiency. If Christ didn’t want them to have swords for self-defense, it’s far more likely He expected them to use them to cut things other than God’s image bearers.
Stop and think: Christ promises His followers great difficulty in this life. The rest of the world will compromise much in exchange for acceptance, safety, and peace. What big and small things are you willing to lose in exchange for being known as a follower of Jesus Christ?
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