SELL
SUIT, BUY SWORD
LUKE
22:35-38
Luke
22:35 And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and
shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.
Susie: Previously,
Jesus had sent the disciples out with the instructions to take nothing with
them to provide for themselves. They were taken care of along the way by other
believers. They were fed, housed, and possibly protected during their
missionary journey.
Susan: When
Jesus jogged their memory of that time, the disciples recalled that all their
necessities were provided as they went.
Luke
10:4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
Luke
22:36 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.
Susie: The
rest of their lives was going to be different than the times Jesus sent them on
temporary assignments. Jesus would soon depart from this earth, and they would
be on their own (other than the Holy Spirit, of course). Persecution would be
fierce and even former “friends” might not welcome them anymore.
Susan: Therefore,
Jesus urged them to live, as we would say, by the Boy Scout or Girl Scout motto
of being prepared for all scenarios. They would need to take money, a knapsack,
and even a weapon. Of course, their primary offensive weapon would be the
“sword of the Spirit which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).
Susie: However,
since the “purse” and “scrip” are taken literally, we may also conclude that
Jesus meant they might literally need to defend themselves. The type sword they
would have had would have been more like a long knife and could be used for
such practical purposes as cleaning fish or fending off wild animals. The point Jesus is making is that they will
have to fend for themselves more than before and that danger is a certainty in
their future.
Susan: Jesus
would no longer be with them physically, but has assured them of the presence
of the Holy Spirit to guide and watch over them.
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 transgressorsG459: for the things
concerning me have an end.
Verse
37. - For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in
me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors. Here
he shows them what he meant. They, as disciples of One treated as a malefactor,
had surely nothing to expect but hatred and persecution. Stier remarks that
this is the first time that the Lord himself directs us to the fifty-third
chapter of Isaiah, that most pre-eminent and complete text of the Passion.
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 was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made
intercession for the transgressors.
Susie: When I
read the word “transgressors,” I thought “sinners.” But the word has a broader
meaning:
G459 -
ἄνομος ánomos, an'-om-os; from G1 (as a negative particle) and G3551; lawless,
i.e. (negatively) not subject to (the Jewish) law; (by implication, a Gentile),
or (positively) wicked:—without law, lawless, transgressor, unlawful, wicked.
Susan: Since
the crowd would demand the release of a known murderer and leader of an uprising
over the release of Jesus, and since He would be crucified between two thieves,
His disciples would be labeled as known associates of a criminal, a part of a
crime family, His lieutenants.
Susie: The
Son of God the Father would be labeled as a godfather!
Susan: Jesus’s
purpose for coming—to die on the cross in our place—would soon be accomplished,
and His time of ministering in the flesh on earth would end.
Luke
22:38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them,
It is enough.
Susie: The
disciples took Jesus literally and produced two swords among them. One may have
belonged to Peter since he later lops off the ear of the high priest’s servant!
MacArthur
Study Bible
22:38
two swords. These were short, dagger-like instruments—more
like knives than swords. There was nothing unusual about the carrying of such
weapons in that culture. They had many practical uses besides violence against
other people.
Susan: Jesus
could mean that two swords are enough because He never intended them to be used
to defend Him. It wasn’t the disciples’ place or responsibility to physically
defend their Lord.
Susie: Or, as
some commentators and translations imply, Jesus could have been saying, “That’s
enough of such talk.” Either way, He terminated the conversation.
Ponder this and Apply it: Jesus does provide
for our needs but usually uses our work and effort to do so. We are not to sit
idly by and expect supplies to materialize. Living on this side of the cross,
believers are blessed to have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the New
Testament teachings on the armor of the Lord (Ephesians 6), and the examples of
the Apostles’ lives to instruct us.
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