Dear Family and Friends,

Does Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Maverick, Have Gun Will Travel, and The Rifleman bring back old memories?

For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, these were television westerns depicting a time when most disagreements were “settled” on the street just outside the bar.

I remember growing up thinking, thank goodness those days are behind us…

On a whim, I googled the title of this message.

What I found was a plethora of articles supporting the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms that quote Jesus as He left for Gethsemane.

“He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.”  Luke 22:36 ESV

The conclusion drawn by many is that Jesus condones arming ourselves.

You may be thinking, oh wow, we’re diving into the gun debate today. Yes and No.

Yes, that is the topic of today’s verse. No, because there are more important lessons for us to learn.

So, did Jesus really intend for His disciples to arm themselves?

If so, how then do we explain the inconsistencies with the verses that follow and other statements made by Jesus?

When Jesus said to buy a sword, He continued on saying, “For I tell you that this Scripture (Isaiah 53:12) must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.”  Luke 22:37 ESV

Verses 36 and 37 are connected by the word – for. When read together, we see that Jesus’ intent was to fulfill scripture – that He would be considered one of the lawless that carry weapons.

After Jesus said to sell one’s cloak to buy a sword, the disciples replied, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”  Luke 22:38 ESV

Note that two swords shared by 11 disciples fighting against the armed crowd including a band of soldiers was not enough.

Note that Jesus did not say they are enough (plural meaning two swords). “It is enough” was Jesus’ way of saying: Stop this nonsense talk.

Later, when Jesus was about to be arrested and one of the disciples used his sword, Jesus quickly stopped the violence and restored the wounded man.

“When Jesus’ followers saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike with our swords?” And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.”  Luke 22:49-51 ESV

Matthew records Jesus giving an even stronger response against violence, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”  Matthew 26:52 ESV

Finally, Jesus told His adversaries that He had no intention of fighting back.

“Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs?”  Luke 22:52 ESV

Furthermore, in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us to love, not arm ourselves for self-defense or retribution.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil.”  Matthew 5:38-39 ESV

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  Matthew 5:44 ESV

And at His trial, Jesus said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” John 18:36 ESV

Jesus was never inconsistent. Nor did He contradict Himself.

These verses show us how vitally important it is to read scripture holistically.

That we consider all related scripture and circumstances before drawing any conclusions as to the meaning of a passage.

Given all we’ve seen, I believe Jesus and Luke 22:36 do not belong in 2nd Amendment discussions.

Furthermore, we need to be careful as we read blogs, especially those that quote scripture to sway our opinion.

Let’s make sure the writer is using or quoting scripture in it’s proper context. And not just cherry picking “sound bites” to support his or her needs.

Perhaps by now you may be wondering: If Jesus was not asking His disciples to buy swords to use in conflict, what was Jesus trying to convey?

Jesus conveyed, by His actions, how to love our enemies. 

Allow me to close with the words of John MacArthur which offer an alternative view to what Jesus said.

“The Body of Christ does not grow and strengthen itself by physical warfare. Every time it has endeavored to do so, the name and cause of Jesus Christ have been harmed. 

As Jesus taught many times, and as Paul reiterated to the Corinthians, “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” (2 Cor. 10:4)

Our Lord was actually speaking of preparedness for spiritual, not physical, warfare.”

In love always,