Let us emulate Jesus use of 'sword'

Matthew 10:34 (NIV) “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Luke 22:36,38 (NIV) 36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 38 The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That’s enough!” he replied.

Matthew 26:52 (NIV) “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.”

For those of you who have never used an online concordance such as biblegateway.com, I would encourage you all to do so. If you have a certain word from a verse that you remember, you can simply enter the word in the search box and the concordance will show you every incidence of that word in the entire bible. So I did this just recently, and the word “sword” shows up 406 times in the New International Version of the bible.

As you might imagine, the vast majority of times this word is used is in the Old Testament. Not just because it represents three quarters of the bible, but because of all its war narratives and the associated references to a literal sword. In fact, the New Testament contains only 33 of those references, and many of them are using the word “sword” as a metaphor, rather than a literal object.

So you may have noticed in the past, the seemingly contradictory way Jesus refers to this word; but I will make the argument that his use of the word “sword” is consistent with his nature as the “Prince of Peace.”

Let’s begin with his statement in Matthew 10. To put this in context, he is sending his twelve disciples out to the people he refers to as the “lost sheep of Israel.” He tells them, “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” From there, he gives them further instructions for their journey and tells them how the message they share will cause them to be hated and persecuted by some, including their own families.

So it is within this context that Jesus says the words of verse 10:34, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Now many of Jesus’ words were spoken in the form of parable and metaphor; and this is a place where he is speaking in metaphor. He is obviously not telling his disciples to use a literal sword as a weapon to kill any family members who don’t like their message. Rather, Jesus is using the sword as a metaphor for something that cuts and divides, just the same as the message they would be spreading.

And that message of “Good News” would not bring peace to those who were opposed to it. So this verse does not mean Jesus was advocating for any kind of violence. It was simply an acknowledgement that his (and his disciple’s) message would cause conflict.

Now, let’s look at Jesus’ words from Luke 22:36,38. They fall at the end of his last supper with his disciples in a place called the “Upper Room,” just before he walks toward the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. As they get ready to leave Jesus tells them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”

Now if Jesus was not advocating for violence, why would he say this?

Well, I believe he was telling them to take along some money and some personal items, because they might need to be “on the lamb” from the authorities for a short time. And Jesus telling his disciples to buy a sword was not advocating for them to use it, but rather for it to be seen as a deterrent for anyone who might think of committing an act of violence upon them. This is a HUGE distinction that we must recognize, if we desire to understand the true nature of Jesus.

And I believe my thesis is proven correct by the verse in Matthew 26:52. As the crowd arrived in the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus, one of his disciples struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus says, “Put your sword back in its place,” “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” Here, Jesus recognizes the ultimate futility of violence. So while we may possess weapons that may be used for violence, and even war, Jesus’ words and example tell us that it is not his desire.

May we as individuals and as a nation, recognize that (despite how the writers of the Old Testament usurp the voice of God) violence and war are not God’s desire for us. And may we give more than lip service to the concept of peace; but truly live it out the way Jesus emulated.