Jesus as revolutionary
I was reading in the book of Luke the other morning, bleary eyed as a certain someone who is about knee high woke me up early...perhaps this is why i am confused by the scripture passage, but I will post my wondering in hopes it may spark some discussion...There is an obscure passage in Luke 22:35-38 which got my fuzzy brain wondering if coffee perhaps would aid in discovering what it meant. For the sake of discussion i will quote the verses below (from the New Living translation):
"Then Jesus asked them: 'When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have money, a traveler's bag, or extra clothing, did you lack anything?'
'No' they replied.
'But now,' he said, 'take your money and traveler;s bag. And if you don't have a sword, sell your clothes and buy one! For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: 'He was counted among those who were rebels' Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.'
'Lord' they replied, ;we have two swords among us.'
'That's enough' He said."
This hit me rather strange. Here we have Christ telling his disciples 1) to bring their gear and money from now on on their journeys, and 2) to buy some swords.
Now, is he just saying this to, as he states, fulfill the prophecy that he would be considered a rebel or a revolutionary? I have no idea. This is perplexing. I have never heard this verse referred to...I have heard the converse, the idea that we are to go out without anything ...but this verse seems to indicate a shift in the mission statement. And the idea of arming .... hmmmm... i am lost on that one. The only thing I come to is fulfillment of prophecy. Is there more to it than that though?
A few verses later we have the swordplay of one of the disciples with the high priests' servant (Luke 22:49-51) where he hacks off his ear. His comment is very interesting: 'Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!'
Here seems the natural follow through of Christ's instructions. The disciple pulls out one of the two swords they were told to get, and puts it to use....I have heard this verse before, but the ones previous to it really change my slant on it. It seems now that the disciple was carrying through in a way, not acting rashly...
What application does all this have? I have no idea, but I wanted to put it out there to see what the rest of you think.
j.m.
posted by J.M @ 1:38 PM
2 Comments:
'Getting it right'
I am thinking about the response of the disciple who whipped out the sword.
I probably would've reacted the same way, especially after the discussion previous in Luke when Jesus tells them to buy swords.
Is this a reflection on our ability to not only hear from God, but actually understand what he is saying?
It seems that the disciple made a logical connection to Christ's suggestion that they buy swords and the actual use of them.
Do I at times 'hear' from God in my spirit but then misunderstand what is being asked of me?
Did the disciple actually misunderstand??
Jesus' response to the disciple's violence was 'Don't resist anymore' (Luke 22:51). He didn't condone nor did he condemn the actions, but his treatment of the priest goes contrary to the violent outburst (And he touched the place where the man's ear had been cut off and healed him Luke 22:51).
Perhaps the disciple's reaction was not one that was considered wrong by Christ. He doesn't rebuke him, but merely tells him 'that's enough.'
Was this another opportunity for Christ to show his true nature and mission on earth? You could see this as happening both on a grand scale and a personal one...
The Grand Scale...most of the Jews and the disciples were expecting the messiah to be a violent revolutionary who would lead a 'liberation' of the Jews from their oppressors. Christ's reaction of healing the man suggests he is subverting that expectation. This is in step with his life's example of one of nonviolence.
The personal scale... was this just an opportunity for Christ to reach out to the priest who was affected? What a great act of love to heal one who is coming to arrest you... I wonder what this priest's reaction was? did he continue on with his mission to help 'bring in' Christ to be tried and gotten rid of? Or, did it touch his heart as well? Did it effect his life?
just a few thoughts
j.m
There's a fascinating exploration of this passage here.
http://professingprofessor.blogspot.com/2006/03/sword-talk.html
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