Sell your cloak and buy a sword
Encyclopedia
Sell your cloak and buy a sword is an instruction by Jesus
to his disciples
which has been interpreted in several ways. At the Last Supper
Jesus says:
and Father William Most, point to Luke 22:36 as a justification for either self-defence or righteous violence.
and John Howard Yoder
do not believe Luke 22:36 overturns the many times Jesus urged his followers to practice turning the other cheek and nonresistance
when confronted by violence to evil during his Sermon on the Mount
and years of ministry
. They show when the passage is taken in context (Luke 22:36-38), Jesus is also aware of fulfilling prophecy and makes a surprising statement that two swords are "enough".
Ellul, Yoder and Archie Penner claim that two swords could not possibly have been "enough" to defend Jesus from his pending arrest, trial and execution, so their sole purpose must have been Jesus' wish to fulfill a prophecy (Isaiah 53:9-12). As Ellul explains:
This theory is further substantiated by Penner when Peter draws one of the swords a few hours later at Jesus' arrest
in the Garden of Gethsemane, slashing the ear of Malchus
, one of the priests' servants, and Jesus rebukes him saying: "Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword
."(Matthew 26:52)
said in his Exposition of the Entire Bible:
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
to his disciples
Disciple (Christianity)
In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
which has been interpreted in several ways. At the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
Jesus says:
Self-defence or righteous violence interpretation
Some, such as S. G. F. BrandonS. G. F. Brandon
Samuel George Frederick Brandon was a British priest and scholar of comparative religion. He became professor of comparative religion at the University of Manchester in 1951.-Biography:Brandon was a graduate of the University of Leeds...
and Father William Most, point to Luke 22:36 as a justification for either self-defence or righteous violence.
Fulfillment of prophecy interpretation
Jacques EllulJacques Ellul
Jacques Ellul was a French philosopher, law professor, sociologist, lay theologian, and Christian anarchist. He wrote several books about the "technological society" and the interaction between Christianity and politics....
and John Howard Yoder
John Howard Yoder
John Howard Yoder was a Christian theologian, ethicist, and Biblical scholar best known for his radical Christian pacifism, his mentoring of future theologians such as Stanley Hauerwas, his loyalty to his Mennonite faith, and his 1972 magnum opus, The Politics of Jesus.-Life:Yoder earned his...
do not believe Luke 22:36 overturns the many times Jesus urged his followers to practice turning the other cheek and nonresistance
Nonresistance
Nonresistance is generally defined as "the practice or principle of not resisting authority, even when it is unjustly exercised". At its core is discouragement of, even opposition to, physical resistance to an enemy...
when confronted by violence to evil during his Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
and years of ministry
Ministry of Jesus
In the Christian gospels, the Ministry of Jesus begins with his Baptism in the countryside of Judea, near the River Jordan and ends in Jerusalem, following the Last Supper with his disciples. The Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry...
. They show when the passage is taken in context (Luke 22:36-38), Jesus is also aware of fulfilling prophecy and makes a surprising statement that two swords are "enough".
Ellul, Yoder and Archie Penner claim that two swords could not possibly have been "enough" to defend Jesus from his pending arrest, trial and execution, so their sole purpose must have been Jesus' wish to fulfill a prophecy (Isaiah 53:9-12). As Ellul explains:
This theory is further substantiated by Penner when Peter draws one of the swords a few hours later at Jesus' arrest
Arrest of Jesus
The arrest of Jesus is a pivotal event recorded in the Canonical gospels. The event ultimately leads, in the Gospel accounts, to Jesus' crucifixion...
in the Garden of Gethsemane, slashing the ear of Malchus
Malchus
In the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible, Malchus is the servant of the Jewish High Priest, Caiaphas, who participated in the arrest of Jesus...
, one of the priests' servants, and Jesus rebukes him saying: "Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword
Live by the sword, die by the sword
"Live by the sword, die by the sword" is a saying derived from a Biblical parable to the effect that if you use violence, or other harsh means, against other people, you can expect to have those same means used against you; "You can expect to become a victim of whatever means you use to get what...
."(Matthew 26:52)
Figurative interpretation
Well known theologian John GillJohn Gill (theologian)
John Gill was an English Baptist pastor, biblical scholar, and theologian who held to a firm Calvinistic soteriology. Born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, he attended Kettering Grammar School where he mastered the Latin classics and learned Greek by age 11...
said in his Exposition of the Entire Bible: