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Reading Luke 22:35-38 where Jesus prepares His disciples for what is to come, and points to Isaiah 53 being about Himself, who will go and die and rise again. Visit wwutt.com for all our videos!
Jesus said, let the one who has no sword, sell his cloak and buy one. And the disciples said, look, Lord, here are two swords. And Jesus said, that is enough. Was he telling his disciples to buy swords when we understand the text?
This is When We Understand The Text, a daily Bible study in the word of Christ. For he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together. Tell your friends about our ministry at www .wutt .com.
Hey, once again, it's Pastor Gabe.
Thank you, Becky. In our study of Luke chapter 22, we're picking up where we left off yesterday. So I'm gonna be looking primarily at verses 35 to 38. But to keep this in context, let me go all the way back up to verse 24.
You'll understand this when we get to it. Reading verses 24 to 38, here are the word of the Lord. A dispute also arose among the disciples as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. Jesus said to them, the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authorities over them are called benefactors, but not so with you.
Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table?
But I am among you as the one who serves. You are those who have stayed with me in my trials. And I assigned to you as my father assigned to me a kingdom that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Peter said to him, Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.
Jesus said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you know me. And he said to them, when I sent you out with no money bag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?
And he said, nothing. He said to them, but now let the one who has a money bag, take it and likewise a knapsack and let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me.
And he was numbered with the transgressors for what is written about me has its fulfillment. And they said, look, Lord, here are two swords. And he said to them, it is enough. And it's that last section right there, those last couple of verses where Jesus talks about selling a cloak in order to buy a sword and the disciples saying, look, here are two swords.
I have heard that taken out of context many times. And I'll tell you in what way once we get there, but let me go all the way back up to verse 24. Why did I read this whole section again? As we looked at verses 24 to 34 yesterday.
So this whole section that I just read is divided up into three parts. There's this argument that the disciples have about who is the greatest in the kingdom of God. That's in verses 24 to 30. And then you have big mouth insert foot Peter telling Jesus that he's ready to go with him both to prison and to death.
And Jesus says to him before the rooster crows, you're gonna deny three times that you know me. That's in verses 31 to 34. And then the portion that we'll be looking at today about the scripture being fulfilled in Christ in verses 35 to 38.
But in that dispute there that the disciples have among themselves about who is the greatest in the kingdom of God. Jesus says to them, this is what the Gentiles do. Those who are in positions of authority, it's as if they think they are inherently of more worth than anybody who is under them.
So they lord their authority over those who are under them. Like they're more human than people that must be subject to them. But even they have to be subject to those who are over them. Like Pilate is still subject to Caesar, for example.
So Jesus says, this is not to be so among you. Now the position of an apostle is a position of authority. They carry the very word of Christ. So where the word of an apostle would be rejected, it would be equivalent to if somebody were rejecting the word of Christ himself.
So there is an authority that an apostle has in that sense. Nonetheless, they weren't supposed to lord that authority over anybody. They were supposed to be servants. Just as Jesus is serving them, I am among you as the one who serves, he said.
So therefore, the apostles must imitate their Lord and be servants to whom they would go, to whom they are sent. And we see that in the book of Acts. That the disciples do finally get this, they understand this, and we see how much they serve those that they go to to share the gospel with them in that mission.
We see the fulfillment of those things that were talked about in Luke with the acts of the apostles. That'll be the next book that we look at. You know, we see in our world today, pastors that will hold positions of authority and they will lord it over those people that are under them.
I just listened to the latest episode of Cultish and they went over the most recent season of Shiny Happy People, which is a documentary that has been on Amazon. And the purpose of that documentary is really to make fun of Christianity.
But that latest season of Shiny Happy People focused on Acquire the Fire, which was founded by Ron Luce. And one of the women who worked for years in Acquire the Fire and for Ron Luce was being interviewed on the show Cultish.
Now, Cultish doesn't exist to make fun of Christians. In fact, it's to call out false doctrine and promote that which is sound. But still there was some false things that were going on in Acquire the Fire, even if the way that it was demonstrated in Shiny Happy People wasn't accurate.
So in Cultish, they talk about the good and bad that this ministry of Acquire the Fire in the 90s and early 2000s brought and how it spread the gospel to so many people. But the guy who was over Acquire the Fire, a guy by the name of Ron Luce, was kind of a bully.
And people who worked for him, whenever he was out in public, he was always a nice guy. But in private or behind closed doors, oh, he'll chew you out. And the interns generally had this sense that Ron Luce doesn't even really like us very much.
So whenever you saw Ron coming, you tried to go a different direction because what was probably coming was a chewing out. That's what he was going to do. And I talked last week about Mark Driscoll and the bullying tactics he's had in his ministry when somebody doesn't agree with him, how he lords his authority over other people.
And Driscoll's even gone as far to say that he can't be corrected by anybody who has a lesser platform than his. That's lording his authority over someone else. And there are many other pastors that do this, even those that don't have as public platforms.
Some even in small churches will still use their authority to manipulate people that are under them. And this is not the way that we are supposed to be. That word pastor means shepherd. And so a pastor is supposed to shepherd the sheep and serve them.
And I understand that as my role as a pastor, that I serve the flock that I have been entrusted or that I have had entrusted to me. As Peter addresses the shepherds in 1 Peter 5, says, when you have done these things in faithfulness to God when the chief shepherd appears, then you will receive your reward.
This position as a pastor is not for us to assume this place so that we can lord our authority over others and use other people to make us look important, but rather that we would serve those to whom we have been sent with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And so likewise, we become imitators of Christ and imitators of the apostles themselves when we serve in this way. And this is upon every Christian, not just those who are pastors, but remember Jesus saying that those who are going to be great in the kingdom of God must be a servant of all.
And so we even find ways to serve one another. A husband serves his wife, though he is the head of his household and a wife is in submission to her husband. We as parents even serve our children. So we as imitators of Christ must be servants to one another, especially those who are leased and cannot care for themselves, might we be servants to them.
Then you had this exchange between Jesus and Peter in which Peter says to Jesus, Lord, I'm ready to go with you both to prison and to death. Now, Peter was a lot of talk and we've seen that quite a bit over the course of the gospels.
Maybe Peter really did mean this. Maybe he thought more highly of himself in thinking he would go to prison and to death with the Lord. But it's likely that in Peter's mind, he did not even see that as being a possibility because Jesus is the Messiah.
He's going to assume the throne. That's what we're following him for. So I won't even have to go to prison and to death. So for Peter, it was kind of like saying a mantra. It was his hoorah. I'm gonna go with you to prison and to death, not really fully understanding what he's committing to when he says that.
Jesus, of course, knows his heart better than Peter does and says to Peter, I tell you, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny three times that you know me. Then again, we do see Peter's tenacity when we get to the garden and he draws a sword and lops off the ear of the servant of the high priest.
So it does look like he was ready to fight even to the death, but I still don't think Peter had any doubt in his mind that he could potentially lose. He was showing the trust that he had in Jesus. I know that he's gonna lead this charge.
He's gonna lead us against these armies. Nobody is gonna take over this Messiah. Have you seen the things that he can do? And was surely stunned when Jesus told him to put his sword away. We'll get to that as we keep going with the narrative, but let's look primarily now at verses 35 to 38.
When Jesus said to the disciples, when I sent you out with no money bag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything? And they said nothing. So really in this whole section here, Jesus is preparing them for what is to come.
Even up above regarding this argument of who is the greatest in the kingdom of God. He's saying to them, here are the things that you must do first. You must be a servant. The leader among you is gonna be the one who serves just as Jesus served, so they must serve.
And then in the conversation with Peter saying to him, the devil is asked to sift you like wheat. You're gonna go through a serious trial here. But when you have turned back that you would come and strengthen your brothers, you're gonna deny three times even that you know me.
But note that Jesus says, I've prayed for you that your faith may not fail. We know that when the rooster crows, Peter goes out and weeps bitterly. But Jesus has prayed for him that he would not fall into despair over what it is that is going to come to pass.
So Jesus preparing his disciples for what is to come. And then saying to them here, remember in the sending out of the 72, and we've seen it elsewhere as the sending out of the 12. He says, when I sent you out with no money bag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?
And they said nothing. But then Jesus says here in verse 36, but now let the one who has a money bag take it and likewise a knapsack and let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy it. Okay, before explaining that, I find it necessary to finish out the quote and what Jesus says in verse 37.
So I'm gonna finish out the quote and kind of work backwards. So verse 37, for I tell you that this scripture must be fulfilled in me. And he was numbered with the transgressors. That's a reference to Isaiah 53.
For what is written about me has its fulfillment. Now, interestingly enough, Isaiah 53 is referenced six times in the New Testament. This is the only time that Jesus himself attributes Isaiah 53 to him.
So in all the other references, it's whoever is the author is attributing Isaiah 53 and saying, Christ, this is what Isaiah 53 is about. It's about Jesus Christ. But this is the one place where Jesus himself, by his own words, he applies Isaiah 53 to himself.
And you understand what's in Isaiah 53, right? Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted, but he was pierced for our transgressions.
He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. And with his wounds, we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
And where we read in verse 10, yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him. He has put him to grief. It's in the very last verse where we read the phrase that Jesus has just quoted and applied to himself.
He was numbered with the transgressors, yet he bore the sin of many. And this is what Jesus is saying to his disciples. For what is written about me has its fulfillment. So everything that has been written about this moment is about to come to an end.
It's about to come to fulfillment. That's what Jesus is saying to his disciples. So when all these things are done, what is written about me has its fulfillment, then is going to come the time when, let the one who has a money bag take it and likewise a knapsack and let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.
What does Jesus mean by these things when he says this? He's preparing them for the mission that they are about to go on. And they're going to be without homes. They're going to go far and wide. So all they will have is whatever they have with them.
So now let the one who has a money bag take it. You're not going to have a home to come back to. Whatever you have, whatever money you possess, you need to keep it in your money bag. And that's everything that you have.
Likewise, a knapsack, all of your stuff going to go with you in this journey that you will be on. But then this next phrase is a different clause. Let the one who has a money bag take it and likewise a knapsack.
That's one clause. This next one is a different clause. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. What does Jesus mean by this? Well, keep it in context with the one who has a money bag take it, likewise a knapsack.
I sent you out with no money bag or knapsack or sandals. Did you lack anything? And they said, no. And he says, but now as far as you are going to be sent, you're going to need those things. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.
So what is Jesus saying by this? What he is saying is that you are going to face many persecutions. He's really not literally telling them to get a money bag, get a knapsack and get a sword. He's preparing them for what they are about to do.
Wherever you go, that's all you are going to have. And you are going to face many great persecutions. So the money bag and the knapsack are symbolic of this is all you will possess. Whatever you have, that's all that you have.
That's all that belongs to you because you're not going to have homes to go back to. You are going to be on mission now for the gospel. But then the next clause is to say to them that you're going to be persecuted.
So let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. He's not telling them to take up a sword and carry it with them as they are going to go out as missionaries with the gospel to the world. He's telling them that they're going to face many persecutions as they go out into the world.
Now, how is it that I hear this verse taken out of context and misapplied? Surely you know this. Surely you know how this verse gets misapplied. People will take it and use it as Jesus commanding us to buy guns.
We're supposed to have weapons and we're supposed to guard and protect ourselves. Now, I'm not a pacifist. I'm not against owning a weapon and protecting your family and your property from anybody who would try to break into your home.
I think that is right and a good thing to do. I'm not even against having armed security in church. If somebody is going to come into your building and want to shoot everybody up, it is right and good to protect others around you, especially children from those who would come in and attack or try to maim and destroy.
There are other passages we can use to talk about how God has given us a right to defend ourselves, especially when we go back to the law in Exodus 22, for example. But Jesus is not making a command here to buy guns.
That's not what this is in Luke 22. And just look at the reaction that he has to the disciples when they say in verse 38, look, Lord, here are two swords. What does he say to them? It's enough. I think that was the tone.
May have even been the tone that Jesus had when he responded to them. It's enough for 11 men to have just two swords? Why wouldn't they all have a sword when Jesus had just said, if you don't have a sword, go sell your cloak and buy one.
See, if you're going to take that literally, then it should be that all 11 men have a sword. And Jesus has just said to them, no, you've got two, that is enough. So he didn't really mean for them to go out and sell their cloaks and buy swords.
That's not the way that a missionary was going to go out with the gospel. It was not to show themselves armed and force the gospel onto other people, lest this guy draw his sword and do something to me.
They were supposed to be peaceful in the way that they brought the gospel to the world. And the Holy Spirit would do that work of converting hearts and bringing people to saving faith. Christianity does not advance by the sword like Islam does.
The message of the gospel advances by the power of the Holy Spirit. So all Jesus is preparing them for here is the fact that they're going to face persecution. They're clearly not paying attention. They clearly don't understand what he's saying because right after he says, Isaiah 53 is about me, which should have blown their minds as it should blow our minds.
No, they're still thinking about swords. Oh, look, Lord, here are two swords. Why? Because remember the words that Peter just said, Lord, I'm ready to go with you both to prison and to death. They think that they are going to fight for Jesus to assume the throne.
They think the Messiah will come in by force because he's going to be an emancipator and he's going to free us from Rome and the Herods and everybody else. And Israel is going to be a great superpower again, but they have not been paying attention.
The strength of the kingdom is not going to be in one who lords his authority over somebody else. It's going to be in the one who serves. It's not in the strength of the words, Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death, but rather when you have sinned and you have failed that you repent before the Lord and he will forgive you and restore you.
The strength of the kingdom is not, look, Lord, here are two swords. No, it is to trust the word of Christ and believe in him who was numbered with the transgressors. He who died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the grave.
On him as he died on the cross, our sins were laid and he was crushed by the father in our place. Wrath poured out on him instead of on us so that we who believe in him, our sins are forgiven and we receive the righteousness of Christ.
Are we listening to his words or are we kind of manipulating the word to make it sound good to our sensibilities or what we want to have happen? I know that we want to see Christianity in power in our nation.
It would be wonderful if our greatest leaders were those who had turned from sin to the Lord Jesus Christ and led others in that way as well. But that's in the Lord's timing. How many people would be Christians and what level of authority they might have.
God has certainly put Christians in high places of authority. That's not a wrong thing, but we shouldn't be expecting that. We need to be prepared to take the lower position, ready to be persecuted, ready to live for Christ even in the midst of all the difficult trials we will face because we know that we truly live by him who died for us.
Heavenly father, we thank you for what we have read here and I pray that we would trust not in the ways of man. We would not trust in the things that we want the most, but we trust in Christ and we trust that your will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Forgive us our sins, give us this day our daily bread, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us in the way everlasting for your name's sake. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Pastor Gabe keeps a regular blog sharing personal thoughts, alerting readers to false teachers and offering commentary on the church and social issues. You can find a link to the blog through our website, www .utt .com.
Thank you for listening and join us again tomorrow as we continue our study in God's word when we understand the text.