Trust God in every situation!
It’s a good thing Jesus allows us to correct our thinking and behavior when we misinterpret what he said. We find evidence of the grace of God in many passages of scripture. I imagine that we could all share stories of how our faith and understanding of scripture has matured overtime. What we understand about Jesus and his teachings today are more than we understood the day we confessed him as our Savior.
Peter is a good example of one who chose to follow Jesus yet often misunderstood what Jesus said, as did all the disciples, especially before the resurrection. It took a while after the resurrection before those closest to Jesus began to truly understand what Jesus said. Eventually, with time and the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, both their understanding and behavior radically changed.
Consider the later part of Luke 22 as evidence of what Peter and the disciples misinterpreted. Luke places these events just after Jesus told Peter that he would deny him three times before the night was over. Peter of course was confident that would never happen.
In verses 35 through 38, we find an interesting exchange between Jesus and the disciples. Jesus asked the disciples to remember the time he sent them out on a mission and told them they couldn’t pack anything for the trip. They certainly remembered and answered Jesus’s question correctly. When they went out before, Jesus had told them to take nothing with them. When they returned from that trip, they had all kinds of stories about how God had provided for them and done through them. Jesus seemed to have created a practicum or internship where they would learn to depend on God and not on themselves. He was also teaching them the importance of waiting on the Lord in every situation.
But in the upper room, their interpretation of what Jesus told them must have confused them. Consider verse 36: “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.”
Let’s review the context of this statement. Before the disciples got to the upper room, Jesus had already warned them of persecutions that were to come. He had also told them about the destruction of Jerusalem and of his eventual return. Clearly, it was a lot to take in. Even though Jesus was describing future events, it was hard to imagine them.
Now in the upper room, Jesus shared how he had longed to eat a meal with them before he suffered. He followed that up with words that would have been hard to hear: “This is my body which is given for you…this cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
For us this is a clear teaching because we know the whole story, but for the disciples it would have created concern and maybe even confusion. Reading ahead to the events that unfolded later that evening, we see the evidence. When Judas arrived and completed his deal with the high priest, he came with a large crowd, including temple guards. Luke tells us that when the disciples saw the crowd and that they were outnumbered, they asked if they should attack with their swords. Before Jesus could answer, Peter grabbed his sword and started swinging, cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Luke doesn’t tell us who swung the sword, but John does.
Jesus quickly said, “No more of this,” and quickly healed the injured servant. It is hard to fault Peter for jumping in, particularly after he seemed to think that Jesus told them they would need swords going forward.
There is some scholarly debate about what Jesus meant in saying that they should sell their cloak and buy swords. Some even try to take this one verse and spin it to mean that Jesus was advocating for his followers to have a right to carry weapons. But to use this verse to defend that position is a misuse of the text. I am not speaking against anyone’s constitutional rights, but I can assure you that Jesus never had that in mind on the night he was betrayed and later crucified.
What most scholars believe is that Jesus was letting his disciples know that in the coming days things were going to get much harder. Persecution would happen. Things would be different without Jesus physically around. In the coming days I will likely write about what John’s gospel records about encouraging things that would happen for his followers as the Holy Spirit came and guided them through the hard days ahead.
We know Jesus did not advocate for his disciples to become violent and fight back against their persecutors for at least two reasons. First, Jesus didn’t fight back when he was ridiculed, abused, and crucified. And second, we have no record in scripture that the apostles ever fought back as they experienced imprisonment, flogging, and martyrdom. Neither the gospels nor the epistles ever teach anyone to strike back. Jesus and his disciples consistently taught about humility, servanthood, surrender, suffering, and forgiveness.
Back to where I started today. Peter and the others may have initially misunderstood Jesus about needing swords and even acted on their lack of understanding. But after the resurrection, and certainly after Pentecost, we see a faithful group of disciples living out the life Jesus taught them. It may have taken them a few years of time with Jesus and the arrival of the Holy Spirit before things started coming together the way Jesus taught them, but they continued to grow in their understanding of Jesus and their obedience to him the rest of their lives.
Lord, today as we consider the transformation of the ones you called your disciples who became the leaders of your church, we are grateful for your patience with us on our own journey of discipleship. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who guides us and corrects us. Thank you for your written word that teaches us and helps us learn obedience. Give us grace and mercy as we disciple others, so that we allow them the space to become who you created and called them to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Luke 22:35-38, 47-53 ESV
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
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