Home » Blogs » Jimmi James's blog

Biblical interpretation

Jimmi James - May 18, 2006 - 6:32am
Tags:

A neighbour gave me a quote from The Gospel of Luke saying He believed it was justification for war.Chapter 22:36.
"But now" Jesus said,"whoever has no sword must sell his coat and buy one".
I would certainly appreciate comment on this.

Comments

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Explanation from the Aramaic

Len - June 3, 2006 - 11:01pm

The quote you referenced is almost correct, a minor difference is the word "coat" is actually translated as "garment"... nonetheless, the explanation from understanding the traditions of the time (this is essential since literal translations do not apply to our understanding of the world) is that in Eastern lands, during revolutions and wars, people sell their valuables and buy arms. At such times, when wealth is endangered, swords and other arms are popular and valuable. It would not be embarrassing for a man to exchange his coat or even his trousers for a dagger or sword and return home clad only in his inner shirt. Such forms of barter are very common in marketplaces and streets even today.
This is a proverbial saying concerning an alarming situation. Jesus did not mean literally that his disciples were to sell their cloaks and buy swords...this would have been a departure from his Messianic interpretation of the suffering servant, and it would have been accepted as a signal for a revolution to establish the kingdom of Israel by force. What Jesus really meant was that danger was approaching and that he would soon be betrayed into the hands of the priests and be crucified. The disciples were never armed and had nothing to sell to buy arms. They, however, took this saying literally and replied saying "We have two swords." Jesus said "this is enough" dismissing the question because he knew they were taking it literally; had He wanted them to be armed and to fight for him, more swords certainly would have been acquired.

»

Justifying war through Christ

John Klar - May 21, 2006 - 9:59pm

In Matthew Chapter 10, Jesus is talking about the strife that comes with His teachings: not to embrace war literally, but the war against sin that His coming encouraged. This easily explains and "reconciles" the "blessed are the peacemakers" reference from the Sermon on the Mount. Consider the sword to be the sword described by Paul in Ephesians 6:17 -- "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Jesus brought spiritual gifts and the Holy Spirit to earth. His war is with Satan and sin, which takes place within the hearts of men. He came to fulfill God's promise in Genesis 3, that Jesus would be the seed of woman who would "bruise the head" of evil and Satan. Jesus' sword must never be interpreted as an excuse to kill others, which He so often condemned. There is nothing to reconcile in Christ's words with regard to this issue, and by no means are there "plenty of biblical verses" to justify war in the New Testament. And the Old Testament is not available to us to so justify violence, for Jesus came to change the Law. To justify war using Christ is to desecrate Christ.

»

accepting Christians where they are

stereoman - May 18, 2006 - 9:30pm

I've been reading your posts, and want to welcome you to the board, Jimmi! You bring an interesting perspective to our discussions.

It seems to me there are plenty of Biblical verses that can be used to "justify" war. The one I think many Christians find even more compelling is in Matthew, Chapter 10 and verse 34, where Jesus is reported to have said "I came not to bring peace, but a sword." But there are numerous Old Testament passages that speak of smiting and doing battle and so forth. Just as there are in the Q'uran.

I don't see much value in telling a Christian that the words of Jesus as they have been recorded are not valid for a Christian, and I leave it up to the Christian to reconcile the "not peace but a sword" passage with the "blessed are the peacemakers" passage. For those of us who are not Christians, we have the luxury of thinking of Jesus as a less-than-perfect mortal, and of the record of his words being less than complete and not necessarily authentic nor well-translated.

In seeking common ground with Christians, I may ask how they stand in that tension between peace and the sword, and hope that I may encourage them in finding a balance.

Steve

=========

Our lives begin to end the moment that we become silent about things that matter. (Martin Luther King Jr.)

»

The Christian sword

John Klar - May 18, 2006 - 12:51pm

Your neighbor is incorrect. Jesus in this passage was (figuratively) warning His disciples that they would now face persecution and trials, and so they should prepare themselves. Shortly after this exchange, the Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus: "Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:10-11) And Paul tells us (in 2 Corinthians 10:3) that God's armies are not of this world.
Most Christian theologians are of the view that a man has a duty and right to protect his family in self-defense. But this is a different matter from going to war. If Jesus was condoning violence in any capacity in Luke 22:36, it was only for self-defense. But He told them that two swords was enough: why would this be enough, if one is told to go to war? This is perhaps the only piece of the New Testament which one may attempt to manipulate to support war, but when taken with the balance of the teachings of the New Testament, it is clearly an unchristian degradation of Christ's teachings to hang one's soul on such a slender reed. Jesus never condoned war -- He came to offer us an alternative to endless strife and violence.

»

Re: Biblical interpretation

Rainbow Brain - May 18, 2006 - 10:37am

Will thy neighbor lead one toward fear, hate, war and the destruction of others whom they fear, then follow him not. Will thy neighbor join one in the security of home and family, standing together to meet those who should beseech that security, join him, if in good conscious one can. For now is the time to have the strength of conviction and character, the sword of choice to stand alone or together for the security and trust of love. Cover not ones faith in a coat of arms that conceals the truth.

©Bruce Larson*Moore
The 13-Establishments of Truth

The Last*War

»
Syndicate content