Selling Cloaks and Buying Swords (Luke 22)

Written By Christopher Ashley

The true spirit of Christian pacifism is to press into difficult situations, not away from them. This relates to concrete situations of danger as well as wrestling with big questions about scripture and ethics.

One of the most challenging pieces of scripture for Christian pacifists is Luke 22:35–38:

35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”

“Nothing,” they answered.

36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”

38 The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”

“That’s enough!” he replied. (Luke 22:35–38)

A quick reading of this passage would indicate that a new era has come and the disciples are to reverse course on Jesus’ prior teaching about traveling without any provisions (Luke 9:3) as well as reverse course on Jesus’ commands to love enemies (Luke 6:27–36).

The history of interpretation on this passage is diverse. The most common options are:

  1. The times are changing and the disciples need to provide for their own safety and provision.
  2. Jesus was being metaphorical or nonliteral.
  3. Jesus was enacting prophecy.

Let's examine each of these briefly.

1. The Disciples Now Need Swords

Jerry Falwell Jr. 1 is indicative of this approach to Scripture, though there are more serious exegetes who take this approach as well. The problems with this approach include:

  • Jesus rebukes the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane for using said swords (Luke 22:49–50).
  • The Book of Acts, also written by Luke, contains zero examples of any disciple carrying or using a sword, despite the fact that it is full of difficulties, suffering, and martyrdom.
  • In their letters, both Paul and Peter maintain the ethic of loving enemies (Romans 12:14–21 and 1 Peter 2:21–25).

2. Jesus Was Being Metaphorical or Nonliteral

From the early Church Fathers to the Radical Reformation, this group of exegetes sought to resolve the theological tension by claiming that Jesus did not mean for the disciples to actually get some swords for violent use. Either he was just being metaphorical (as in Matthew 10:34) or giving an object lesson that finds its completion in Luke 22:49–50. The metaphorical reading does not seem to do enough justice to the fact that the disciples were able to produce two swords and Jesus affirmed that they were sufficient for the task ahead. The object lesson, however, does get us closer to what I believe is the key to this passage:

3. Jesus Was Enacting Prophecy

The dominant and growing group of scholars understand Jesus’ commands as part of the broader narrative of Luke. As an author, Luke was not merely compiling things that Jesus said and did but was making broader theological claims that are only understood when taken into the context of Luke-Acts. David Burnett's analysis of this passage2 is incredible and is well worth your time. I will provide a very brief overview of two of the main points, but do please check out the episode and the podcast more broadly. Firstly, however, you will need to make sure you understand the conecpt of a chiasm 3.

Burnett has shown that Luke was making a larger point about the disciples and their swords and the chiasm reveals this:

A. Jesus foretells Peter's denial.
B. Jesus foretells the disciples' denial.
C. Jesus prays his disciples will not be lead into temptation.
B'. The disciples deny Jesus by wielding the swords.
A'. Peter denies Jesus.

There is so much more to his analysis, including how Luke frames this narrative as enacting the prophecy of Isaiah 53 and how Satan's temptations from Luke 4 climax here. I cannot recommend it enough.

The implications of Burnett's research are huge. Rather than concluding that Jesus didn't universally condemn violence and left the door open to violent self-defense, Burnett concludes that when Christians take up the sword, they are instead denying Christ.

  1. Dan Casey. “Falwell Serious about More Guns at Liberty University.” Roanoke Times. https://www.roanoke.com/news/casey-falwell-serious-about-more-guns-at-liberty-university/article_40ff0938-745f-5b26-a31e-71258c6964fc.html ↩

  2. The Naked Bible Podcast. “Naked Bible 205: The Sword and the Servant with David Burnett.” https://nakedbiblepodcast.com/podcast/naked-bible-205-the-sword-and-the-servant-with-david-burnett/. ↩

  3. “SBL Publications.” https://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?ArticleId=296. ↩

Christopher Ashley
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