Luke 22:35-38 - Be perceptive

Have you ever misunderstood something that you heard, where what was said was totally misinterpreted? This was exactly what happened to the disciples in Luke 22:35-38. Having dealt with Peter, the Lord now turned to address the group. They were reminded of their two earlier missions recorded in Luke 9:3 and 10:4. When they were sent out then, the instruction was to go without money belts, bags, and sandals. Yet they lacked nothing. In those missions they were amply provided for in the ministry and they completed their tours of duties successfully. Now in a surprising reversal, Jesus told them not to do the same. They were told to bring their money belts and bags and were specifically told that if they do not have a sword, “to sell their coat and buy one.” 

Sword! We can understand if they must bring along money belts and bags, but why get a sword? In reading this passage, perhaps some of us are puzzled with this instruction as well. We must know that the situation for them was changing. With the increased hostility and His impending trial, suffering and death looming, He needed to prepare them. He wanted them to be adequately prepared for what they would soon encounter. They had misunderstood that bringing a sword meant that they should be ready for an actual fight. Jesus’ whole idea was to warn them of changing circumstances so that being forewarned they could be forearmed.

In verse 37, Jesus quoted Isaiah 53:12 and applied it to Himself. He was truly numbered among the transgressors. They grouped Him together with transgressors. That's how they would treat Him. And He was ultimately nailed between two transgressors on the cross. And His followers, the disciples, would also be seen as transgressors and outlaws. But the disciples concentrated and grappled so much with the necessity of a sword that His intended message was lost on them. And they did not get what He meant. We know that Jesus wasn't advocating violence, as this was seen in how he healed the high priest servant's ear at Gethsemane, after Peter had cut it off.

Verse 38 shows us explicitly that they totally misinterpreted Him. They failed to grasp what the Lord was saying. So they responded by pointing to two swords that they found. So lost for words that the Lord had to say to them, "it is enough." It appears that in those three words, the Lord was expressing weariness. How can two swords be enough to resist the might of the Romans or the coming arrest? So to cut off the foolish talk the Lord said to them "It is enough."  It's almost like saying "Okay. Enough of your foolish talk."

This is precisely the reason why we should be slow to speak and quick to hear. We need to cultivate an inner attentiveness to what the Lord is saying to us each moment of life. Especially in the face of competing circumstances and voices. Oh, how we need to cultivate silence and solitude! To do so we all need to learn to come apart, to be still and silent before the Lord. How can we ever hear rightly when all the competing noises are obscuring the message of God? Can we still hear His words in Mark 6:31, calling us to “...Come away by yourselves to a secluded place ….”? It’s in the secret quiet place that we can shut out the competing noises and hear more clearly!