Sunday Message
Christian Use of the Sword
Matthew 26:51-56
Pastor Wes
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Last week Pastor Dave took us through verse 11 of John chapter 18. We saw the effects in Peter’s life of not watching and praying as Jesus had commanded His disciples to do. Under very difficult circumstances, under extreme stress and pressure, Peter- not having been watching and praying, reacted with little thought, in a way that Jesus had to immediately correct. Verse 10 tells us “Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus.” Malchus served the high priest, the high priest being the man chosen to represent the people before God Himself in the temple. And as a “slave,” Malchus, was probably more like a personal attendant, performing many duties, probably even including being a personal bodyguard for the high priest. And living in such politically, socially, economically, turbulent times, Peter was responsibly packing heat- he had his concealed sword permit, and in this heated moment he was reactive, drawing his sword, most likely aiming directly for the head of the opponent closest to him, who was leading the way for the high priest, who was then followed by other armed religious leaders, followed by armed Roman soldiers. It appears Malchus was a man pretty quick on his feet, and with a slight step back and head turn, Peter’s sword misses his head and slices instead his ear. And Jesus immediately jumps in to de-escalate the situation, verse 11 “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” Pastor Dave mentioned that there might arise a time to draw the sword in protection, but more often than not, the sword that needs to be drawn is the sword of the spirit- God’s word, contained in the Bible.
So, the question today is, how do we make sure we draw the correct sword in times of extreme pressure and tension? How do we avoid making the same mistake Peter did- reacting violently in a situation that would seem to justify such a reaction, when instead we should be reacting according to how Jesus would have us react? It’s not easy to be calm, cool, collected like Jesus when emotions are high. It’s not easy in the moment to stop and think, “ok, what would Jesus do?” Picture yourself in Jesus’ place here in the garden as the armed mob approached. Imagine the justifiable rage you might have experienced having been in Jesus’ shoes, having done no wrong, yet treated so wrongly and unjustly, having the very ones you wanted to help, turning on you and seeking to kill you, perhaps with the root motivation based in politics or hypocritical religiosity? I would be so furious and frustrated over the injustice. Perhaps we don’t even have to imagine ourselves there in that situation, all we have to do is look on the news or social media and see how violently others, (or ourselves) respond when we feel we have been treated unjustly or when we feel our political or spiritual view has been attacked. It gets reactive and violent, and escalates really quick.
The passage we’re looking at today is going to give us some help in times of tension (in addition to Jesus’ command to watch and pray) that will hopefully prevent us from blowing our fuse, taking up the wrong sword, and thus doing more harm than good. What I’d like for us to do, is to take a look at Matthew’s record of Jesus and Peter’s reaction to the armed mob, as the book of Matthew records more in detail what Jesus said in this tense, weapons filled moment. Matthew 26:52-56…
If we look back at verse 52, Jesus gives our first line of defense in helping us not take up the sword of violence. He gives a bit of a proverb, saying “all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.” Jesus was perhaps even quoting a common saying that was widespread during that time. The general principle is that those who practice violence get hurt by violence. The saying we use today is “what goes around, comes around,” basically meaning that if someone treats others badly, they will in return be treated badly. Another saying we even more directly pull from Jesus is, “you reap what you sow.” You’ve probably heard non-believers talk about Karma. Karma is loosely what Hindus and Buddhists would call the Biblical principle of reaping what you sow.
Now, I don’t believe this verse is a call to Christian Pacifism, the idea that there is never a circumstance that justifies violence. If we look at the Bible as a whole, there are many passages that advocate for the taking up of arms, to fight and defend for what is right, a time to go to war, to protect those who cannot protect themselves. But the general principle, is that violence stirs up violence. This is our first line of defense, to realize that violence returns violence. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Hate begets hate; violence begets violence.” A violent response will most likely be countered with a violent response. If we can realize this concept, and think about it before reacting, we can probably save ourselves a lot of fighting, tension, and stress. Consider how your quick, angry, violent attack is going to be received, and how it will then be retaliated. Before you send that text, before you type that email, before you post on social media, step back consider the principle that those who take up the sword, perish by the sword.
The account of this event in the book of Luke tells us that Jesus then healed Malchus’ ear. (Luke 22:51) If Jesus had not done that, can you imagine what would have happened as a result of Peter attacking Malchus? I don’t think there were many others amongst the disciples concealed carrying their sword, but I do image that every single trained warrior soldier there, had his hand ready to draw the sword- and it would have been a blood bath. Christianity could have ended right there in that moment. Jesus could have gone on to be arrested, crucified, and resurrected, but there wouldn’t have been any disciples remaining who would then go on to record His life, testify of His resurrection, and spread His hope around the world. You and I might have never heard the good news, that there is forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus. If Jesus had not healed that ear, the entire landscape of our whole world would look entirely different.
This thought leads us to our 2nd consideration we must have before we take up a sword: Healing returns healing. Healing will most likely be countered with more healing. This is just the reverse of our first principle- negative sowing produces negative reaping- but positive sowing produces positive reaping. Jesus healed the ear, performing His final miracle before His death on the cross, humbly healing a man who was obviously His enemy, who perhaps didn’t deserve to be healed- and as a result- millions of others afterwards have experienced spiritual healing. Listen to how Proverbs 15:1 expresses this concept “A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.” This is an incredible truth that needs to remain at the forefront of our minds, especially as we function in this world that is so easily angered, that is so tense, so divided, so hostile. Forget about the craziness of the world even, if we can live out this truth with just our spouses and children- how much more peace could we experience? A gentle answer turns away wrath. So often when we humble ourselves, apologize, and offer the opportunity for healing in a relationship- the other person involved is able to then likewise humble themselves and apologize- the healing is reciprocated. But a harsh word stirs up anger. I’m sure we’ve all experienced harsh words stirring up anger, and how they only escalate a situation.
So, violence returns violence and healing returns healing. We must remember these truths before drawing the sword of violence, anger, hate, condescending words, blanket statements. And in verse 53, Jesus gives us a third truth to remember as we walk through situations of tension and hostility. (verse 53…)
This verse presents an incredible concept. Do you not think, that Jesus- in any moment of stress, tension, pressure- do you not think that He has the ability to immediately send legions of angels to adequately address the situation? Just in case you’re curious, a legion equaled at least 6000 troops. Looking to His 12 disciples- 1 betraying Him, 1 reacting in violence, 10 others shaking in their sandals- He says if the situation called for it, He could have not 12 fearful men, but 12 groups of 6000 powerful angelic warriors come down to fix the situation. Do you believe that He can’t defend Himself, His truth, His people- and that He needs your violent reaction in order for His will to be accomplished? This verse reminds us of the sovereignty of God. He is in control. He is all powerful. He is all-knowing. He is more than able to adjust any situation for His glory and for the benefit of His people. So instead of quickly reacting and attacking, we should be quietly seeking His help, wisdom, guidance, and power through any difficult situation.
For those who like outlines that follow a pattern, perhaps we could keep to our theme of violence returns violence, healing returns healing, and now say His power returns His power. In other words, if we seek His power first, then what we will receive is His power. In contrast, if we use our power (being selfishly reactive and violent), then the result will be our “power” being displayed, which in the grand scheme of things really won’t amount to being all that powerful.
Lastly, in verses 54 and 56 Jesus emphasizes that there are certain events, already mapped out in scripture, (that will in the moment seem really negative and bad) that must take place according to God’s plan to bring about ultimate peace, joy, blessing, and victory for His followers. Verse 54 and 56…
The Bible contains so many prophecies that have been fulfilled, but there are also many that are yet to be fulfilled or have yet to be fulfilled to their full completeness. In last week’s midweek teaching, I mentioned God giving Daniel the sweeping prophecy of how kingdoms will rise and fall, and how He has it all mapped out up to the very end of time when earthly kingdoms will be done away with and His eternal kingdom will be fully established. If you are experiencing any 2020 political anxiety, I highly encourage you to get online and read or watch that message. But it’s not just earthly kingdom and political drama being fulfilled. Jesus, in many places throughout the gospels, warns that His followers will be persecuted for following Him- (especially leading up to the end of time) and that prophecy is being fulfilled around the world. As followers of Jesus, we must be careful as we witness injustice, persecution, attacks on God’s truth, attacks on freedom of religion, attacks on freedom of speech- we must be careful not to react violently- realizing that as Jesus says, the scriptures will be fulfilled.
In fact, all three of our previous concepts to consider before drawing the sword, are based in this final concept: Scripture truth returns scripture truth. The truth of the Bible will be played out as true in the world you and I live in. Jesus says you reap what you sow, and that is a solid, truthful concept that will be played out. The scripture says His power returns His power, and that truth will be played out. The truth of scripture will not be negated, it will return and continue to prove to be true over and over. The bible doesn’t say these specific words “His power returns His power”- no that’s just a general simple way I came up with to remember the concept. The bible rather says the concept a little more eloquently, like in 1 John 5:5- “Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” The power to overcome the world, comes from believing in the power source of Jesus the Son of God- His power, returns His power. Isaiah 55:10-11 says “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” What is written in scripture is reliable, and will produce, manifest itself, in the reality of our lives. Scripture truth returns scripture truth.
This concept can be a bit of a “bad news and good news” concept for us. It’s bad news for those who chose not to trust the truth of God’s scripture. It’s bad news for those who rebel against its advice, warnings, commands. It’s bad news for those who don’t use it as the standard by which they live their lives. It’s bad news because the judgements and consequences laid out in the Bible will become reality in the lives of those who don’t heed its words. In contrast, “scripture truth returns scripture truth” is a good news concept for those who trust the Bible’s truth even in difficult situations. It’s good news for those who receive and live out its advice, warnings, commands. It’s good news for those who use it as the standard by which they live their lives. It’s good news because all the promises and rewards laid out in the Bible will become reality in the lives of those who heed its words.
Now how do we use this concept of scripture truth returns scripture truth to temper our reactions in tense, pressured, reactive-prone moments? Perhaps in order to really be able to apply this concept, we have to be familiar with scripture. To spend time in it so that when potentially reactive moments arise, we can recall its truth- we can remember the historical stories and examples of those who reacted with wisdom, and those who in contrast reacted with folly. If we spend time in it, taking in its promises and warnings, we’ll be able to recall verses like Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath…”
And then realize and accept the fact the Bible very clearly teaches that things on earth will get worse before they get better. Resist the urge to shout out “It’s unfair” and to react violently with words, demands, frustration, attacks- and rather step back to consider that the unfairness, injustice, stress- you are experiencing, could in fact be the very indicators that His salvation is near.
Church, watch and pray. And remember: violence returns violence, healing returns healing, His power returns His power, and scripture truth returns scripture truth.