(I’d like to wish my daughter, Lindsay James Freeman, a happy and blessed 21st birthday. May she always recognize the love and grace of God’s presence in her life.)
I’ll admit to a great deal of consternation about a section of the Luke passage for today. “(Jesus) said to them, ‘But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one’” (Luke 22:36). The comments about the purse and the bag are one thing, but for Jesus to talk about the disciples arming themselves has long troubled me. I am indebted, therefore, to the footnotes of the Oxford Annotated Study Bible (NRSV). The suggestion there—and a good one, I think—is that Jesus was telling his followers to use their resources for living in a time filled with hostility. Jesus is not speaking of an offensive weapon, but of a commitment to remain faithful to Jesus’ teachings. That the disciples misunderstood the comments should not surprise us, they have been doing that from the very beginning.
The question we need to ponder, no matter where we live, is what does the sword represent for us today? Some Christians are despised or persecuted for their faith. For them a renewed commitment to the faith and a willingness to take up “spiritual arms” is essential. But for many of us it is almost too easy to be a Christian. In fact, for many of us there is no threat at all. For us the sword becomes a confusing image of violence. I want us to rethink the sword in Jesus’ words. I want us to arm ourselves for living a life of commitment, not against hostility, but in the face of apathy and disregard. For us the sword is the willingness to study scripture, to pray, to participate in worship, to give to those in need, to look ahead with confidence to the fullness of God’s reign. If we will “steel” ourselves for the long haul, if we will focus our lives on the meaning of Jesus Christ for the world, I believe we will find ourselves enlivened by the faith and full of joy and hope. The sword for us is a life of faith for which we should be willing to sacrifice everything.
Prayer: Lord, help us to remain focused on you throughout our lives. Grant us the insight and the wisdom to perceive your word at work in our midst. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment