Luke 22:31 - 38
31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”
35 And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” 38 And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. Why is Jesus singling Peter out with this warning and why does He tell Peter that he will betray Him?
2. Why is Jesus telling them to take a moneybag and sword now?
3. They have two swords? Is this what Jesus is talking about? Why is it enough?
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2019/03/mark-1427-42-27-you-will-all-fall-away.html says:
ReplyDeleteJesus wanted to apprise the disciples of the trials they would face, presumably so that they also would spend the time in prayer.
Jesus’ charge is serious; they would “fall away”. The Greek words here used suggest a forsaking of Christ, possibly even an apostasy or renunciation of one’s belief.
Jesus was certain this would occur. In fact, the isolation and forsaking of the Messiah during His sufferings was predicted in the Old Testament.
By citing the prophecy of the “striking” and the “scattering”, Jesus is letting the disciples know that the horrible things that were about to occur, were to be all part of God’s plan, foreknown to Jesus Himself. “In laying out in advance much of the tragedy of the coming hours, [this passage] shows that Jesus is not a blind victim of fate but a voluntary sacrifice; and simultaneously He is preparing His disciples for their dark night of doubt”
The exactitude, and imminence of their Lord’s prediction of their “falling away” should have put the disciples on guard, and should have incited the disciples to prayer and deep reflection. Instead, they rejected that what Jesus prophesied would occur.
The specificity should have given Peter pause, and caused him to stop and reflect. Instead, Peter doubles down: “But Peter declared, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’” (vs. 35).
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They saw no reason for Him suffering at the hands of godless men. The truth had been laid out so clearly. But the disciples wanted something different than what Christ had foretold. They did not want Him to suffer and die and be raised from the dead, and so they fell away.
He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered. (Proverbs 28:26 NAB)
We see this flaw in Peter--he didn't know himself, he thought he was a rock.
Peter was ignorant of what would happen, because he would not believe the word of Christ. Before you're too hard on Peter, you must understand that we all do the same thing. When God has spoken something in His Word, and we either willfully choose to ignore it, or we add our own twist to re-interpret it to mean what we want it to mean, or we just deny what it says, then we've done the very same thing that Peter did.
Believers, we must think correctly about ourselves, and we must think correctly about the Word of God if we are going to keep ourselves from falling away in trials.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/22-32.htm says:
ReplyDeleteStrengthen thy brethren - Confirm them, warn them, encourage them. They are in continual danger, also, of sinning. Use your experience to warn them of their danger, and to comfort and sustain them in their temptations. And from this we learn:
1. That one design of permitting Christians to fall into sin is to show their own weakness and dependence on God; and,
2. That they who have been overtaken in this manner should make use of their experience to warn and preserve others from the same path.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/26-33.htm says:
ReplyDeleteThis confidence of Peter was entirely characteristic. He was ardent, sincere, and really attached to his Master. Yet this declaration was made evidently:
1. from true love to Jesus;
2. from too much reliance upon his own strength;
3. from ignorance of himself, and of the trials which he was soon to pass through.
And it most impressively teaches us:
1. that no strength of attachment to Jesus can justify such confident promises of fidelity, made without dependence on him.
2. that all promises to adhere to him should be made relying on him for aid.
3. that we little know how feeble we are until we are tried.
4. that Christians may be left to great and disgraceful sins to show them their weakness.
Luke adds that Jesus said to Peter that Satan had desired to have him, that he might sift him as wheat - that is, that he might thoroughly test him. But Jesus says that he had prayed for him that his faith should not fail, and charged him when he was "converted" - that is, when he was "turned" from this sin - to strengthen his brethren; to wit, by teaching them to take warning by his example.
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/22-35.htm says:
ReplyDeleteThe Lord speaks one more word to his own before leaving the upper room, More occupied with the future trials of his disciples than with his own tragic destiny, which he knew was about to be fulfilled, he reminds his friends of the comparatively quiet and serene existence they had been spending during the last two years and a half with him. In that period, generally speaking, they had been welcomed and kindly entertained by the people, sometimes, they would remember, even with enthusiasm. But they must prepare now for a different life - cold looks, opposition, even bitter persecution, would be their lot for the future. They must order themselves now to meet these things. No ordinary prudent forethought must be omitted by them. He had more than hinted that this future lay before them in his words, "Behold I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves;" now he plainly tells them what kind of life awaited them in the immediate future. Of course, the advice as to the sword was not meant to be taken literally. It was one of those metaphors the Lord used so often in his teaching. For a similar metaphor still more elaborately developed, see Ephesians 6:17, and following verses. Luke 22:35
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/22-38.htm says:
ReplyDeleteAre two swords - The Galileans, it is said, often went armed. The Essenes did so also. The reason was that the country was full of robbers and wild beasts, and it was necessary to carry, in their travels, some means of defense. It seems that the disciples followed the customs of the country, and had with them some means of defense, though they had but two swords among the twelve.
It is enough - It is difficult to understand this. Some suppose that it is spoken "ironically;" as if he had said, "You are bravely armed indeed, with two swords among twelve men, and to meet such a host!" Others, that he meant to reprove them for understanding him "literally," as if he meant that they were then to procure swords for "immediate" battle. As if he had said, "This is absurd, or a perversion of my meaning. I did not intend this, but merely to foretell you of impending dangers after my death." It is to be observed that he did not say "the two swords are enough," but "it is enough;" perhaps meaning simply, enough has been said. Other matters press on, and you will yet understand what I mean.
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and he said unto them, it is enough; or, "they are sufficient", as the Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions render it; which must be understood either ironically; yes, two swords, to be sure, are sufficient for eleven men, and against many and powerful enemies: or his meaning is, they were sufficient to answer his purpose, and be an emblem of what he designed by the sword: or this was a short way of speaking, suggesting their stupidity and ignorance: it is enough, it is very well, I perceive you do not understand my meaning, and I shall say no more at present.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-22-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteOnly Luke records Satan's demanding permission to sift Peter. This is an important passage to help us understand that Satan can ONLY go so far and can only operate within the parameters and limitations set by God Almighty! Yes, the enemy is continually assaulting believers (2Co 12:7, 1Th 2:18, 2Co 2:11, 1Pe 5:8), but he does so on a "divine leash" so to speak! We see that same truth specifically described in Satan's attack on Job.
Job 1:12 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD.
Job 2:5-6 However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.” 6So the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”
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Steven Cole - We fail to recognize the spiritual battle that we’re engaged in and so fail to pray as we should.
Peter didn’t understand that Satan was out to get him and that this hour belonged to the power of darkness. Thus he failed to pray at that crucial time in the garden (Luke 22:31, 46, 53). This caused him to react to Jesus’ arrest by swinging his sword, rather than with weapons for spiritual warfare. Then he blindly wandered into the path of temptation in the courtyard of the high priest’s house.
So often, like Peter, we react to difficult situations from the physical or human perspective, rather than realizing that we’re in a spiritual battle with the unseen forces of wickedness in heavenly places (Eph. 6:11-12). Someone says something against you at work and you react in anger by putting him down or getting back at him. By not praying and seeing it as a spiritual attack, you missed the opportunity to bear witness for Christ!
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Steven Cole - God uses our failures to give us a deeper understanding of our total need for Him
We all inherently have too high a view of ourselves and of our ability to live the Christian life in our own strength. And so the Lord graciously permits us to fail to teach us our absolute need for Him. About the time that you start thinking, “I’ll never fall into that sin again!” look out! “Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1 Cor. 10:12).
This principle is illustrated in many places in the Bible (see Psalm 107, for example), but perhaps nowhere more clearly than with Peter’s denials of Christ. The Lord could have prevented Peter’s failure. Satan had demanded permission to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31). God did not have to grant Satan’s demand. He could have said, “Satan, be gone!” and Satan would have had to flee. But God granted Satan’s request to teach Peter (and us) a painful, but necessary, lesson: Peter was not as strong as he thought he was. He had protested that even if all others fell away, he would stand firm (Mark 14:29). But he had to fail to learn not to trust in himself. The Christian life is a process of getting knocked off our feet so that we learn not to trust in ourselves, but totally in the Lord.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-22-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 22:36 And He said to them, "But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.
Why the radical change? Clearly Jesus was with them in the past and was still generally popular because of His miracles and His healing. Soon, Jesus would no longer be with them. The past was their time of "training," but now they were to put into practice what they had learned.
"having rejected Christ, the nation would no longer welcome His disciples. Instead, they would be hated and persecuted—just as Jesus had warned them.
And whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one - This is a surprising instruction considering Jesus non-confrontational teaching (e.g., Jn 18:36, Mt 5:44, Mt 5:39). As noted most commentaries see this allusion to a sword as figurative, especially in view of the fact that a few verses later He rebukes Peter for using a sword to defend himself (Mt. 26:52).
The reference is figurative, and not to an actual sword. When Peter attacked the high priest’s slave with a sword, Jesus said, “Stop! No more of this” (Lk 22:51). Nor is there any record in Acts of the apostles using force to defend themselves.
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Luke 22:37 "For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, 'AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS'; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment."
What is Jesus explaining? He is explaining that the reversal of public opinion from adulation to antagonism did not come as a surprise to Him but was predicted and is why He had just instructed them to be prepared for a major change in the reaction to their future ministries.
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Lord, look (idou), here are two swords (machaira) - This is a strange statement by the disciples considering Jesus had just described He would be regarded as a transgressor! They seem to have their mind focused on His instruction about sword! And they go on to interpret Jesus previous words as meaning a literal sword and thus they produced two from their group. Jesus responds with what amounts to a rebuke.
It is enough (hikanos) - This translation gives could be taken to mean something like this "Two swords are enough. We won't need any more." However that is not likely what Jesus meant. More likely is that He was giving them a firm reply which might be paraphrased “Enough of this talk about swords.” "Enough of this kind of talk."
He was referring to the swords as a symbol of preparation for the intense spiritual conflict just ahead. When the disciples took Jesus literally and produced two swords and He replied, “It is enough,” He was dismissing the subject in light of their continuing spiritual dullness. They just didn’t get it.
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. Why is Jesus singling Peter out with this warning and why does He tell Peter that he will betray Him?
Because Peter will be the most egregious offender (of the remaining 11), Jesus was singling him out for two reasons: 1. To save him from the depths that he will plummet. Peter will remember afterwards what Jesus had said and will know that Jesus was leaving a door open back to Him. 2. Because those who plummet the farthest and are rescued by God are the ones who are most able to lead others back to the light.
2. Why is Jesus telling them to take a moneybag and sword now?
Because Jesus will no longer be with them. They will be on their own in this cruel world (although the Holy Spirit will be with them). Almost all commentators say that the money and swords are allegories. Jesus is not telling them to hoard money and attack people with swords. He is telling them to use money and their words (that is, the Gospel, their spiritual swords) to combat the spiritual rulers of this world. We are in a huge, all-out spiritual battle building God's kingdom. We need to have a fighter's mindset against the spiritual principalities.
3. They have two swords? Is this what Jesus is talking about? Why is it enough?
It's pretty clear from this and how Jesus rebukes Peter when he used one of the swords in the garden later that evening, that Jesus was not talking about them using physical swords against people. It's also pretty clear that they didn't know what Jesus was talking about. Jesus' words, "it is enough", is either an open rebuke or an unwillingness to clear up their misperception (since they will understand later).