When should I take up a sword?Terry Dashner…………………..Faith Fellowship Church PO Box 1586 Broken Arrow, OK 74013
As a Christian is it ever right to bear arms against another human being? If called to war, should I object by
authority of scripture that says, “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him other also” (Matthew 5:39). If I follow example of Jesus, should I ever raise a sword against another to subdue him? Before I answer either yea or nay, let me look again at scriptures.
Through years, I’ve wrestled with teachings of Jesus regarding restraint against an enemy I’m supposed to love. What I’m going to share with you is what I’ve come to believe about Jesus’ teaching regarding my enemies.
Jesus was a pacifist, but He was not a push over. For example when he stood against merchandisers in temple, Bible says that He “drove” them out. He was fearless. He was aggressive, assertive, and angry when He over turned money tables and sent merchants packing. John 2:14-16 says, “And found in temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of temple, and sheep, and oxen; and poured out changers' money, and overthrew tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.”
Jesus didn’t use swords, but some of His disciples carried them. In Luke 22:49-50 it says, “When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with sword? And one of them smote servant of high priest, and cut off his right ear.” And then again in John 18:10-11 it says, “Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into sheath: cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”
Obviously Jesus was not comfortable with zealots who wanted a fight, namely Peter and sons of thunder; however, he did not prohibit them from carrying swords. Keep in mind that Jews resisted Jesus’ claim that He was Messiah because He did not fit their view of what Messiah should look like or act like. They thought Messiah would come and lead them against their enemies by military conquests. Jesus tried to instill into his disciple that He was not come to lead them into conventional warfare but to lead them into spiritual victory over their sins. (He didn’t get through to them because they packed swords anyway.) He didn’t pick up conventional weapons because He had not come to fight a conventional war against Rome. He was sent to fight and defeat Satan by His death, burial, and resurrection from dead. And this He did without conventional weapons but by power of Holy Spirit.
