Weeping May Last through the Night”

Luke 22:54-62.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on March 13, 2016.

Today we will look at a very dark time in the life of our Lord Jesus.  It is the middle of the night and he has been arrested.  Jesus described it as the hour of the power of darkness.  Of course, he was referring to more than just the natural darkness.  But, rather, he refers to the spiritual powers that had blinded the leaders of Israel and used them to accomplish an evil end.  Even as the day will later dawn so the events will continue to spiral into ever darker and darker deeds, until the Lord of glory lies dead in a tomb of stone.

Night time has always had a powerful hold on the mind of men.  It reminds us of our limitations and ignorance, and enhances our fears.  It is no coincidence then that it should become a metaphor for how our soul feels when it enters into difficult and “dark” times.  Elie Wiesel, in his small book describing his plight in the concentration camps of Hitler, simply entitles it, “Night.”  He powerfully describes the darkness as the realization of being abandoned by men and by God.  Of course later he would declare that humans must never give in to hopelessness in such times.  And so I pull a phrase from Psalm 30:5 to make the title of this sermon.  This verse reminds us that, no matter how dark the night and how real the abandonment, the night will end and the day will surely dawn.  “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning.”  Let us learn from our Lord to embrace the dawn that is promised from God himself, in spite of the nights we experience on this earthly plane.

Peter Denies Christ

In verses 54-62 we find the disciple Peter denying Christ.  In this context to deny someone is to refuse to publicly associate with them, and to refuse to speak up on their behalf.  Hours earlier, when Jesus had warned Peter that he would do such a thing, Peter had vehemently rejected the Lord’s claim.  He insisted that he would stand by Christ even if he had to die with him.  So how could this happen when Peter so strongly desired to stand with Jesus?

Well we can begin with the phrase that says Peter “followed at a distance.”  When troubled and darkened times hit us, we are often not prepared.  Our flesh too easily slips into actions of self-preservation.  Sure, Peter still loved Jesus and was even concerned enough about what would happen to Jesus that he keeps his attention fixed upon Jesus.  Yet, at the same time he keeps enough distance between him and Jesus in order to remain safe.  We must understand that we cannot “remain safe” and be a disciple of Jesus.  We cannot “follow at a distance,” and truly be a follower of Jesus.  Such is our temptation during this time in our own society.  Do I follow Christ at a distance?  Am I attempting to protect myself from any negative fall-out that may attach itself to him?

Thus Peter ends up in the courtyard of the high priest, warming himself at the servants’ fire, and hoping to see what will happen to Jesus.  It is here that the infamous three denials will occur.  It is a young, female servant that first accuses him of being one of the disciples of Jesus.  Here Peter responds by denying that he knows Jesus.  Of course this is a lie.  Peter had basically lived with Jesus for about three years.  He knew Jesus quite well.  They had spent countless hours through all manner of ordeals.  Peter had seen Jesus do amazing miracles of healing and casting out demons.  He also saw the transfiguration of Jesus when his divine glory was allowed to shine through unveiled.  This denial is sad because the whole purpose of what Christ was doing was so that we could know Him and experience the love that the Father has for us.

But it doesn’t stop there.  Peter is challenged again by another that he is “one of them.”  Essentially Peter denies that he is one of the followers of Jesus.  So he is not only publicly separating himself from Jesus, but also his followers.  It is important to understand that we belong to a family of disciples.  We are to love each other in the same way that Jesus loved us.  To distance ourselves from each other is to distance ourselves from Jesus.  The two are intertwined.

A third time Peter is challenged.  Here he gives what we would call the categorical denial, “Man, I do not know what you are saying,” (i.e. what you are talking about).  There is no way in which you can connect me to this man.  This world is not content to leave well enough alone.  You will be challenged over and over again, until you either own up to your connection to Jesus, or you completely deny and separate yourself from him and his followers.

Immediately a rooster crows and Peter is reminded of the Lord’s words only hours earlier.  This is the time of Peter’s “sifting.”  Just as Jesus had described, Peter has failed because, even though his spirit was willing, his flesh was weak.  Luke records a significant detail.  Jesus is being questioned and abused somewhere close enough to the courtyard (if not in it) that he can make eye contact with Jesus.  Thus we have the rooster crowing and then Jesus looking Peter in the eye.  What a sad moment in the life of Peter.  He not only is faced with his failure, he suffers the further humiliation of the Lord looking right at him as he did it.  What kind of look do you think it was?  We are not really told.  Perhaps it was a “do you believe me now” questioning look.  Maybe it was simply a lonely look of one who is all alone.  Perhaps it was a tender look out of his desire to save Peter and all mankind.  I doubt it was a scowl of hatred.  Jesus knew what Peter would do and had told him to strengthen his brothers after he had repented and returned back to Christ.  Peter comes face to face with the cold, hard reality that he cannot do what he wants to do, what he needs to do, what is simply right.  Yet, Jesus would walk this dark night alone and abandoned by all men- and to a degree even by the Father Himself.

The bitter weeping of Peter is the sorrow that we experience when we discover our own futility.  We dare not attempt to avoid such moments.  They are a critical and necessary component to our salvation.   Unless we come to a place where we are made to face our inability to be righteous, we will never understand the depths of what Jesus has done for us.  In this moment our sorrow will either swallow us up destroying our faith, or it can bring us to repentance and surrender to the Spirit.  Have you had such a moment?  Do you understand that your salvation and place of acceptance in Christ is not based upon how well you have performed, but simply upon your faith in him?  Even when our faith fails to help us do the right thing, that does not mean it is completely gone.  Jesus is the true and righteous judge.  He knows when we are repentant of our sin and when we are rebelliously holding onto it.  Though weeping may last through the dark night of our soul, there is a morning that God has promised to all who will let go of themselves and embrace Him in simple faith.

weeping audio

Betrayed!

Luke 22:47-53.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on March 6, 2016.

There are many stories of betrayal throughout history:  Satan and God, Absalom and David, Brutus and Julius Caesar, and of course our topic of today, Judas and Jesus.  What is unique about the betrayal of Jesus is that he knew it was going to happen and allowed it to happen anyway.  We should never think that this means it didn’t bother Jesus.  Rather, we see Jesus as a man who feels deeply and yet submits those feelings to a specific plan. 

Such betrayals can paralyze even the best of people.   It can be hard to keep focused and continue forward in life, or to even have the “want to.”  Today the most common betrayal is that which happens in the marriage relationship.  Every year in America hundreds of thousands of marriages end in divorce.  Whether that comes from full blown betrayal through adultery or a softer betrayal in which one simply quits working on the relationship, betrayal is something that we can all relate to.   In our times of pain, sorrow, and paralysis, we must recognize that Jesus knows what it means to be betrayed and he offers us a way through it.

Jesus Is Betrayed And Arrested

By definition, betrayal comes from people who are close enough to us to do so.  In the life of Jesus, there were twelve men that he drew into his daily life.  Yes, multitudes were disciples of Jesus, but only the twelve lived with him and received special instruction.  Judas was hand-picked by Jesus to be one of these twelve.  Another aspect of this closeness is that Judas was given the further responsibility of taking care of the group’s money.  Though Jesus knew Judas would betray him, he still offered him a place that was close to his heart and critical to the operation of his ministry.

Sometimes we can act like it was easier for Jesus since he was God.  However, it would actually make it worse.  Jesus demonstrated nothing but love for Judas and yet he would be stabbed in the back.  We might think of this further in regard to the human race.  We often focus on our own pain and suffering and judge God for allowing it to happen.  And yet, we rarely think about the pain and suffering we have caused Him.  He has loved us and given us a critical place in His plan for all of creation.  Yet, we have continually rebelled and gone after other “lovers.”  If you understand anything about God, understand this: God loves mankind even though we have betrayed Him and He will continue to demonstrate His love towards us to the very end.  In fact, this is true for you as an individual as well.  God loves you and will not stop loving you until the day you release your final breath.

To add insult to injury, Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss.  Now for Judas this is a simple and practical way to signal the soldiers who to arrest.  In the darkness of the garden it would be easy for Jesus to escape.  Yet, there is an immense irony to his choice of signal.  The kiss of Judas represents the insincere kisses of those who care only for themselves.  They say they love you, but in truth they are only interested in pleasing themselves.  Jesus sincerely offers Judas a different way, and yet the insincerity of Judas leads him to destruction. 

When we throw in league with the Devil, things that ought to be sacred are sacrificed to the ambitions that one serves.  Spouses, children, parents, and others are all used and abused in order to obtain what we want.  Even though such things should not be done, the betrayer doesn’t seem to care.

In the midst of the arrest Peter takes out his sword and, in trying to defend Jesus, cuts an ear off of one of the men there.  Jesus quickly lets Peter know that this is the wrong way.  God is not going to redeem mankind by raising up an army of believers who will slay the enemy.  In fact, our spiritual enemies cannot be touched by such weapons.  Mankind would not be redeemed by the sword, but by the love of God.  Jesus says, “Permit even this.”  There is a part of all of us that balks at following Jesus.  Peter had been challenged to accept certain things in order to continue with Jesus.  Yet, now things were out of hand.  Peter cannot understand the insistence of Jesus on being betrayed and put to death.  Is there a limit to the things that we will accept and endure in order to follow Jesus?  Be sure that this life will test you severely in this matter.  Peter needs to stand down because he is trying to thwart the very plan of God.  This is typical when we do what our flesh wants.  We might be trying to do a good thing, like standing for Jesus, but God is not always headed in the direction we want.  Surrendering to this is sometimes too much for people.  Perhaps Judas himself believed at the beginning.  But somewhere Jesus had crossed a line in which Judas could not permit himself to follow anymore.

It is amazing to see the grace of Jesus displayed to a man who is there to arrest him.  Jesus heals the ear of the man.  Thus he demonstrates that he truly is the Son of God in that his goodness was received by good and bad alike.  Remember the words of Matthew 5:45, “[God] makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”  Is it possible to follow such a way?  Can I refuse to pay back wrong for wrong and instead love people even to the point of death?  We should not call it the way of love.  For no man ever loved like this.  It is the way of Jesus and of the love of God.

Jesus Rebukes His Captors

In verses 52 and 53 we see that Jesus makes some statements to his captors.  First he points out that he had not presented himself in such a way that warranted an armed arrest.  There was no reason to believe that Jesus and his group would be violent.  Jesus was famous for his teachings that promoted turning the other cheek and not paying back wrong for wrong.  The show of force is ridiculous.  Why seize him while wielding swords and clubs?  This kind of militaristic over-kill is becoming of those who have thrown their lot in with the Devil and not with God.  They could have taken him at any time and yet they choose the middle of the night and violent means.

Jesus points out that this was their time and the time of the power of darkness.  The phrase “the power of darkness” is a clear reference to Satan.  Some examples of this can be found in Acts 26:18, “I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.”  Here Jesus explains to Paul that the world was stuck in the darkness of the power of Satan.  Also, in Colossians 1:13, Paul explains to believers, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”  The power of darkness is clearly the spiritual opposite of the Kingdom of Jesus.

Satan loves to operate through force, hiding, betrayal, and vulnerability.  Up to now, God has allowed him to have a certain time of power.  But it will not end well for Satan and those who join in league with him.  They will have their inheritance in the lake of fire, otherwise known as the second death.  Today we are choosing which side we are going to be on.  You are either putting your trust in God by faith in the way of Jesus, or you are siding with the power of darkness.  There is no other way.  Even if you find yourself having fallen away for a time, like Judas did, repent of your fear and doubt and turn back to Jesus.  The Devil loves to tempt you to fall into sin and then use that failure to cause you to despair all hope.  Even now, Jesus holds out his arms to you saying, “I have paid the price of your sin and will set you free from your guilt if you will only turn to me and believe.”  Let’s put our faith fully upon the one who not only knows what it is like to be betrayed, but also forgives us for our betrayals of him.

Betrayed Audio

Prayer and Temptation

Luke 22:39-46.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on February 28, 2016.

If the cross is the visible, public trial of Jesus then here we see the private trial in which he wrestles with God over the things before him.  Ultimately Jesus gives us a key to facing trials and temptations, and that key is prayer.  Without prayer we are unprepared for them, no matter how strongly our spirit wants to please the Lord.  Peter is very determined to stand with the Lord, but will fail in the time of trial.  Jesus is not just praying for himself.  He is also teaching his disciples a lesson in temptation and overcoming the flesh.  It is also a glimpse of the agony involved in saving mankind.  Rebellious humanity can be saved, but only at great cost to God Himself.

Pray About Temptations

In verses 39 through 41 the scene transitions from the upper room inside Jerusalem to a garden outside of Jerusalem.  Judas is off to betray Jesus, so we only have Jesus and the eleven going across the shallow valley east of Jerusalem.  There they enter the Garden of Gethsemane, which is near the bottom of the Mount of Olives.  He knows he is about to be arrested and is very clearly picking the ground upon which it will happen.  It is important to recognize that Jesus gives them the command to pray.

Jesus is not running away or trying to hide.  We see this in the words “as he was accustomed.”  Jesus could have snuck out of the city and kept going.  However, he stops and spends time praying while his betrayer marshals troops to come after him.  Jesus goes where Judas would know to find him.  They had spent time there and it had become a part of their routine, especially in this last week.

Jesus also tells them why they should pray.  Somehow it will enable them to avoid temptation.  The terminology is actually the idea of entering into temptation.  Temptation itself is merely a trial or a test in which we are tempted to choose something other than God’s will.  There is nothing wrong with praying to avoid such tests.  However, some tests cannot be avoided.  Thus we need to pray also that we will not give in to those temptations or fail the test.  The Bible refers to this as falling.  It is as if you are walking the way of the Lord and something trips you up and causes you to fall down.  We also have some further description in the other Gospels.  Jesus tells them that “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  So when we take time to pray about the temptations and trials that we see ahead of us, it can enable us to overcome the weakness of our flesh.  Peter’s strong declaration of faithfulness to Jesus becomes the perfect illustration of this.  There is no reason to think Peter is lying.  He really does want to be the kind of disciple that would stick with Jesus even when everyone else leaves.  Yet, in the crush of the trial his flesh is unable to stand up.  Jesus is showing us that our lack of prayer and wrestling with God over the temptations of life keeps us spiritually weak.

Another aspect of prayer is that Jesus clearly wanted some people to pray with him.  Sometimes you need people close in prayer and sometimes you need to get alone.  This passage gives us a bit of both.  Luke’s account here is somewhat short.  But the other Gospels tell us that Jesus left 8 of the disciples in one area and then went a distance away with Peter, James, and John.  He even then separated a little further from them.  Thus they are close enough to hear him praying but not right next to him.  When you are facing difficult trials the sense of being alone can become overwhelming.  Having people who will not only pray for us, but also with us is imperative.  Make sure that you have friends who will pray for you and with you.  Yet, some things are so deep and so personal that we need to get alone with God.  In fact, Jesus often went off by himself to spend time in prayer.  This seems to be a mixture of both.  He wants to get alone in prayer and yet he needs them to pray with him.  May God help us to learn how to come alongside of a brother or sister in prayer when they are going through difficult circumstances and hard trials.  You don’t have to force yourself upon them.  Simply let them know that you are there for them in whatever they need.

The Lord Leads The Way

At verse 42 we get a glimpse into the prayer of Jesus.  He is our pattern and template for faithfully serving God.  So this prayer and others are important to understand.  First we see Jesus asking to avoid the cross.  The magnitude of what lies ahead weighs heavy upon the humanity (i.e. the flesh) of Jesus.  As the eternal Son of God he has already agreed to this and is just as committed as the Father.  Yet, here he is in the flesh about to go through with it and his flesh is pulling back away from it.  Now he must reaffirm the commitment in his humanity.  His time has come.  He knows that God will allow him to be taken and killed.  There are moments in life in which we face a particular decision.  Regardless of how we choose, we will then be caught up in a series of events that we can’t control.  The die is cast.  This is that moment for Jesus.  If he runs he can avoid it.  But if he stays here they will catch him.  Of course this is no gamble, but control of how this will end up is being surrendered.  Once he is arrested the human side of Jesus will have no escape short of God’s intervention.  Such heavy laden decisions must be approached with spiritual fear and trembling.  Lord help us to learn to pray in such a way that we are able to discover his will and surrender our flesh to it.

Though the flesh of Jesus is pulling away, it is not greater than his desire to do God’s will.  Specifically he is here to save mankind.  In Hebrews 12:2, speaking of Jesus, says, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  He knew the end game and how important it was.  He knew what would be lost if he didn’t and what would be won if he did.  Jesus was not obligated by anything but his own love for us.  May this image remind you in your own times of doubt that the Lord loves you with an everlasting love that is willing to suffer the depths of sorrow in order to reclaim you.

At this point God strengthens Jesus by an angel.  This also happened at the beginning of his ministry when he was fasting for 40 days and the devil tested him.  Here as well as there, Jesus is in need of physical strengthening.  I do not believe the angel is strengthening the resolve or faith of Jesus.  But rather, the angel is enabling his physical body and physical psyche to endure the stress of the situation.  We do not realize how much our lack of knowledge about things in our life is a blessing.  It is a blessing because it enables us to live with peace.  If we understood completely what lay ahead of us we would most likely not eat or sleep.  Yet, in those moments when harsh realities set upon us and we become fully aware, God has many means of providing strength for us.  In fact, we should pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in such times.  We see Jesus agonizing over the coming contest with severe mental and physical struggle.  This only causes him to pray more earnestly.  Our flesh tends to give up on prayer when we become overstressed.  Yet, it is important to pray more earnestly in these times.  We don’t have to be desperate, although we sometimes are.  Jesus can identify with the agony that we endure in such times.  He can empathize with what hangs over you.  In fact, because He has already overcome the world, we can rejoice.  We have hope that just as God brought Him through, so He will bring us through too.

Jesus is not the only one who is stressed here.  The disciples are exhausted from stress, lack of sleep, and sorrow.  Jesus had to wake them several times calling them back to pray.  I do not believe this is just because they didn’t want to pray.  Stress and sorrow can overwhelm a person so much that they physically shut down.  I am not excusing them, so much as pointing out the issues involved.  Some can even get to a point where they are barely able to function.  We must learn to recognize the spiritual danger around us before we get so low.  Does the Lord understand our lack of strength?  Yes, and he even empathizes with us.  Yet, before his arrest, he makes sure that these words would be stuck in his disciples’ hearts.  “Pray lest you enter into temptations.”  Prayer is far more important than we realize.  Sure we must put feet and hands to our prayers.  But don’t thing that your faith will survive the trials of this life without it, whether from yourself or others in your life who love you.

Prayer and Temptation Audio

Living by Faith

Luke 22:35-38.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on February 21, 2016.

Throughout the history of the Church the idea of “living by faith” has taken on several different forms.  For some it became the idea that we should never prepare for or save up for anything.  They attempt to obtain a radical trust in Jesus and His provision alone.  The opposite view sees it as only affecting the spiritual issue of salvation.  Thus they trust Jesus to save their souls, and yet do not look for any “provision” from God in their life.  I believe that the truth lies in between these two extremes.  We should trust God for both spiritual and material needs.  However, we also work hard, save up, and prepare for the inevitabilities that lie ahead.  As we look at today’s passage, we will get a better feel for this area.

The Sending Out Of The Twelve

In Luke 9 Jesus had sent the 12 into the towns and cities of Israel.  He had given them authority to heal diseases and cast out demons, while proclaiming the kingdom of God.

Part of the reasoning for this is that they would prepare the people to hear Jesus later.  In a sense they were pre-evangelizing the area.  There are different aspects to sharing the Gospel with people.  Sometimes it is brand new to them and can be symbolized by casting a seed into their minds and hearts.  Sometimes they have run into this before and our interaction with them can be symbolized by watering seed that already exists.  Lastly, we may come into the life of a person who has had seed planted and watered.  Their seeds have grown to the point of maturity and can now be harvested.  We should always bear in mind these ideas when we are sharing the Gospel.  We intersect with a life that is in motion and has a past.  However God chooses to use us, we must give our all without being discouraged by what we do or don’t see.  Be faithful.  The work is greater than any one attempt to evangelize.

Of course, it was also an opportunity to strengthen the faith of the disciples and to prepare them for their future.  Jesus told them to take no money, provisions, or extra clothes.  They were to depend solely upon what was provided by those who accepted them.  Of course God is ultimately the supply in all of our lives, but we are not usually commanded to do what Jesus told them to do.  This was clearly a part of their training and yet was also beneficial to the ministry.  After reminding them of their previous ministry He asks them if they lacked anything.  Their answer to the Lord is an emphatic, “We lacked nothing, Lord.”  It is important to recognize that we serve a God who is able to provide and, when He does, He often does so through people.

They Had Entered A Turning-Point

This time, Jesus is going to give them a command that is different than before, and it hinges on the phrase, “But now…”  The circumstances are going to be very different in the future than they were.  Before Jesus was a novelty that many people were interested in, and his disciples shared in that popularity.  Also they were only going to the cities of Israel.  Everyone there understood the Bible and God to some degree.  In a sense it was a best case scenario for ministry.  In the future they are not going to be in places that would be relatively easy.

In fact, the biggest issue ahead is that Jesus will no longer be with them physically.  He says, “The things concerning me have an end.”  That is there is a purpose in mind and it is that He must die on the cross.  It was not the Father’s will to continue things as they were before, and it was not his will to restore things to how they were after the resurrection.  They would be the main ministers now.  There would be no Jesus coming behind them. 

The earlier time was only preparatory for the Great Commission that would go beyond Israel to all the nations of the world.  This world would be dark and difficult.  In 1 Corinthians 4:11-13 Paul says, ¹¹ To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. ¹² And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; ¹³ being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.  Before they lacked nothing, but in the future they are going to experience great lack in material things, yet not in the spiritual.  This brings us to a real challenge with faith.  Faith is not about getting what you think you need by declaring it.  Sure God tells us to ask and promises to provide for us.  But the disciples were headed into new peaks of faith that would require a person to trust God regardless of how good it looked like He was providing.  Sure, you have faith in God when you are blessed.  But, what about when you are hanging on a cross and feeling forsaken by God, do you have faith then?  I am not saying we will all end in such a situation.  However, it is our faith that overcomes the world, not our blessing.

Living by faith is not about how much or how little you have.  Before, he made them take nothing.  But having faith in God is about more than proving you trust him by having no provisions.  In Christ if you have nothing to start with, or you are fully supplied, you will need to have the same faith to accomplish what God is sending you to do.  Many a ministry that has been fully supplied has been ruined through trusting riches and fearing their loss.  However, many have never attempted ministry because they feel they have nothing to start it.  Do not look at what you have but rather look at what God is telling you to do and trust him.  The supply in this sense becomes irrelevant in regards to faith.  Use what you have, but never let it be what you trust in.

Why Did He Want Them To Have Swords?

The issue with the swords at the end of this passage has been a difficulty through the ages.  Why would Jesus tell them to get swords?  He is famous for being peaceful.  The word for “sword” here is in reference to a large knife or small sword.  Though it could be used in battle, it would be a very common thing for travelers to use for protection against animals and robbers, as well as a practical tool for cutting.  So why does Jesus want them to get these short swords?

Some have pointed to the Scripture that Jesus quotes, “He was numbered with the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12).  When Jesus is arrested, the presence of the swords, and the cutting off of the servant’s ear, would help to fulfill this Scripture.  Yet, Jesus was arrested and crucified for blasphemy.  He is crucified with a thief and a murderer.  How much more would need to be done to fulfill this prophecy?  If you look up the Isaiah 53 passage, you will notice that the quote follows the statement in Isaiah that the messiah would pour out his soul unto death.  I think that Jesus quotes this verse to point out that things are changing and not why they need swords.  Jesus is seen as a criminal and thus will be executed.  This will change things for them.

Another answer has been to say that they will need them as they journey on the Great Commission for protection from animals and robbers.  This seems to fit the passage better.  It would be another item of provision when going on a journey through wilderness areas.  Paul’s list in 2 Corinthians 11 gives us a feel for what they encountered in their travels.  “²³ Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. ²⁴ From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; ²⁶ in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; ²⁷ in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.”  The swords could come in handy on such perilous journeys.  However, this still doesn’t quite fit to some.  We never see stories of the disciples using swords later.

Living By Faith Audio