Sunday, June 3, 2012

Shall Not Kill

Here is a very good summary of the apparent contradictions in the Gospel regarding Jesus and self defense.


Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Nothing," they answered. He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: `And he was numbered with the transgressors' ; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment." The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords." "That is enough," he replied. (Luke 22:35-38, NIV)



No one has related this to 1 Samuel 8, and many other instances, wherein the laws God lays down are short of divine but doable by humans.  Jesus needed to bring the apostles from brawling thugs to Christianity within a few moments.  Jesus says "get swords" which makes perfect sense to the apostles, and then "that is enough."   Time was clearly short, and as the evening proceeded, we see Peter and the others were still woefully uncatechised.

But enough what? Enough swords for the task at hand, enough of the nonsense of killing (swords are for killing and the commandment is "thou shalt not kill")

I wish I was a Greek and Latin scholar so I could know if this a good interpretation.  

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