Second Sword

Second Sword The best part about reading the scriptures is someone keeps adding bits each time I read them. Sometimes I feel impressed to think about something in a new way, sometimes I notice something I hadn’t seen before, and sometimes I read between the lines, finding things that are of personal interest. On occasion all three happen at the same time. This was the case with the second sword. When the Pharisees came for Jesus they brought with them a mob armed with swords and staves. One apostle, Judas, betrayed the Savior with a kiss, and one apostle, Peter, drew a sword to defend him. As a young man I wanted to be like Peter, willing to stand up before overwhelming odds to protect the Savior. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I took notice of some verses in Luke 22 that give additional context as to what happened. In Luke 22:35-38, during the last supper and just prior to the garden, we have the following; “35 And he (Jesus) said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. 36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. 37 For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. 38 And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.” So, here the apostles indicate they have two swords among them, that was news to me, all I had ever heard about was the one sword. So I carefully read all four accounts of the Saviors betrayal. All four gospels indicate that Judas came from the Pharisees/High Priests/Elders with a mob armed with torches/swords/staves. Three of the accounts indicate that Judas had previously arranged a sign to betray Jesus with a kiss, while John indicates that the Savior stands forth, inquiring what they want and identifying himself as the one they seek, twice, while asserting his divinity before telling them to get on with it. Regardless, at some point they come to arrest him. In Luke, as the men approach, his apostles ask the Savior “Lord, shall we smite with the sword?” (Luke 22:49). All four gospels then indicate that one of the apostles, identified as Peter in the gospel of John, draws a sword and smites off the right ear of Malchus (John), a servant of the high priest. Jesus tells Peter to put up his sword, warning that “all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 52-53). The 12 legions of angels are an interesting comparison to the 12 apostles he has with him. In John Jesus also tells Peter to put his sword in its sheath, adding “the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”. Finally, in Luke he counsels Peter to, “Suffer ye thus far” before reaching out and healing Malchus. Then, in all four Gospels, the Savior is taken away. I have to wonder, what happened to the second sword? Who was carrying the sword? Was it carried by one of the Sons of Thunder, James and John? Did it belong to Matthew the tax collector? Why wasn’t it used? I can think of a couple of possibilities. Perhaps the apostle who carried it was fearful of the armed mob that had come to take Jesus and did not dare to fight. Perhaps they understood that the Savior, as He later pointed out, did not need a sword raised in His defense. The dramatic side of me imagines that Peter had both swords, dual wielding, blades flashing, scattering the enemies of the Savior before him in an epic battle worthy of any kung fu movie, holding off hordes of warriors until finally, after ten minutes of disarming foes, cutting the heads off spears, and knocking ten, twenty men back with each blow, finally somebody gets hurt. Somebody loses an ear, and the Savior says, “OK Peter, put up your blades, you have done enough, let me take it from here” and heals the wounded servant. What would I have done, if I were there and carrying the second sword? Would I have risen up, joining Peter in the fray? Would I have hidden my blade hoping that none of the mob noticed I was armed, and hoping that none of the apostles would ask me why I didn’t use it? Or would I have had the foresight to first reach for the sword and then stop, trusting to follow my Saviors lead? I don’t have that second sword, but I have A second sword; the sword of the Spirit. The question remains, how often, and for what, do I draw the blade on behalf of my Savior.