Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Time to buy swords

I found this over at Samizdata quote of the day and he calls it the Quote of the millennium... let me explain;
This is the quote by Jesus from Luke 22:36 NIV...
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".
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. KJV
Why did He say this? When one looks at this verse it actually sems like He was proposing violence. However one has to look at the context and to me the actual meaning is that somtimes Christians need to be prepared to defend themselves from violence with violent means, especially when the persons do not want to hear the message of peace that He brought to the world.
Today we live in such times... many have heard the Word but resist it violently, no one can tell me that many of islam's top leaders and teachers have not heard what Jesus stands for yet they reject the stone... They are the reason Christians are allowed to go and buy a sword...
There are other interpretations but as I apply Occam's razor this is the most sensible meaning to me. Yes, verse 37 explains how He must be regarded as a transgressor, however having a sword (actually a dagger as I have found out) was not an offence but deemed to be essential to one's survival in those times.
He did not want his followers to go about beheading those that did not want to convert but conversely He did not want his followers to let evildoers have free reign over his followers... when we see evil being perpetrated He does not want us to be spectators but to use the sword to fight the evildoer... all the time saying a prayer of course...

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