CRITICAL NOTES
Luke 22:21. Him that betrayeth.—If the order of events be here given, it is clear that Judas partook of the last supper.
Luke 22:22. Determined.—Fixed by the counsel of God (cf. Acts 2:23; Acts 4:27-28; Revelation 13:8).
Luke 22:24. A strife among them.—Perhaps this is related out of its order, and is to be understood as having occurred at the beginning of the supper, when Christ practically rebuked it by washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:4 ff.), to which action He here alludes in Luke 22:27.
Luke 22:25. Gentiles.—A hint that the spirit animating the disciples was heathenish in its character. Benefactors.—A title taken by some kings—e.g., Ptolemy Euergetes (the word here used).
Luke 22:26. Greatest.—R.V. “the greater.”
Luke 22:28. Have continued.—Words specially appropriate to the present time, when the end of the time of trial was at hand. Temptations.—Or “trials” (cf. James 1:2-3).
Luke 22:30. Sit on thrones.—Perhaps the word “twelve” used in Matthew 19:28 is here purposely omitted.
Luke 22:31. Simon, Simon!—The repetition of the name gave combined solemnity and tenderness to the appeal. Desired.—R.V. “asked to have you,” or (margin) “obtained you by asking.” “Not content with Judas” (Bengel). Have you.—Plural—i.e., the apostles.
Luke 22:32. I.—Emphatic. Fail.—Implies total extinction. Strengthen.—The use of this word and the cognate substantive thrice by Peter in his two epistles (1 Peter 5:10; 2 Peter 1:12; 2 Peter 3:17), and in the first passage in a connection with the mention of Satan’s temptations, is remarkable.
Luke 22:33. I am ready.—Rather, “Lord, with thee I am ready,” etc. (R.V.). The “with thee” is emphatic.
Luke 22:34. Peter.—“The only occasion on which Jesus is recorded to have used to him the name He gave him. It is used to remind him of his strength as well as his weakness” (Farrar). Shall not crow.—St. Mark alone says “twice.”
Luke 22:35. When I sent you, etc.—The kindness and hospitality with which they were met on the former occasion are contrasted with the enmity to which they will now be exposed—against which they will need to guard.
Luke 22:36. A sword.—For self-defence. The strong figure makes the warning all the more memorable.
Luke 22:37. For the things, etc.—I.e., either the prophecies, one of which is quoted, are to be accomplished, or the things which befall me are approaching their termination. Probably the former is to be preferred.
Luke 22:38. It is enough.—Not “they are sufficient,” but “that will do.” It seems to be an ironical reply, indicating that in taking His words literally they had misunderstood Him, and simply dismissing the matter.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Luke 22:21-38
Words of Warning and Counsel.—In the words which Christ spoke after the institution of the Supper, and before He went forth to meet suffering and death, we have another proof of His unselfish and disinterested spirit. His thoughts are not absorbed in His own concerns, but He has leisure to think of His disciples—to utter words of warning and reproof, and to give them counsels for the time when they will be deprived of His presence and be brought face to face with new conditions of life, for which their previous experience would not have prepared them.
I. He reveals the fact that one of the twelve is to betray Him (Luke 22:21-23).—Both sorrow and indignation appear in the exclamation, “But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth Me is with Me on the table.” As He sees the cup pass from hand to hand, His attention fastens upon Judas, and He cannot refrain from disclosing the fact that one of those who are now His guests will deliver Him into the hand of His enemies. For long He had kept silence concerning the true character of Judas: why does He now break that silence? Surely it was in mercy to the traitor, who might, even at the eleventh hour, have repented of his sin and found forgiveness. Death would still have come to Christ, but his guilt would have been averted. For Christ makes it quite clear that the traitor’s power over Him is but slight. He does not lament that He is doomed to death, for He knows that a Divine decree has prescribed death for Him. But He shudders at the fate of the man who deliberately and wilfully betrays Him. So skilfully had Judas disguised his real feelings towards Christ, that he averts from himself the suspicions of his fellow-apostles. Yet, after all, there was nothing very wonderful in his escaping observation, for those of innocent mind are much more inclined to suspect themselves of faults and shortcomings than to discern them in others.
II. He allays the strife for supremacy that had again risen among them (Luke 22:24-30).—The question as to who should be the greatest among them had more than once, before this, raised disputes and contests among the apostles. But it surprises us to read that on this solemn occasion it should again have been raised. Perhaps the origin of the present dispute was in rival claims being put forward to occupy the place of honour by the side of Jesus at the supper-table. Yet, though the disciples were so far out of sympathy with their Lord as to indulge in selfish strife for precedence or for supremacy at this moment, when the thought of His coming sufferings and death was pressing upon His mind, we discern no trace of anger or of disappointment in His words. He is neither irritated nor discouraged by the fact that, in spite of His example and teaching, His disciples still manifest a spirit of carnal ambition, for He knows that the leaven which is to change their characters has been deposited in their hearts, and He is fully convinced that in due time the transformation which He has sought to effect will be wrought.
1. He contrasts the ideal of greatness which prevails in ordinary human society with that in the new society of which He is the founder: there strength or ability gives precedence, here he is greatest who is most eager to be of service to his fellows. And He brings forward His own example as an illustration of the spirit that should prevail among them: He had abdicated the honour He might have insisted upon and had been among them as one that served.
2. He promises due satisfaction of the aspirations after glory and honour which it is lawful for even the humblest believer to cherish (Romans 2:7), though the way to have them realised is not by seeking lordship over others. He acknowledges the fidelity of the apostles to Himself in the time of His humiliation, and He assures them that they shall be associated with Him in His exaltation. As they are His guests at this paschal supper, so shall they sit down with Him at the heavenly banquet; as they have recognised Him as their King, and sought to extend His kingdom, so shall they be partakers of His royal authority.
III. The warning against self-confidence (Luke 22:31-34).—Christ discloses the fact that a serious trial is at hand for all the apostles—that he who was chiefest among them in faith and devotion would be exposed to greatest danger; but He also promises help in the time of need, and anticipates a victorious issue from the trial.
1. The imminent danger. The enemy of God and man was to assail the apostles and to attempt to overthrow their faith. His desire to have them, that he might sift them as wheat, was to be gratified; and, as in the case of Job, he was to be allowed to try every device for shaking their loyalty to their Master. He would choose an opportune time for his attempt, when they were separated from their Master, and left dependent upon their own strength and resources. Yet his power was but limited; it was by God’s permission that he was allowed to sift them; and though he might desire that the wheat might be found to be but chaff, he could do no more than shake the sieve.
2. The intervention of the Intercessor. Christ presents Himself as more than a match for the enemy. He has already foreseen the danger, and has already provided against it (“I have prayed”). One apostle is, though he is unconscious of it, in more danger of utter overthrow than any of his fellows; and for him the prayer of intercession has been offered with special fervency. The prayer is not that he may escape the trial, nor even that he may escape from it unscathed, but that his faith may not fail—that, however low he may fall, he may still not be utterly cast down.
3. A happy issue from the trial. Christ anticipates a change being wrought in the character of the apostle that would make him helpful to others in time to come. By his fall and restoration his rashness and self-confidence would be purged away, and the experience through which he had passed would make him sympathetic towards the weak, and able to understand the trials and difficulties that beset them. Those who have themselves fallen and been truly penitent are more likely to be helpful to their brethren than others, whose experience has been more happy and uneventful. The reply of Peter shows how unconscious he was of the danger in which he stood.
IV. A new order of things at hand, requiring special foresight and courage (Luke 22:35-38).—After preparing the disciples for the special trial which is to befall them in the course of a few hours, He forewarns them that in the days and years to come they will be confronted with a very different condition of matters from that which had been familiar to them in the time of His earthly ministry. They had enjoyed a measure of comfort in consequence of the popularity which He had won in many sections of Jewish society. But now the final conflict between Him and the authorities of the Jewish people would entail upon them also a measure of hardship and persecution.
1. He recalls the past. When He had sent them on their mission through the land, they had found friends everywhere; though they had gone out without money or provisions, they had suffered no lack of anything they needed.
2. He foretells the future. He is to suffer, and they are, to some extent, to suffer with Him. Instead of trusting to the generosity of others they will need to make provision for themselves; instead of friends they will find enemies, against whom they will need to use all legitimate means of self-defence. He would no longer be with them to protect them, and therefore they would need to use every precaution for guarding themselves from harm. The disciples, for the moment, took the precept literally, and pointed out that they were prepared; for they had two swords in their possession. The Lord does not correct the error, except by implication; two swords are enough for protecting the twelve, since literal swords are not to be used—since their most efficient weapon would be an all-suffering patience like His.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON Luke 22:21-38
Luke 22:21-23. Treachery Unveiled. Note—
I. That the traitor was an apostle.
II. That he would be successful in accomplishing his evil work.
III. That he would bring down upon himself a terrible doom.
Luke 22:21. “But, behold.”—Though I am about to shed My blood for you, and for all men.
“The hand.”—The hand which had received the bread and the cup—the hand which had pledged a covenant with the enemies of Christ.
Luke 22:22. “As it hath been determined.”—Cf. Psalms 41:9.
Luke 22:23. “Began to enquire.”—In their guilelessness they were
(1) distrustful of themselves, and
(2) unsuspicious of others.
Luke 22:23-24. “Which should do this thing!… which should be accounted the greatest.”—In the one question their humility, in the other their pride, are manifested. A strange contrast!
Luke 22:24-25. True Greatness.
I. What did the apostles, at this time in their lives, mean by “the greatest”?—The most influential, the most capable, the most considered. To some men greatness consists in physical prowess; to others, the possession of wealth; to others, the power of intelligence. In our times, we often mean by greatness a combination of all these forms of power—force, wealth, intelligence.
II. Our Lord’s ideal of greatness.—Very unlike that of the natural man. An entire contrast. Is it an unpractical ideal? No. For
(1) man’s true greatness must be the greatness of his true self;
(2) must be in harmony with the true law of his being.
3. Love is the gift, the expenditure of self—“God is love.” And He permits man to share in the most glorious of the Divine attributes, and his sharo in this attribute is the measure of his greatness. The apostles became really great men after Pentecost, simply because they followed their Master. Note, in conclusion
(1) the importance of a true ideal in life.
(2) The true ideal of life—service—is within the reach of all of us. We can all of us be really great if we will. The possibilities of service are manifold and inexhaustible. They lie around us on every side; they grow under our feet; they outnumber our capacities for meeting them. To be like our Lord, we must unlearn the world’s current ideas of greatness.—Liddon.
Luke 22:24. “Also a strife among them.”—One apostle was a traitor; the others though faithful, manifest a spirit of selfish rivalry which could not fail to grieve their Master.
“Should be accounted the greatest.”—Christ is neither irritated nor discouraged by the unseemly contest; He gently bears with the weakness of the disciples, and He lays down the principle which should animate them, in the full consciousness that, in due time, it would influence and govern their conduct.
Luke 22:25-30. To Strive for Pre-eminence was Unbecoming.
I. Because it manifested a spirit like that of the heathen (Luke 22:25-26).
II. Because it was inconsistent with the example of Christ Himself (Luke 22:27).
III. Because a high and princely recompense was reserved for all who had been faithful to Him.—A kingdom, a throne, and a place at His table, for each (28–30).
Luke 22:25. “Benefactors.”—Our Lord draws a marked contrast between princes who had assumed the title because of their beneficent rule, and Himself, who deserved it, not for exercising authority over His followers, but for “serving” them.
I. The worldly ideal of greatness.
II. The Divine ideal which Christ introduced and exemplified.
Luke 22:26. “As he doth that serve.”—Let all the strife of men be—who shall do best; who shall be least.—Whichcote.
Humility and Greatness.—
1. Humility a way to greatness.
2. Doing good the object to be kept in view, rather than being great.
Luke 22:27. “I am among you,” etc.—
1. A summary of His earthly life of humiliation.
2. A fit introduction to His passion.
3. The watchword, even now, of His heavenly life.
Luke 22:28-29. “Continued with Me:” Fidelity and Its Reward.
I. Christ’s grateful acknowledgment of the fidelity of His disciples.—They had done nobly. Their behaviour had been heroic. Persistence in spiritual life, throughout a curriculum of trial, is not easy.
II. Christ’s promise of a great reward.—Noble shall be your reward—such is the import of the pathetic utterance. I shall do this in turn to you who have persisted in fidelity to Me. Are not the apostles the true rulers of the world to-day?—Bruce.
Luke 22:28. “My temptations.”—
1. The privations of His lot.
2. The absence from His life of the elements of worldly greatness.
3. The calumnies and plots of His enemies.
4. His rejection by so large a section of the people, and by their rulers.
I. The loneliness of Christ’s life.
II. The temptations that had beset Him.
III. His gratitude for the fidelity of the apostles.
Christ’s Temptations.—We must not forget that the Saviour described the space between the wilderness temptation and the temptation at the end as “My temptations.” Not “My sorrows,” “My difficulties,” “My pains,” but “My temptations.” His virtue was not cloistered and untried. It was subjected to the hottest fires.
I. He was tempted all His life by bodily pain and privation.
II. He was constantly tempted to use His supernatural power.
III. He resisted the temptation to adopt a false Messiahship, accordant with the worldly spirit of Judaism, in favour of an inward kingdom to be developed by the power of the Divine Spirit. He would not please His disciples by taking a temporal kingship. How significant, then, it is, that when He describes His life it should come before His memory as “My temptations”!—Nicoll.
Luke 22:29-30. “I appoint unto you a kingdom.”—The words virtually signify: “I will give you a royal dignity, which will be associated with that which I myself have received, so that you, who are now My guests at this Paschal supper, will also sit down with Me at the heavenly banquet, and will, in My name, judge the tribes of Israel.”—Godet.
Luke 22:29. “I appoint.”—Lit. “I bequeath”; a word appropriate for one so near death.
Luke 22:30. “That ye may eat,” etc.—It is their association with Christ that is the source of the honour and power which the apostles enjoy.
I. As they are faithful to Christ in His temptations, and now sit beside Him at the last Passover, He promises them a place at the heavenly feast.
II. As they share in His humiliation, they are assured of participation in His exaltation—they occupy the highest places of honour and authority, even now, in His Church.
Luke 22:31-32. The Sifting of Peter.
I. Such a character obviously needed sifting.—He was full of self-confidence. Self-confidence is the enemy of true faith. The process is severe, is fiery; but if Peter is to be cured of his tendencies, he must suffer. However hard the trial, let us pray for sifting, if only we can thereby learn Peter’s lesson—if only we can be saved from the failure and regret which follow confidence in self.
II. But his fall is only half his story.—The restoration is the completion of the sifting process. Christ’s look was the turning point in Peter’s life. No words were needed to break his heart.
III. Christ’s further dealing completed his restoration.—Three open and shameful denials were followed by three searching questions, reminders of his threefold fall. But he bears the trying ordeal patiently. No more boastfulness. The old self-confidence is gone for ever. At last he is fit to lead, to counsel others. He has become “Rock.”
IV. Two lessons.—
1. Look how the Divine order runs through his life, and makes its unity impressive.
2. Peter did not lose strength when he surrendered self-confidence. He became stronger than ever, but not in himself. His confidence is now in his Master.—Eyton.
The Prayer and the Counter-Prayer.—The setting and framework give significance and solemnity to the words.
I. A revelation of danger.—The Old-Testament imagery of the scene in heaven, in the first chapter of Job, gives the key to the expression of the text. Satan has again petitioned for the apostles—to explore and search. Christ has his fan, Satan has his sieve. Body, mind, soul—each has its own danger and temptation. But there is a dignity, an elevation, and a trembling anxiety in the battle and in the victory.
II. The special personal assurance.—The transition is from the many to the one, from the company to the individual. Was it only for Peter that the prayer was offered? Then it was the one prayed for who fell—who, when trial came, thrice denied his Lord. But from the fall arose the conqueror. Christ’s prayer was answered.
III. The responsibility and privilege of the restored.—There are many conversions in one life, there is need of many turnings. Whenever we forget God we need to be turned. And the privilege, as it is the responsibility of the converted, is to strengthen others. Peter did so. By his ministry, by his epistles, by his life and example. This is the work to which all converted men are summoned. Pray to be made acceptable to and potent for good over other lives.—Vaughan.
A Dangerous Crisis.—
1. Jesus regards the crisis as a sifting time for the disciples.
2. As, though perilous, one which shall not prove deadly to their faith.
3. As one which shall not only end happily, but result in spiritual benefit to themselves, and qualify them for being helpful to others.—Bruce.
I. The warning to Peter of coming danger.
II. The encouragement given him.
III. The charge laid upon him.
Unconsciousness of Danger.—
1. Satan eager to destroy Peter.
2. Christ eager to deliver Peter.
3. Peter unconscious of the danger in which he stood.
Luke 22:31. “Desired.”—He cannot act except with God’s permission. Cf. Job 1:12; Job 2:6.
“That he may sift you.”—“Whose fan is in his hand,” but with the purpose of gathering the chaff for himself. Judas had been separated from the apostolic band: Peter now stood in danger.
“Sift.”—The word has not been preserved to us elsewhere, but the signification is not doubtful. The tertium comparationis is the testing agitation: as the wheat is shaken in the sieve, that the chaff may thereby separate itself from the wheat and fall out, so will Satan also disquiet and terrify you through persecutions, dangers, tribulations, in order to bring your faithfulness towards Me to apostasy.—Meyer.
Luke 22:32. “But I have prayed.”—
1. The power of the Intercessor greater than that of the enemy.
2. It is through this power alone that the faith, even of an apostle, is sustained.
“Strengthen thy brethren.”—Those who have themselves been tempted, and who have learned their own weakness, should be all the more helpful to their weaker brethren; they should be all the more compassionate in feeling, and charitable in the judgments they form, and hopeful in temperament.
I. Peter’s ignorance of himself.
II. Christ’s knowledge of him.
Willingness and Weakness.
I. His sincere desire to share his Master’s sufferings.
II. The weakness that would betray him into denying his Master.
Luke 22:33. “Ready to go with Thee.”—The words indicate
(1) a measure of self-confidence, as though there were little ground for the warning just given; yet also
(2) a conviction that the Lord was the source of his strength. The phrase, “with Thee,” is specially emphatic. When the trial came, Peter was following “afar off.”
Luke 22:34-38. The Conversation after Supper.
I. Relative to the dispute for superiority (Luke 22:24-30).
II. To the denial of Peter (Luke 22:31-34).
III. To the hour of danger now at hand (Luke 22:35-38).
Luke 22:34. “Peter.”—This is the only place in the Gospels where Christ is said to have addressed the apostle by his name, Peter. “Doubtless there is a reference to his good confession (Matthew 16:18). Thou, when uttering the revelation from My Father, and confessing Me to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God, wast a true Petros, or stone, built on Me, the living Rock; but now thou wilt deny Me thrice, because thou speakest thine own words and reliest on thine own strength, instead of on Me” (Wordsworth).
“The cock shall not crow,” etc.—The fact that Peter would succumb before the approaching trial might have been guessed by a shrewd observer of character. Christ, however, shows Divine foreknowledge in predicting the particulars of his fall: the time when (cock-crowing), the threefold assertion, and the form, in which the denial would be made.
Luke 22:35-36. The Past and The Future.
I. The ample provision which had been made for them whilst they had been in His service.
II. The troubles they would now have to face. Then they had been, in a measure, independent of earthly resources; now they would need to make use of them. Then their safety had been assured; now their enemies would be more embittered, and self-defence be necessary.
Principles, not Rules.—The Lord Jesus Christ came, not to give men exact and binding rules of conduct, but large general principles, capable of the most flexible and various application. Rules of conduct are to be found among His sayings, indeed, as, e.g., when He bade His disciples, if smitten on the one cheek, turn the other also; or when He bade them, if any man took their coat, to let him also rob them of their cloak; or when He bade them give to every one that asked an alms of them, or go out on a journey unprovided with any change of clothing and with an empty purse. But these rules were not meant for a literal, and still less for a universal, obedience, since our Lord Himself did not in all cases obey them, nor His apostles; nay, more, these rules were thrown into a paradoxical form, in order that we might see that they were not mere rules, and be compelled to search for the principles which underlie them. The rules He gave were passing illustrations of great principles of justice, compassion, trust in God, and brotherly kindness. Observe what our Lord is here doing. He is repealing a rule which He Himself had given to His disciples only a few months ago, although, as they confess, that rule had worked very well. He is replacing it by a new rule, a rule the very opposite of that which He had previously given them; a rule which no sane and reflective man can possibly suppose He intended them to obey as a rule, since it is alien to the very spirit, to the whole drift, of His teaching. Here, then, we have a clear proof that the rules given by Christ were not intended to become ordinances of perpetual observance; that He did not mean men to render them a literal, and still less a perpetual and universal, obedience; that we must interpret them, as all other of His utterances, by aid of our own common-sense and spiritual insight; that what we are to obey in Him is the sacred and eternal principles which they illustrate. Formerly the twelve were to go forth penniless, unprovided with aught but a staff, and to bear with meekness whatever wrongs or insults the world might inflict on them. Now they are to put money in their purse, to pack their scrip with provisions and conveniences, to exchange their staff for a sword—not to submit to, but to defy and conquer, the hostility of the world. It is impossible to render literal obedience to both these rules, and we have no evidence that the twelve ever attempted to obey the latter rule literally. Only a few hours after these words were spoken, St. Peter struck Malchus with his sword, and only received a rebuke from Christ for his pains. The fact is, that when Christ threw His teaching into the form of rules He did not intend us to take them as rules, but as picturesque and paradoxical illustrations of principles. Here is the proof. Christ Himself repeals a rule which He Himself had given, and replaces it with a rule the very opposite of that which He had given—nay, replaces it with a rule which never was, and never will be, literally obeyed; and thus He drives us to look for the principles which underlie His word. He teaches us that as there are times when we are to win upon the world by unselfishness and an unresisting, uncomplaining submission to wrong—in short, by not resisting evil—so also there are times in which we are to resist, to strive against it manfully, to arm and nerve ourselves for the defence and furtherance of the faith. If, at times, we are to be meek for the truth, at other times we are to be valiant for the truth. Rules breed customs, and customs breed corruption. Whereas, if we have principles instead of rules, we are obliged to use our commonsense in applying and in varying our application of them; we are compelled to observe and reflect, to let our thoughts play freely round them, to learn and grow wiser by experience. And all these—observation, reflection, the use of good sense and experience—are educational influences of the highest value. It is by these we live, and keep our principles alive, and help to give life to the world around us.—Cox.
Luke 22:35-38. Sword and Garment.
I. In the letter these counsels seem to point to a policy the opposite of non-resistance.—Jesus seems to say that the great business and duty of the hour for all who are on His side is to furnish themselves with swords. So urgent is the need that he who wants a weapon must sell his garment to buy one.
II. But the very emphasis with which He speaks shows that His words are not to be taken in the literal, prosaic sense.—It is very easy to see what He means. His object is, by graphic language, to convey to His disciples an idea of the gravity of the situation. “Now,” He would say, “now is the day, yea, the hour, of battle. If My kingdom be one of this world, now is the time for fighting, not for dreaming. Now matters have come to extremities, and ye have need of all your resources. Equip yourselves with shoes, and purse, and knapsack, and, above all, with swords and war-like courage.” The disciples did not understand His meaning. They put a stupid, prosaic interpretation on Christ’s parable. “It is enough,’ said Jesus, with a melancholy smile. “Two swords.” What were two swords for twelve men and against a hundred weapons? Enough only for one who does not mean to fight at all. They were not called on to fight literally, against flesh and blood, but in the bloodless spiritual conflict.—Bruce.
Luke 22:35. “And He said unto them.”—Not without reason have I spoken of what is so momentous (Luke 22:31-34); for now, when I am no longer with you, your situation will be quite otherwise than before. There now comes for you a time of care for yourselves and of conflict.—Meyer.
Luke 22:36. “But now.”—Once the least care was superfluous; now the most anxious care was not too much.
“A sword.”—I.e., they would now be reduced to such a condition, in which the men of this world would resort to such means of defence.
Parable of the Sword and the Garment.—No saying like this is to be found in any of the other gospels. It is a parable. Let us enforce it.
I. It is uttered with solemn emphasis.
II. It teaches that there is a conflict in the Christian life.—A sword is needed. Better lack a garment than lack a sword. But it is a battle in, and not of, this world that Christ speaks of.
III. Marvel not at the vehemence of the words.—There are two reasons for it.
1. They contradict flesh and blood. It is painful to be always armed. It makes life a perpetual effort. Nature would let us be indolent and self-sparing.
2. In this conflict deception and self-deception are ever busily working, and he who might gird himself for more difficulty is in danger of relaxing effort under illusion. It is Satan’s master-art to persuade us that there is no battle—that all are agreed. But no! one must fight either against the world or for it. He cannot be neutral. So delay not the purchase of the sword. Sell your very garment now, and buy it. The garment of pride, of slothfulness, of carelessness, of worldliness, of besetting sin—sell it, discard it, fling it away, and buy of Christ the sword of grace and faith, of love, and the Spirit, which whosoever hath must be more than conqueror. Thus, in this world, in all courage and in all strength, you shall be Christ’s soldiers.—Vaughan.
Luke 22:37. “Reckoned among the transgressors.”—The connection is this: “Your situation among men will be one of neglect, and even of danger; for I Myself am about to be reckoned among transgressors.”
Luke 22:38. “Here are two swords.”—Note
(1) the slavish, literal interpretation which the disciples gave to the words of Christ—how different from that spiritual enlightenment which they manifested after the day of Pentecost! and
(2) the patience and gentleness of our Lord in dealing with them.
“It is enough.”—Perhaps the words are slightly ironical. “Two swords are enough for all the fighting that you will be called upon to engage in.”
The Conversation Broken off.—If it were possible for us to imagine our Lord for a moment in the Paschal night with a melancholy smile on His heavenly countenance, it would be at the affair of the two swords. Two swords over against the whole might of the world, of hell, and of death, which were to engage in the assault upon Him! He accounts it impossible to make the whole preposterousness of this thought as visible to them as it is to Himself, and therefore breaks off the conversation on the subject, in the tone of one who is conscious that others would not understand Him, and who therefore holds all further speech impossible.—Van Oosterzee.