PicoBlog

In the first part, we discussed the response of preachers and Christians alike to the killing of Deborah Samuel, a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto. We saw how one video espoused justification for Christians to bear arms, quoting two main New Testament Scriptures. We shall now look at those Scripture verses in some detail.

Let us consider the Scripture verse in context:

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?" So they said, "Nothing." Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: 'AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH THE TRANSGRESSORS.' For the things concerning Me have an end." So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "It is enough." (Luke 22:35-38, NKJV)

The above verses seem rather difficult to understand. However, one thing is clear regarding statements credited to the Lord Jesus: His words are always congruent with His nature. In such a case, we must understand what Jesus said in the context of something other than the literal. The Lord was preparing His disciples for what would happen after His physical exit from the earth. Not that He would abandon them, but His physical presence, which they enjoyed, will no longer be there, and they would need to relate with Him by faith. He was warning them of the impending persecution after His death, resurrection, and ascension:

“I have told you these things so that you won’t be staggered by all that lies ahead. For you will be excommunicated from the synagogues, and indeed the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service. This is because they have never known the Father or me. Yes, I’m telling you these things now so that when they happen you will remember I warned you. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer. “But now I am going away to the one who sent me …” (John 16:1-5, LB)

Also, we know that none of Jesus' disciples ever used a sword either as a weapon of attack or defence. The implication is that they understood what He meant since none of them bought or used a sword during their ministry. When persecuted, they never encouraged anyone to take up a sword in their defence. They defended themselves by fleeing persecution from one location or city to another, more accommodating place (Matthew 10:23).

Jesus said,

"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16, NKJV)

Jesus did not advocate that they take any offensive action but be as wise as serpents who are quick to slither away when under attack and evade notice by being quiet when there is an uproar. He also told them to be harmless as doves—an allusion to not doing anything that would bring harm to themselves or anyone else.

Jesus never intended His disciples to buy swords. Instead, He intimated them of the imminent danger ahead, warning them to be prepared. Had the disciples understood Jesus to mean that they purchase swords, they would have acquired an arsenal. But they understood that the weapons of their warfare were not carnal or physical (like swords and spears) but spiritual and mighty through God (2 Corinthians 10:4)!

Acknowledging that Christians face a hoard of demonic forces, Paul, the apostle, asks that we take up the whole armour of God, which are not physical but spiritual (Ephesians 6:10-18). And the sword spoken of by the Holy Spirit through Paul is:

the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17, NKJV)

Why did Jesus not simply tell Peter to throw away the sword? Why ask him to sheath his sword? Was Jesus implying that Peter could keep the sword for another time? Again, let us look at the Scripture in context:

And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. But Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?" In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled. (Matthew 26:51-56, NKJV)

When we look at the Scripture quoted by preachers who advocate that Christians take up arms, we observe that they mention the scripture verse in part. So, let us make some notes about the passage of Scripture in its context, as follows:

1.     The command to Peter (who drew the sword and smote the ear of the guard according to John 18:10) to sheath his sword was absolute! Jesus never again asked Peter or any other disciple to take the sword out again. Indeed, no disciple of Jesus was ever recorded to have used a sword!

2.     Jesus' statement about sheathing the sword, as quoted by advocates for Christians arming themselves in self-defence, is incomplete. Indeed, the sentence being quoted by these advocates is itself incomplete. The complete sentence is,

"Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword."

The Lord was emphatic of the repercussions of using the sword—those who do so will perish by it. Jesus could, therefore, not have advocated the use of a physical sword in any shape or form, more so, when He had provided us with a spiritual sword!

3.     The next sentence Jesus made, following the one in (2) above, tells us how we should deal with situations when in danger:

"Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?"

We have the weapon of prayer! The Lord said that He was perfectly able to call on the resources of heaven to come to His aid. We also must use the resource of prayer to deal with defence issues from the enemy of our soul.

4.     The Lord then told them that His arrest and all that was to follow were a fulfilment of Scripture. One of the sad parts of today's Christianity is that we are not concerned about the will of God in many instances. We preach a gospel of comfort and convenience and give no place for suffering for the sake of Christ. For this reason, the prosperity gospel thrives. Also, many Christians are fearful of death. Hence, the call to arm and defend themselves is to preempt being killed for the gospel's sake.

5.     Recall that when Jesus intimated His disciples that He would be arrested and taken that night, Peter strongly stated that he was ready to die with Jesus (Matthew 26:31-35). Alas, we find that Peter was prepared to kill rather than die! Peter's action imperilled the other disciples, for the crowd that had come to take Jesus could have attacked and harmed, if not killed them.

Beloved, Jesus taught us to submit to unjust treatment and leave our defence in the hands of God. The weapon we are to use is not a physical sword or gun but the sword of the Spirit and prayer (Ephesians 6:17-18). The Christian's weapons are not physical but spiritual; neither are they visible but invisible, nor are they ineffective but mighty through God!

The clearest understanding of Jesus' statement to His disciples is to observe what they did after His ascension. In the account of Stephen's death (Acts 7:54-60) by stoning by the Hellenists, with the approval of the Sanhedrin, nowhere is it documented that God encouraged them to pick up arms to defend themselves against the onslaught that afterwards occurred. The apostles who had heard Jesus speak about the purchase of swords did not give a rallying cry for all Christians in Jerusalem to buy arms and be ready to defend themselves. Instead, most of the disciples in Jerusalem fled to other parts of the region, preaching the gospel as they went along. Those who could not escape in time were arrested, thrown in prison, and some of them, killed.

We know that Paul, the apostle, was present at Stephen's execution and was the arrowhead of the ensuing persecution of Christians. Paul was, in fact, responsible for the incarceration and death of many Christians at the time. Jesus later converted this same Paul on his way to Damascus, and he became a foremost protagonist of Christ and the gospel he once persecuted. Imagine if the disciples had armed themselves, and in their zeal, tried to defend themselves against Paul, killing him; how would that have fulfilled God's plan?

It may seem callous and unfeeling, but indeed, as the Bible says,

for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (Psalms 44:22, NKJV)

Remember that Jesus told Peter that he would glorify God by being killed for Christ's sake (John 21:18-19). We must also note that the Holy Spirit warns through James that:

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1:19-20, NKJV)

When we speak in a moment of anger, we say things that cannot be taken back. Many preachers may mean well when they speak in a moment of annoyance, but they lose control of their emotions and advocate that people take up arms to defend themselves. Such advocacy is not only unscriptural, but it is also an error! As we have seen, the statement made in 2018 in the heat of the farmer-herder clashes has not gone away. Each time there is violence against Christians, this video, among others, is recycled and becomes a rallying call to Christians to bear arms. Such statements encourage Christians to seek revenge, further engendering anarchy, which is anathema to Christianity!

There is a saying that when you plant a seed, you do not know how high and far the tree will spread. All you know is that you planted the seed, but the repercussions of your planting, you cannot see, even for the foreseeable future. Carnal Christians always use statements credited to preachers in a moment of anger to justify unrighteous conduct. And no matter how much you try to justify an action, if that action is a reaction based on anger, it cannot work for the righteous purpose of God!

When the murder of a Christian for Christ's sake occurs, as has occurred many times in Nigeria, and other parts of the world, let us seek to hear from God rather than speak out of anger. Comments we make at those times will not work the righteousness of God. Indeed, actions we take when angry will be rash and unrighteous, like when Peter took his sword out of its sheath. Incidentally, Peter's action meant that he was a marked man. It is no wonder Peter had to deny any knowledge or affiliation to Jesus vehemently. Imagine if they were to piece together that he drew the sword earlier? Peter would have been killed instantly.

The reality is that many Christians today are afraid of dying. Any Christian's death for the sake of Christ raises questions like, "Who will be next?" "Could it be me?" We can take comfort in the narration of Stephen's death when he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56), waiting to receive him. The Psalmist said,

Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints. (Psalms 116:15, NKJV)

There is not one Christian's death that is not precious in God's eye, not to talk of those killed for the gospel's sake! Through numerous examples, the Holy Spirit intimates us of God's omniscience—nothing happens to anyone on the earth without His knowledge, Christian or not! Thus, no death is without divine approval.

Jesus, while encouraging His disciples to proclaim His gospel, spoke of sparrows not falling to the ground by a hunter's gun without God's approval (Matthew 10:26-33). In Job’s case, we see how Satan sought God's permission before he could go against Job (Job 1:6-12); even then, Satan could not cross the line set for him by God! Also, Jesus forewarned Peter that Satan had obtained permission to sift him as wheat (Luke 22:31-32). Beloved, nothing happens to us without God’s approval if we are in His will!

Let us be reminded that we shall, one way or another, glorify God on this earth through suffering, persecution, or even death! Jesus warned us that we would be persecuted and even killed for His sake. It can be unnerving, yet, comforting to know that it could one day be one’s turn. We must, nonetheless, keep trudging on for Jesus. Like Peter, we should be able to say,

"… shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me." (2 Peter 1:14, NKJV)

Or, like Paul so eloquently put it:

"I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:6-8, NKJV)

May the Lord prepare our hearts to be ready to die for His sake and the gospel, if necessary. Too many Christians have been given false hope of prosperity, whereas the gospel is one of continuous warfare until we go to be with the Lord. Yes, there will be times of respite, but the Christian walk is one of constant warfare! The good news is that God has given us all that we need to overcome, besides His Spirit being with us to protect and guide us along the way! Thus says the Lord,

"Fear not, for I am with you" (Isaiah 43:5, NKJV)

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