“And He said to them, ‘When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?’ They said, ‘No, nothing.’ And He said to them, ‘But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, “And He was numbered with transgressors”; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.’ They said, ‘Lord, look, here are two swords.’ And He said to them, ‘It is enough.’”
— Luke 22:35–38 (NASB 1995)

There’s a sentence in Scripture that can make a careful reader pause:

“Whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.”

If you’ve ever read that and felt the tension, you’re not alone. At first glance, it can sound like Jesus Christ is endorsing armed advancement—yet the story that follows doesn’t move that way. The disciples don’t become a militant movement. Most of them suffer. Many are martyred. And when a sword is actually used in the arrest scene, Jesus stops the violence and heals the harm (Luke 22:49–51).

So what is the point of the sword?

Here’s the thread I followed as I kept returning to this passage—see if it resonates with you.

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The hinge word: “But now…”

Jesus begins by reminding them of an earlier season:

“When I sent you out… you did not lack anything, did you?” (v.35)

That was a season of training and provision—doors opened, hospitality met them, and God’s care was evident.

Then Jesus turns the page:

“But now…” (v.36)

Not because the mission changed—
but because the world’s response to the mission is about to change.

The money belt and bag signal a shift into a harder road: less welcome, more rejection, more exposure. They are not instructions to become greedy; they are warnings to be sober-minded and prepared.

And then comes the sword.

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The sword is tied to prophecy

Notice what Jesus says immediately after mentioning the sword:

“For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘And He was numbered with transgressors’…” (v.37)

That line matters. The sword is introduced in the same breath as Isaiah 53:12—the prophecy that the Messiah would be treated like a criminal.

In other words, Jesus is not merely giving practical travel advice. He is preparing them for a moment where everything will look wrong to the watching world:

• He will be arrested.
• He will be categorized with lawbreakers.
• He will be “numbered with transgressors.”

Even His disciples will be swept into the appearance of criminality.

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“Here are two swords.” — “It is enough.”

The disciples respond:

“Lord, look, here are two swords.”
“It is enough.” (v.38)

If Jesus were giving a tactical plan for armed resistance, two swords would be absurdly insufficient.

So “enough” doesn’t sound like military readiness. It sounds like enough for the point being made—enough to complete the prophetic frame: the scene will look like the arrest of transgressors.

Then, as if to prevent any misunderstanding from hardening into doctrine, the narrative clarifies the purpose:

When the sword is used in the arrest scene, Jesus stops it and heals the wounded man (Luke 22:49–51). The Kingdom will not advance by steel.

So again, we come back to the question:

If the sword isn’t for advancing the mission by violence… what is it for?

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Not Steel, but Scripture

As I kept circling this “sword” theme, I started seeing it surface elsewhere in Scripture—not as a weapon in the disciples’ hands, but as a weapon in the Spirit’s hands.

“And take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
— Ephesians 6:17 (NASB 1995)

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword…”
— Hebrews 4:12 (NASB 1995)

This is the blade that doesn’t rust.

And this sword has a terrifying kind of honesty: it doesn’t merely confront others—it exposes me.

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One sword, two outcomes

Here’s where the metaphor becomes weighty.

At Pentecost, Peter preaches Christ crucified and risen, and Scripture records the effect:

“…they were pierced to the heart…”
— Acts 2:37 (NASB 1995)

The Word goes in like a blade—but it is a wound that heals. It produces repentance. It produces salvation.

But then Stephen speaks to the religious leaders, laying out the same redemptive storyline and confronting their resistance. And the effect is different:

“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick…”
— Acts 7:54 (NASB 1995)

The Word cuts again—but instead of repentance, it provokes rage. They kill Stephen.

Same sword.
Different hearts.

This is sobering: the Word can pierce a person into life—or cut a person into hardness. Not because the Word is flawed, but because the heart’s posture toward God is exposed when truth arrives.

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What does it mean to “purchase a sword”?

If you take this metaphor seriously, then “buy a sword” isn’t mainly about owning a Bible.

It’s about paying the cost to become someone who can:

• learn the Word,
• handle it rightly,
• speak it without fear,
• and endure the consequences when it confronts darkness.

Because if you carry the Word faithfully, it won’t always be welcomed as “wisdom.” Sometimes it will be received as threat. Sometimes it will heal. Sometimes it will harden. Sometimes it will save. Sometimes it will get you hated.

That’s part of why the disciples didn’t ultimately live by the sword.

They lived—and died—by the Word.

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Wielding the Word in righteousness

If we’re going to carry this sword, we must not use it like the flesh uses weapons.

Here are four checkpoints I’m learning to bring before the Lord:

Accuracy
Am I handling the Word carefully, or carelessly swinging verses?

Motive
Am I aiming to serve, or to dominate?

Aim
Am I seeking repentance and reconciliation, or humiliation and victory?

Tone
Am I speaking with gentleness and clarity—or with sharpness that comes from pride?

The Word is sharp enough by itself. It doesn’t need my ego added to its edge.

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Reflection questions

• When I speak truth, do I want someone to be pierced unto repentance—or do I secretly enjoy them being cut?
• Has the Word been cutting me lately? If so, have I yielded—or stiffened?
• Am I more concerned with being seen as “right,” or with being faithful to Christ?
• If speaking the Word costs comfort, approval, or reputation—will I still speak?

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Closing

Two swords were “enough” to fulfill a prophecy about being numbered with transgressors.

But the true sword that shaped the church was never steel.

It was the Word of God—living, active, and sharp—carried by Spirit-filled witnesses into a world where some would be saved… and some would harden.

May the Lord grant us grace to carry that sword faithfully—and to let it pierce us first.