Like many of you, I am tired of the violence. I am tired of the vengeance. I am tired of the weaponization of Facebook posts. I am tired of the weaponization of Twitter/X posts. I am tired. I am tired of the weaponization of words. We live in a world that seems to love the destruction of enemies. We witness public celebration when an enemy falls. As if, the sermon on the mount’s teachings is only to be followed when it is convenient. The idea of turning the other cheek and loving one’s enemy was not just countercultural when Jesus presented this teaching so many years ago, but it is countercultural today.
If Christ was here, I am sure He would say to many of His followers, “put down your sword”, just as He did to Peter. He would then offer to heal those that sword wielding Christians had wounded.
The narrative of the arrest of Jesus is remarkable in several different areas. I would like to highlight Peter’s sword fight and Jesus’ work of healing. The moment Jesus was arrested, Peter started swinging a sword. He did not even begin to consider that the bad stuff happening was instigated by divine providence. God the Father set the timing and the plan into motion before the beginning of time. Perhaps, Peter did not consider this because he never asked. If he had asked Jesus, what should I do? Jesus would have replied, nothing or perhaps, pray, and stay awake while you do.
But Peter never asked Jesus for directives, rather, he just started swinging his sword. While he believed that he was defending Jesus, he was harming those Christ came to save. He was stepping in front of an eternal plan that was written out in the very throne room of God Himself and Jesus said, “Peter, put down your sword.”
When we are quick to do battle and slow to consider that perhaps some hardship is necessary for the eternal plan to unfold, we are only revealing that we have a very limited perspective. We are revealing the biblical truth that “God’s ways are higher than our ways” (Isaiah 55.8-9). How funny it is that we often regurgitate this truth as though it was merely a motivational saying but at the first sign of hardship, we grab our swords and start lopping ears off.
And that’s exactly what Peter did. He busted out his trusty sword and started swinging. Thankfully his aim was a bit off. Still, he connected. His sword lopped the ear off a man who was part of Jesus’ arrest party. A man whom we are told was the servant of the temple guard. Peter wildly swung the sword, Jesus intervened, and then Jesus picked up the dismembered ear and healed a man who was there to help arrest Jesus. Jesus healed His enemy and chastised His follower for harming His enemy. Let that sink in, Jesus healed His enemy and chastised His follower for harming His enemy.
This should not surprise us if we are students of our Savior. We must remember that on Palm Sunday, Jesus did not come riding into Jerusalem on a war horse as a conquering hero. No! He came riding in on donkey as a symbol of peace. After all, Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
If that is true, that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and it is also true we are His disciples, then peace should be the overflow of our hearts and lives as disciples of the Prince of Peace. With this final thought in mind, two Scriptures come to mind, Luke 6.45 and Matthew 5.9. Luke 6.45 says, that your words, “flow from the abundance of the heart” and Matthew 5.9 says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” Now I don’t know about you, but I want to bare the title, “son of God” and I also want the overflow of my heart to look like the overflow of the heart of Jesus. That will only happen when I put down the sword and make it my mission, like Christ, to be in the business of healing rather than harming. Friend and foe alike, both need more Jesus and less swords.
Compassionate Engagement 