This is an issue that I have found myself on both sides of. Right when I feel I have come to a conclusion I find I cannot commit to it. My Conscience tells me that I can just trust God and do not need to bear arms for protection. My conscience also tells me that I have the right to protect myself and those I love. If someone is hurting like my future child or wife, I will obviously step in and stop it. But what if I am in a life or death situation? Can I arm myself and protect my family then? Or do I submit to God and allow him to protect me. Or is my ability to wield a weapon God’s way of protecting me?
Luke 22:35-37
New International Version (NIV)
35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. 36 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.
Why would Jesus first send them out with nothing, and then later allow them to take a purse, a bag, and a sword? I believe Jesus wanted them to learn how to trust God without any possessions before learning to trust God with their possessions. One of these possessions was a sword. Jesus made a special point of making sure the disciples had a sword. If Jesus was a pure pacifist as I have formally believed why would he instruct the disciples to buy a sword?
It is interesting that I have such inner turmoil about a subject that Jesus did not feel the need to preach about. I believe that we can trust all things to God, but God does want us to be wise. There have been many stories of God fearing Christians who have not brought a child to a hospital because they believe God will do the healing miraculously. Often this child needlessly dies. But is it not right to trust God with everything? I believe part of trusting God is using the resources he has given us to survive and succeed in life. Depending on God often means depending on the World he created. We do this every day for food, transportation, and life in general.
I have come to the conclusion that having a gun for the protection of my family and myself is completely God supported. We can trust God with a weapon and without. But if we are without we may be hurt needlessly in the same way as a child who is not brought to the hospital. I am not saying there are no problems with owning guns either, I am just attempting to interrpret scripture. So all you Disciples of Christ out there, If you don’t have a gun, go sell your Coat and go buy one.. or something like that. I will write more about this in the future. What do you think?
i disagree. not that one never ought to have a gun, but about Jesus point. Look at verse 37... it says specifically there why Jesus said they ought to buy one... and a sword is VERY different than a gun... VERY different... and I do not think that one should have a gun for self-protection... perhaps for protection of one's family... perhaps... but not for SELF protection... let's talk about this more...
ReplyDeleteThe emphasis I am putting on this is "Trusting God." Jesus knew the times were going to get hard for the disciples. Right after commanding them to buy swords Jesus spoke,"Yes, What is written about me is reaching its fulfillment." Implying his capture and death. Jesus wanted the disciples to be prepared for anything. They had now learned how to trust God so now they could wisely use a sword if needed. Jesus could have easily given them more instructions about use of the sword at the time but he didn't fell the need too.
ReplyDeleteThe verse goes on to explain that the swords are needed to fulfill a prophecy about him being counted with transgressors. Perhaps his group of followers being armed gives the authorities greater justification in arresting him, which he knew needed to happen?
ReplyDeleteWhen they say "we've got two swords," he says "that's enough." Presumably, two is enough to accomplish his purposes. Later, he chastises Peter for using one of the swords to cut off someone's ear. So that would seem to indicate he has no interest in the swords for their primary use as weapons.
Not sure the question of pacifism or bearing hinges on this passage anyway.
If the question is pacifism, there's a litany of Christians who have written on just war theory, dating all the way back to Augustine. Or, for the perspective of an American pacifist during WWI who changed his mind during WWII, try reading Reinhold Niebuhr.
As far as bearing arms, it's interesting to note as well that the "right to bear arms" as we know it is granted by the United States government, though our founders would have us believe it's an inalienable right granted to us by God. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Personally, I'm not convinced. But then again, I'm not convinced I have a "right" to life. If God wants to strike me dead, that's his prerogative. Maybe it's different if we're talking about a strictly human-human context. But that's neither here nor there...
It also might be worth considering that common people in Jesus' time did have their own weapons (or at least the freedom to sell their stuff and go buy a sword). Zealots (think Simon the Zealot) were known for concealing daggers and, in crowded places, stabbing those who they disliked. During wars, people were often expected to provide their own weapons. Subject peoples often rioted and rebelled, using their own weapons. Like you said, Jesus didn't seem to make this issue a major point in his ministry.
If only we had a verse about someone assaulting an apostle and what Jesus did about it...
I think there are quite a few things that we as 21 century Christians struggle over that were not big issues during the 1 century. Jesus and the disciples never gave much instruction or voice to this topic of weapons and defense, dealing with the demonic, or dealing with the homosexuality.. just to give a few examples. Some of the big controversial issues we deal with now were common sense to the 1 century world. Our problem is figuring out what their common sense was.. just a thought.
ReplyDeleteAnd about peter and the ear incident.. Even if Jesus was in support of weapons for defense he would have reacted the same in that moment. He was again fulfilling prophecy by being arrested and crucified. It was foolish for peter to draw his sword against so many soldiers.
ReplyDeleteAre there some issues about for which there doesn't need to be a "Christian" response? Politics, for instance? I don't know if this is one of those or not. Partly because I'm not sure if the question is "do Christians have the right to bear arms" or "Should Christians ever respond to violence with violence."
ReplyDeleteWhatever the question, I think people (or maybe just me) tend to think "If only Jesus were right here, I could ask him and he'd tell me how I ought to respond to this issue." Or, that if we ask enough through prayer, he'll tell us. But I'm not sure he would/will.
When his contemporaries tried to pin him down on one side or another of their divisive socio-political issues like "should we pay taxes to Caesar," he always had some outside the box response. He had more important things to worry about.
I vote for impacting the world so dramatically that violence isn't an issue to begin with.