Church Fathers Commentary Luke 22:35-38

"And he said unto them, When I sent you forth without purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing. And he said unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a wallet; and he that hath none, let him sell his cloak, and buy a sword. For I say unto you, that this which is written must be fulfilled in me, And he was reckoned with transgressors: for that which concerneth me hath fulfilment. And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough." — Luke 22:35-38 (ASV)

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Our Lord had foretold to Peter that he would deny Him, namely, at the time of His arrest. But having mentioned His capture, He next announces the struggle that would follow with the Jews. Hence it is said, And he said to them, When I sent you without purse... For the Savior had sent the holy Apostles to preach the kingdom of heaven in the cities and towns, commanding them to take no thought for bodily needs, but to place their whole hope of salvation in Him.

St. John Chrysostom: Just as someone who teaches swimming at first places his hands under his pupils and carefully supports them, but afterward frequently withdraws his hand and tells them to help themselves—even letting them sink a little—so Christ also dealt with His disciples. At the beginning, He was truly present to them, richly giving them an abundance of all things, as it follows when they answered Him, "Nothing." But when it was necessary for them to show their own strength, He withdrew His grace from them for a little while, commanding them to do something for themselves. Thus it follows: But now he that has a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip—that is, a purse for money and a pack for provisions.

Indeed, when they had neither shoes, nor belt, nor staff, nor money, they never lacked anything. But when He allowed them a purse and a pack, they seemed to suffer hunger, thirst, and nakedness. It is as if He said to them, "Until now, all things have been richly supplied to you, but now I want you to also experience poverty. Therefore, I no longer hold you to the former rule, but command you to get a purse and a pack." God could have kept them in plenty even to the end, but for many reasons He was unwilling to do so. First, so that they might attribute nothing to themselves but acknowledge that everything flowed from God; second, that they might learn moderation; and third, that they might not think too highly of themselves. For this reason, while He permitted them to fall into many unexpected evils, He relaxed the strictness of the former law, so that it would not become burdensome and intolerable.

The Venerable Bede: He does not train His disciples with the same rule of life in a time of persecution as in a time of peace. When He sent them to preach, He ordered them to take nothing for the journey, ordaining in truth that he who preaches the Gospel should live by the Gospel. But when the crisis of death was at hand, and the whole nation persecuted both the Shepherd and the flock, He proposed a law adapted to the time, allowing them to take the necessities of life until the rage of the persecutors had subsided and the time for preaching the Gospel had returned. In this, He also leaves us an example: that at times, when a just reason compels us, we may, without blame, relax some of the strictness of our rule.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Therefore, it is not due to any inconsistency in Him who commands, but by the logic of His divine plan, that commandments, counsels, or permissions are changed according to the different times.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But He who forbids striking, why does He order them to buy a sword? Unless, perhaps, it is so that a defense may be prepared, but without any necessary retaliation—a seeming ability to take revenge, but without the will to do so. Hence it follows, And he who has not... let him sell his garment, and buy a sword.

St. John Chrysostom: What is this? He who said, If any one strike you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also, now arms His disciples with only a sword? For if it were fitting to be completely armed, a man would need not only a sword but also a shield and helmet. But even if a thousand men had such arms, how could the eleven be prepared for all the attacks and ambushes of peoples, tyrants, allies, and nations? And how could they not tremble at the mere sight of armed men, they who had been brought up near lakes and rivers? We must not, then, suppose that He ordered them to possess swords; rather, by mentioning swords, He is pointing to the secret attack of the Jews. And so it follows, For I say to you, that this that is written must be accomplished in me: And he was numbered with the transgressors.

Theophylact of Ohrid: While they were contending among themselves earlier about their rank, He said, "This is not a time for honors, but rather for danger and slaughter. Behold, I, your Master, am being led to a disgraceful death, to be numbered with the transgressors." For these things that are prophesied about Me have an end—that is, a fulfillment. Wishing, then, to hint at a violent attack, He mentioned a sword, not revealing it completely, so that they would not be seized with dismay. Nor did He entirely prevent them from being shaken by these sudden attacks; instead, recovering afterward, they might marvel at how He gave Himself up to the Passion as a ransom for the salvation of humanity.

St. Basil the Great: Or, the Lord is not commanding them to carry a purse and a pack and buy a sword, but is predicting what would come to pass: that the Apostles, forgetting the time of the Passion and the gifts and law of their Lord, would in fact dare to take up the sword. For Scripture often uses the imperative form of speech in place of prophecy. Still, in many manuscripts we do not find, "Let him take," or "buy," but, "he will take," "he will buy."

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or, He hereby foretells to them that they would suffer hunger and thirst, which He implies by the pack, and various kinds of misery, which He intends by the sword.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Or else, when our Lord says, He who has a purse, let him take it, and likewise a scrip, His discourse is addressed to His disciples, but in reality He is speaking about every individual Jew. It is as if He is saying, "If any Jew is rich in resources, let him gather them and flee. But if anyone is oppressed with extreme poverty and devoted to religion, let him also sell his cloak and buy a sword." For the terrible onslaught of battle will overtake them, so that nothing will be sufficient to resist it. He next reveals the cause of these evils: namely, that He suffered the penalty due to the wicked by being crucified with thieves.

And when it has finally come to this, the word of this divine plan will reach its end. But to the persecutors will happen all that has been foretold by the Prophets. God, then, prophesied these things concerning what would befall the country of the Jews, but the disciples did not understand the depth of His words, thinking they needed swords for the coming attack of the traitor. From this it follows when they said, "Lord, behold, here are two swords."

St. John Chrysostom: And in truth, if He had wished them to use human aid, not even a hundred swords would have been sufficient; but if He did not want them to have human assistance, even two are unnecessary.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Our Lord, then, was unwilling to blame them for not understanding Him, but saying, "It is enough," He dismissed them. This is just as when we are speaking to someone and see that he does not understand what is being said, we say, "Well, let us leave it, so we do not trouble him." But some say that our Lord said, "It is enough," ironically, as if He said, "Since there are two swords, they will be more than enough against so large a multitude as is about to attack us."

The Venerable Bede: Or, the two swords are sufficient for a testimony that Jesus suffered voluntarily. The one was to teach the Apostles about the presumption of fighting for their Lord and about His inherent power to heal; the other, never taken from its sheath, was to show that they were not even permitted to do all that they could for His defense.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or, because the Law does not forbid returning a blow, perhaps He says to Peter, as he offers the two swords, "It is enough," as though this were lawful until the time of the Gospel. This is so that in the Law there might be the knowledge of justice, and in the Gospel, the perfection of goodness.

There is also a spiritual sword, that you should sell your inheritance and buy the Word, by which the nakedness of the soul is clothed. There is also a sword of suffering, that you should strip your body and, with the spoils of your sacrificed flesh, purchase for yourself the sacred crown of martyrdom.

Again, the thought arises, seeing that the disciples put forward two swords, that perhaps one is the Old Testament and the other is the New, by which we are armed against the wiles of the devil. Therefore the Lord says, "It is enough," because he who is fortified by the teaching of both Testaments lacks nothing.