PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY - MEDITATE DAY AND NIGHT
April 4th, 2026.
Reading through Luke 22:35-37, it feels like there is a contradiction in what Jesus taught, especially the Sermon on the Mount. The followers of Jesus are not meant to be violent. So, why will Jesus tell them after asking them - “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. “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.”
The answer is hidden in Isaiah 53:12 - “Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (NIV) The interpretation of this verse is found in Philippians 2:6-9 - “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,” (NIV)
On the disciples first missionary journey, Jesus was not yet accused of being a rebel. He was still the Healer, the Provider, the Teacher, the Miracle Worker. He was accepted by the people and this worked to the advantage of the disciples. They did not need a purse, changing clothes or sword. They were not criminals yet. But after Jesus was accused publicly and sentenced to death on the cross, public opinion shifted as it often does. People saw the same disciples as rebels, transgressors, rioters and the atmosphere that was once friendly became hostile.
Jesus prepares His disciples for a shift from a time of warm welcome to a period of intense hostility, urging them to rely on practical preparation and spiritual readiness, not just miraculous provision. He warns that the world will reject them as it rejected Him, necessitating proactive care (purse, bag, sword) for the challenges ahead. We read the confirmation of this after the day of Pentecost, the disciples were scattered abroad - the environment was hostile.
This situation is true today. Missionaries can not just walk into a village without an adequate support system for himself or the group. Doors are no longer opened wide as with the early Christians; suspicions abound. Jesus is still about Love not violence.
THE WORD: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35 NIV)
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