Did Jesus intend by his response in Matthew 26:52-54 to initiate and propose an end to war?
In Gethsemane Jesus was arrested by an armed mob, Peter in Jesus' defense cuts off the ear of one of the priests servants. Jesus in response says "Put your sword back in its place" "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword." Then Jesus says "Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?".
What did Jesus really mean?
1. Did Jesus not fight back simply because the Scriptures said he was to be submissive? Was his response intended to be unique to this situation?
2. Or was Jesus beginining a new era? Jesus plainly says "anyone who lives by the sword will die by the sword". Jesus is basically saying to Peter "I can play that game, I can have 72,000 angels here in seconds, I'd win the fight but lose the battle, the whole war concept is getting old, the sword leads to death, I've come to usher in life, I am the ressurection and the life, I have come to usher in peace on earth, that's what my Kingdom is all about".
So as a follower of Jesus, what is to be my response to war? What is to be the Churches response to war? Personally as complicated and impossible as it seems I'm leaning towards answer number 2. Now I don't believe Jesus was saying war would end immediately, ( in fact it won't untill revelation 20:9 during the last war) in the same way that sickness, death, and corruptness still exists. But I do believe Jesus was initiating the end. Jesus was the first to taste the end's benefits, as of right now were caught in a duality of time, sin has been defeated and yet it has not yet been eradicated. The Spirit within equips and calls Jesus followers to model for the world what living freely from sin looks like, holiness has been enabled by Christ's death. How does this apply to war? Just like sin, sickness, and death remains, war remains. But aren't we to model the opposite? In the place of sin - holiness, sickness - hope, death - life, war - peace.
Anyways. Israel's almost first Holy War got me thinking. In Numbers 31:1-24 God declares war against the Midianties because they decieved Israel, they caused Israel to sin against God, God's plan for redemption through the Israelites suffered a blow at the hands of the Midianites. However if we look at the bigger picture, this wasn't just a war between two nations on earth, this was a war between God and Satan, God was protecting His people and His plan for redemption. Israel (God) absolutely destroys every nation in their path to the Holy land.
Currently Canada has 64,000 troops serving full or part time. At this time Israel had 12,000. In these the Hebrew Scriptures (Genesis-Malachi) God's people were Israel, they had numerous High Priests, they were His nation. Today the Church (all followers of Jesus) are God's people, Jesus is our enternal High Priest, and I am a member of the Nation of the Kingdom of God.
Things are different now. As my pastor Jon Thompson said last Sunday June 3rd "There are no Christian Nations" (to hear this sermon click here) And so as I read to the end of Numbers I felt God encouraging me to realize "things are different now". Like chapter 35 which supports the use of the death penalty, God is saying "things are different now". Like chapter 36 which supports "incest", God is clearing saying "things are different now". And like the holy purification and destruction of the sinful, God is saying "enough, put away the sword, no more war, things are different now".
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