"Sell Your Cloak and Buy a Gun?"

May 11, 2026
David Holdsworth

Why context still matters when Christians reach for Luke 22:36 Every few months, the debate flares up again about guns and weapons. Even in countries that generally don't have a high level gun issue. Someone, almost always identifying as a Christian, drops Luke 22:36 like a trump card: "Jesus told his disciples to buy swords. He would want you armed today." It's a compelling sound bite. It's also a textbook case of reading a verse while ignoring everything around it. Don't get me wrong we all do it sometimes. But, in cases like this it is profoundly dangerous.

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Episode Notes

References

  1. Michael Snow, "Two Swords: Enough", TextsInContext (June 17, 2012). The original post which inspired this piece, offering detailed exegesis of Luke 22:35–38. Available at: textsincontext.wordpress.com
  2. I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke, New International Greek Testament Commentary, Eerdmans, 1978.
  3. Norval Geldenhuys, Luke, New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT), Eerdmans.
  4. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. Colin Brown.
  5. Luke 22:35–38; Matthew 26:52; John 18 (ESV).

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