Sell Your Cloak; Buy A Sword

“Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.” - Luke 22:36. This verse has been the subject of debate in meaning, with some urging total pacifism as Christians and some urging outright aggression as Christians. I seek to find the Royal Path of this verse and what it entails for us who dare to call ourselves Christians. Lord be with us, and have mercy upon us, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Context For Garden of Gethsemane

Abba Poemen explained this verse simply and concisely when he said, (the verse) “means this, let him who is at ease give it up and take the narrow way.” Let’s get into the biblical context for these passages regarding the Garden of Gethsemane.

If we are to render this verse into solely a literal context, it poses three major problems and a fourth point; 1) how would two swords be enough for thirteen men against an entire legion of Roman soldiers? 2) Jesus just a few verses later, when St. Peter cuts off the ear of one of the soldiers, rebukes him for it and then heals the ear of the man. 3) Jesus then says he could call down an entire legion of angels if he wanted to (Matthew 26:53) suggesting if He was going to use force He could with ease. 4) Jesus also indicates this is so prophecy can be fulfilled “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”

When Jesus says “that’s enough!” to the disciples, you could argue he wasn’t saying “it’s enough swords to fight these Romans” but “that’s enough of the foolishness you’re missing the point.” The same way we tell children “that’s enough.” (Luke 22:38).

So if it’s not a literal context, we get back to the spiritual component which Jesus Christ frequently expounded upon in His parables. Many men have tried to conquer the world through violence, only One conquered it through love, Jesus Christ. He is the example of this, remember Abba Poemen, give up the easy path! It’s easy to hate, to use force, to try to compel its other. It’s much harder to truly love them, to give up our cloak of pride, anger, and resentment.

As I’ll get to, self-defense is an act we sometimes have to commit in a fallen world, but it is never our aim/intention. It’s a last resort usually in our love of others, we always seek to be peaceful first and foremost. We should bear insults and reproach thrown at us without retaliation.

Here is another example from the Prologue detailing the spiritual aspect of the passage: “Being unable to explain these words himself, St. Cosmas decided to cross over the wilderness to the distant Lavra called Pirga to the illustrious Abba Theophilus to inquire of him. With great difficulty did St. Cosmas succeed to reach his goal. Theophilus explained to him: “The two swords signify the two-fold order of a god-pleasing life: deeds and visions, i.e., labor and awakening of the mind to godly thoughts and prayer. Whoever has both of these, he is perfect.” - St. Nikolai Velimirovich, Prologue from Ochrid

What About Self Defense?

The Holy Scriptures have no passages barring the ownership of weapons, there’s nothing wrong with having weapons as long as the intent is for self-defense and not aggression. Again, I am seeking to show the Royal Path here, I reject the side that says we should be actively violent, use force, threats, compulsion etc. and I also reject the side that says we should never own any weapons, never defend, and be totally passive. Self-defense is perfectly acceptable, especially if it were something like defending your family, or even your country.

Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.” - Psalm 81:3-4

Killing itself is damage to our soul, such as soldiers who go to war sometimes being barred from Holy Communion for a time period. We can still recognize the damage this does, try to avoid it, and recognize that sometimes in this fallen world it’s unavoidable. We can outright reject the dialectic proposed to us of total aggression and of total pacifism.

Christ tells Peter put away the sword, not throw it away. So do not be aggressive and do not be passive either, one of the many paradoxes of the Orthodox Christian faith. Pre-emptive action of violence or retribution is forbidden for Christians, self-defense is justifiable as sometimes necessary yet still damaging to us, and defending others is obligatory as it’s a love for our neighbor. I imagine many stuck in a dialectical framework mindset will not like the answer to this question. Yet, it is.

The Ultimate Point

But again, this passage is primarily about what Abba Poemen references, the spiritual component. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” - Ephesians 6:12

Our battle is first and foremost against sin, of which evil is only actualized in our will. Secondly our war is against the devil and demons who seek to influence us. Why is sin first and the devil second? Because as St. Tikhon of Zadonsk says, sin is more evil than the very devil, because sin made the devil. The cloak and the sword have a spiritual meaning, its premise is you can only have one or the other. You can choose worldly comfort, the cloak, and be defenseless and consumed by sin/demons without a sword and ultimately die. Or you can choose the sword, the hard things, suffering, that will expose yourself to the affliction of the world without a cloak but you will cut down every demon in your path by God’s grace and ultimately live.

“It is the part of a noble athlete to be wounded, and yet still to conquer.” - St. Ignatius of Antioch. So sell your cloak, and buy a sword.