He said to them, 'But now of you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don;t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.' (Luke 22:36)
This Passion Week events are so familiar to us. We remember them in detail every Easter and we re-visit them on regular intervals through the year. But despite this familiarity, things can be missed. A closer reading can unsettle us with words that confuse rather than comfort. Jesus' encouraging his disciples to do whatever it takes to arm themselves is disconcerting to say the least. Later in the same chapter he rebukes those who come to arrest him for being armed with clubs and swords! (22:52)
I can easily fall for the trap of attempting to master the Bible. Far better for me is to allow the words of Scripture to master me - to sit under it's God-given authority, even when its words poke and prod me uncomfortably. Especially then.
After his resurrection Jesus appears to his startled and confused disciples and 'opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.' (24:45) I cannot understand God's written word without the presence of the Living Word -Jesus - in me. It is Jesus who opens my eyes to the Truth of God that sets me free and establishes the form foundation on which my life can be built.
So Lord, with this verse and so many other unsettling words in your written Word, open my mind to your understanding that I might be transformed into your image.
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