Passing the Test: Chekhov’s Gun & Peter’s Sword (Luke 22:33-35, 47-51)

Passing the Test
Luke 22:35-38, 47-51

INTRODUCTION:
What are your strengths? Last week we talked about submitting our talents to Christ on the cross and use those abilities to glorify Him.

What are your strengths?

Compassion
Self-confidence
Attractiveness
Justice

If we are not careful, if we do not surrender our strengths to Jesus, Satan will tempt us to turn those strengths into weaknesses.

Compassion - Fearful of offending
Self-confidence - Pride
Attractiveness - Immorality
Justice - Wrath

I plan to do a whole lesson next year on Abraham offering Isaac as a burnt offering, recorded in Genesis 22. But you remember in that text that God told Abraham to offer his strength, his son, his only son, Isaac, whom he loved, to God as a burnt offering. Now the text says in 22:1 that God was “testing” Abraham. But Satan would “tempt” Abraham by trying to influence him into not offering Isaac as a sacrifice. What might Satan have said? He could have influenced Abraham into believing that God would not really want Isaac as a sacrifice. He could have argued that Sarah would be mad at Abraham if he did such a thing. God was testing Abraham but Abraham would have to listen to God and do what God’s word said to do; otherwise he would fall prey to Satan - even in Abraham’s strength.

We are looking at an example of that in the life of Jesus and the apostle Peter specifically but also the other apostles. As you turn to Luke 22, I want to introduce a literary principle to you that I think we have going on in this text.

“Chekhov’s gun” was introduced to me a few weeks ago by Josh July and he told me to double-check with Jewell to make sure Josh knew what he was talking about. Jewell studied literature in college. And he did. “Chekhov’s gun” states that every element in a story must be necessary and irrelevant elements should be removed. For example, if a writer puts a gun into a storyline, there is a reason for it. It was named for Anton Chekhov, a Russian playwright.

In a sense, the prophecies of the OT reflect this idea. If God promises something in the OT, you know that its going to be fulfilled at some point in the future. God does not waste words. We will see this in the reference to the fulfillment of prophecy in Luke 22:37 in our text.

This chapter begins the fateful events of Jesus’ last few days before His crucifixion. Judas makes an agreement with the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus (22:1-6). Jesus prepares to eat the Passover with His apostles (22:7-13) and then institutes the Lord’s Supper (22:14-23). His disciples get involved in a controversy over who is the greatest (22:24-30) and Peter brags about his spiritual strength (22:31-34). Finally, Jesus prepares the apostles for His arrest (22:35-38).

So observe here, that our text comes just after Peter brags about gong to prison or to death with Jesus (ver. 33). But Jesus predicts that Peter will deny him three times!

THE TEST - 22:35-38:
Jesus is getting ready to leave the upper room, move to the Garden of Gethsemane, and be arrested. He wants His apostles to be prepared for what is going to happen. Here (ver. 35), He reminds them that their needs were provided the first time He sent them out (9:1-6) and when He sent out the seventy-two (10:1-16). They needed to trust Jesus to provide for them and trust the Father that He knows what He is doing. In the earlier messages, Jesus told them not to be concerned about money pouches, leather bags, or extra sandals.

Jesus then elaborates in verse 36, telling His apostles that they should take their money bag or leather pouch, even sell a cloak if they have to, in order to carry a sword with them. The dominant interpretation of this paragraph is that Jesus is speaking metaphorically, figuratively, and that He gets disgusted with their failure to grasp His true spiritual meaning. It is true that Jesus’ kingdom, not being of this world (John 18:36), is not defended with literal swords. However, it seems a more obvious understanding of the passage is being overlooked.

There does not seem to be any indication in the text that Jesus would expect His apostles to understand that He was speaking metaphorically. They surely expected Jesus to use swords if He was going to be the Messiah that the Jews expected and hoped He would be.

WILL YOU LISTEN TO CHRIST OR NOT?
However, He tells them that it was “necessary” for Him to fulfill - “to complete” - what had been prophesied by Isaiah the prophet (53:12), that He would be numbered among the lawless. In other words, Jesus would be arrested as a criminal. Because God had said it, the prophecy would have its “completion” in Jesus (ver. 37). Then the apostles point out to Him that they had two swords among them. If He were going to lead an insurrection, when they perhaps believed He would, then two swords were obviously sorely insufficient. Yet, Jesus told them “it is enough.”

THE FAILURE - 22:47-51:
Jesus has arrived at the Garden, He has prayed, and He has finished His conversation with His apostles at the right time for Judas to show up with the mob in order to arrest Jesus. He was still speaking when the crowd approached, being led by one of Jesus’ chosen followers, Judas Iscariot (ver. 47). Judas identified Jesus in the garden, in the dark, by kissing Him in a very obvious way. Jesus gave him an opportunity to stop what he was doing by reflecting on his actions. Was he going to betray the Son of Man with this kiss (ver. 48)?

At that point, one of Jesus’ apostles, whom John identifies for us as Peter (John 18:10), asked Jesus if it was appropriate for them to use their swords, which Jesus had discussed earlier (ver. 49). Apparently Peter did not wait for an answer because he then drew his sword and struck off the right ear of the high priest’s slave, whom John identifies as Malchus (ver. 50; John 18:10). Peter had failed to control himself; he had a temptation before him to trust in the flesh and he failed the test. He did not heed the warning and message of Jesus (ver. 37).

Jesus rebuked Peter that what he had done was not appropriate (ver. 51). Then Jesus touched Malchus’s ear and healed him.

WHAT IS GOING ON?
What is going on here? In my opinion, we have an example of Jesus testing the apostles’ trust in God’s prophesied word (Isaiah 53:12). When He is arrested, will they trust the Scriptures and allow Jesus to be “numbered with the lawless,” or will they react in the moment and use their swords to fight? At the same time, when they (Peter; John 18:10) use their swords in the Garden, it will give Jesus an opportunity to take advantage of his weakness and heal the ear of Malchus’s servant (Luke 22:51). In John’s account (18:11), Jesus tells Peter to return the sword to its scabbard; it was necessary for Jesus to drink the cup of God’s wrath. It was another way of telling Peter and His apostles that everything that was happening was necessary for the Father’s plans to be realized.

By performing that last miracle before His arrest, Jesus sends a strong message to everyone involved:

1) To His apostles, He reminds them that the Father (and Jesus) have all these events under their control. His Kingdom is, in fact, a spiritual kingdom (Matt. 26:52). They should not fight physically for Him because it is necessary for Him to drink the “cup of God’s wrath” in the crucifixion (Luke 22:42).

2) Jesus sends a message to Malchus, the high priest, and the audience (including Judas!) that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah because He can perform miracles (Isa. 35:5-6; Luke 7:22-23).

3) Jesus sends a message to the Romans including Pilate that He will not fight against them. He is no insurrectionist. It is also likely that the miracle by Jesus kept Peter from being arrested.

CONCLUSION:
This event teaches us a number of lessons. Jesus knows what is happening in His life and He knows those events are all under the control of the Father. He trusts Him implicitly. Secondly, Paul writes that Christians do not fight against flesh and blood (a physical battle) but against spiritual powers instigated by Satan (2 Cor. 10:3-6; Eph. 6:10-13). Thirdly, when God spoke in the OT, His words had to be fulfilled. No one can stop the words and plans of God from finding their completion, which were fulfilled in Jesus. Similarly, any and all promises Jesus gives in the NT will also find their completion by the power of the same God.

Mostly, though, the point I want to bring out here relates to our strengths and how Satan can turn them into weaknesses, if we do not submit them to the authority of the Word of God.

Take home message: Don't let Satan twist your strengths into weaknesses. Trust in Jesus to guide and strengthen you in all things.