Did Jesus contradict himself here?

Question

Matthew 26:52, "...they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."
Luke 22: 36, "...he that hath no sword, let him self his garmenet and buy one."

Sorry for the spelling errors. It's sell and garment.

Answer 1

aawwww, i just looked at all the answers thus far, you deserve a decent answer....

Answer 2

No, Jesus did not contradict himself. In order for you to understand, you need to look at the context. In both cases there are two very different situations.

In Matthew 26:52 when Jesus was going to be taken by his enemies, Peter took out a sword and cut a man's ear. Jesus, being a peaceful man, reprimanded Peter for this action.

Now in Luke 22:36 is a totally different scenario. However, for you to understand this verse, first take a look a Matthew 10:7-10, where Jesus gives his disciples instructions to preach to the people of Israel. The reason why he did not include a sword, among other things in this case, was because these preachers were going to spread the word among the Israelites themselves, who were hospitable people and in populated towns. It was customary for the person who would listen to the preacher to take care of his basic needs (food, lodging, etc). Now in Luke 22:36 Jesus is giving his disciples new instructions. In this case, the disciples were to spread the gospel to other towns, but to get there, they had to go through deserted areas, where wild animals lived. So in order to defend themselves from the wild animals, a sword was required. Looking at the verse 35 of that same chapter may help you understand a little better.

Answer 3

No, in Luke 22:36 He wants us to fight for Him, not physically, but spiritually, "sell his garment(old ties to the world), and buy one(a sword)(the holy spirit, to battle against the devil). He was saying in Matthew 26:52 that those who become saved die saved.

Answer 4

The two are unrelated. The first in chronology is Luke 22, in which he is telling his disciples that now is the time to prepare for his betrayal. He tells them two swords will be enough in berse 38, because none are needed.

Luke 22
35Then Jesus asked them, "When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Nothing," they answered.

36He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37It is written: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors'; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment."

38The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords." "That is enough," he replied.

The second is in reference to Peter cutting off Malchus' ear, also in Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18, He is telling him that what he has done was unneccesary and not commanded of by the Lord so Jesus puts his ear back on.

Matthew 26
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

52"Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

Both scriptures were spoken to fulfil prophecies.

Answer 5

Matt 26:52 what weapon you use will be used on you.
Luke 22:36 Speaks of the tribulation times. After the rapture when the world will be in caos.

Answer 6

Prior to His crucifixion, Jesus revealed to His disciples the future hostility they would face and encouraged them to sell their outer garments in order to buy a sword (Luke 22:36-38; cf. 2 Corinthians 11:26-27). Here the "sword" (Greek: maxairan) is a dagger or short sword that belonged to the Jewish traveler's equipment as protection against robbers and wild animals. A plain reading of the passage indicates that Jesus approved of self-defense.

Self-defense may actually result in one of the greatest examples of human love. Christ Himself said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:14). When protecting one's family or neighbor, a Christian is unselfishly risking his or her life for the sake of others.

Theologians J. P. Moreland and Norman Geisler say that "to permit murder when one could have prevented it is morally wrong. To allow a rape when one could have hindered it is an evil. To watch an act of cruelty to children without trying to intervene is morally inexcusable. In brief, not resisting evil is an evil of omission, and an evil of omission can be just as evil as an evil of commission. Any man who refuses to protect his wife and children against a violent intruder fails them morally."

Answer 7

Live by the sword, die by the sword is a metaphor. If you do something aggressively\force, you will be undone by the same force. Ex........I have a friend who gossiped constantly, then was hurt by gossip.

As far as the Luke reference, it seems He was talking about how He was about to be captured, and they should be prepared for persecution to fall on all of them.

Answer 8

Why can't people put things in their proper context?
As a Mom, I have see no conflict between telling my child not to be a bully, while at the same time teaching him to defend himself. I tell him that it is wrong for him to go looking for trouble...and I warn him that if he does, he will definitely find it. But, I also tell him that if someone brings trouble to him, he needs to be ready to handle it.
Shouldn't God be able to teach His kids the same thing?

Answer 9

You cannot take one line scripture out of the Bible and try to compare it, there is usually alot more that goes to it, before you can fully understand what and why something is being said.

Answer 10

No. If a person is a warrior, they will likely die in a war. Telling someone to buy a weapon isn't saying that they still wouldn't possibly die.

Answer 11

both matthew and luke are tellin their version of what happened. Jesus only said one thing, we just don't know what it was.