Loading ...“At times, the children of Israel were commanded to make weapons and to use them when necessary. Nehemiah armed his people when they were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem: ‘Each man with a sword upon his side.’
“Furthermore, Jesus spoke in a positive light about the possession and use of weapons on at least two occasions. In Luke 22, verse 36, Jesus instructed his disciples, ‘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.’ A sword was the ‘personal handgun’ of Jesus’ day. He actually, and contextually, told his disciples to arm themselves for the tough times that were headed their way. The disciples informed Jesus that they had two such weapons among them and Jesus approved of the fact.
“Additionally, in Luke 11, verse 21, Jesus uses the arming of oneself and their home as a positive example. He uses the illustration in a parable he is telling in the context of spiritual matters. ‘When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.’ Of course, he could use such a parable in a positive manner like this because it was a common sense statement that the people would understand. Jesus actually bolstered the idea of a person being ‘fully armed.’”