The location is the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus is about to be arrested. Peter decides that if Jesus won’t defend himself he’ll have to do it for him. Being a fisherman and not a swordsman he swings at the wrong person (a mere servant) tries to take his head off (and misses) but does manage to cut off his ear. Somehow a full scale riot doesn’t break out and Jesus reattaches poor Malchus’ ear. He also reprimands Peter. Cutting off heads or even lopping off ears in Jesus’ Name isn’t acceptable behavior.

Peter should have known this. He’s seen that “power plays” aren’t Jesus’ way. It’s his enemies, the religious leaders, who wrap themselves up in their robes of righteousness and then say and do anything for the sake of God. As we’ll see later on this same night, they aren’t above lying or even manipulating murder “for the Lord.”

As for Jesus, he practices what he preaches. Even as he’s nailed to a cruel cross there’s no “sword language” from him. He could have called “twelve legions of angels” but instead he prays for those who have it all wrong and are putting him to death.

Later on, the infant Church takes the teachings of Jesus to heart. For them, becoming a follower of Jesus is to start down the road to martyrdom. A part of converting to Christianity is to prepare for a violent death in the Roman Coliseum. Clearly, these aren’t a people of the sword.

It would be nice if we could say that followers of Jesus have always obeyed his “no swords” policy but we know it’s not true. At times Christians have reverted to force, not only in “taking the gospel” to the world, but also in how they deal with one another. Sometimes, those who wouldn’t toe some ecclesiastical line have paid dearly for their willingness to hold to their convictions. It wasn’t the “sinners” who burned them at the stake; it was the “Christians.”

To this day there are those who, for the sake of Jesus, take out the sword and start swinging. Happily, in this day it’s not the “blood letting” kind of sword. Rather they use the sword of the tongue or pen. Wrapping themselves in robes of righteousness they swing wildly at those with whom they disagree. In righteousness indignation they do all they can to draw some blood in Jesus’ Name.

Maybe things would be different if they’d pay attention to the command of the Jesus they think they’re defending. As he says to Peter, “Put your sword back in its place.”