The Snag of The Sword: An Exegetical Study of Luke 22:35-38 (New Testament Studies in Contextual Exegesis. Neutestamentliche Studien zur kontextuellen Exegese)

Lk 22:35-38 is peculiar because it is never proclaimed except on Palm Sunday in the Year C. Although it is a pragmatic instruction on mission, it puzzles us like the Apostles in the Upper Room. The Lord shortly before his arrest, asserting the importance of the teaching, mandates preparedness for mission in the post-resurrectional period of the Church. The shepherd must be prepared to defend the sheep under his/her care, even to the extent of being called �lawless� according to world standards. Lk 22:35-38 thus in no way contradicts the prior mission training sendings, rather endows the missionary with greater strategic responsibility and commitment in pastoral care. The book highlights the contextual, hermeneutical, and theological dimensions in the final teaching of Jesus in the Lukan narration. Exegesis of Lk 22:35-38 teaches us about the pragmatic mandatory mission strategy. It resolves the snag and puzzle of the appearance of the sword in the Gospels. To a Church that is persecuted, Jesus instructs the need to be prepared to defend the believers. It helps us to contextualize our theologizing the Word of God.