Given how Jesus responds to Peter’s use of the sword (he rebukes him), and given everything Jesus says about loving enemies, doing good to them, turning the other cheek, and so on, it’s clear that, whatever Jesus was up to in telling his followers to buy swords, he clearly didn’t intend for them to use them.

I think a close look at the passage reveals Jesus’ purpose. Immediately after telling them to buy a sword (Lk 22:36) Jesus says, “It 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.”(vs. 37). To fulfill prophecy, Jesus had to be viewed as a transgressor. He had to at least appear to be a political revolutionary to the Jewish authorities for them to feel justified in arresting him. His cleansing of the temple a few days earlier was probably calculated for the same effect. So, to fulfill the prophecy and to provoke the Jewish authorities, he had to have enough weaponry to justify being viewed as a law breaking revolutionary.

This is why, in the next verse, when the disciples say they have two swords, Jesus says “That is enough.” (vs. 38). Obviously, if Jesus ever intended for the disciples to use the swords, that wouldn’t be nearly enough. But it’s enough to fulfill the prophecy by making Jesus look like a transgressor.

When Peter used the sword to cut off the guard’s ear, Jesus rebuked him and then demonstrated the kind of power the Kingdom of God uses to advance its cause by healing the guards ear.

When Jesus later appeared before Pilate and was asked if he was the King of the Jews, Jesus responded that his kingdom is not of this world, and he points to the fact that his followers are not fighting as proof of this fact (Jn. 18:36). So, a distinguishing characteristic that a person belongs to Jesus’ Kingdom is that they refuse to fight their enemies. They rather prayer for their healing and seek to serve them any way they can — including dying for them, as Jesus did, if necessary.

And to the people? 'he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!”'

John 2:14-16

You would have to ADD to what is written to infer he whipped the men.

And that is the people too. Instead of interrupting their own busy lives to help the poor, they just want the government to do it.

No, that is not what we are told. We are not told to pay more in taxes that is unwilling taken from us for the poor.

Rather, I see Christ demanding us to give willinly to the poor through the Church. How is Jesus reflected through us paying taxes when we are told this is NOT a Christian nation by our President.

Jesus gets NO GLORY when the Church washes their hands of doing the duty that Christ called us to do.

And it can be simple. I live in a rural community that has several churches provide Wednesday night meals and study. If you are hungry on Wednesday, you have several choices of where to eat.

But how about those churches spreading that out. One give meal/study on Monday, one on Tuesday, one on Wed, etc, etc. And then there is a place, a place reflecting the glory of God every day of the week.

Jesus does tell us that we will always have poor people among us. (I take that as a command to go and submerse yourself amongst poor people). But I always hear Christians say this as soon as you talk about the concerns of the poor. It's as if you don't want to make Jesus a liar so we better make sure that there are poor people left on earth. In fact though, He was referencing Deuteronomy 15…

7“If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; 8 but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. 9 “Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the LORD against you, and it will be a sin in you. 10 “You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings. 11 “For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’

I do have problem giving direct payments to individuals.

Especially, when I was told by one that they used the funds to get a new tatoo.

That is wrong and does not address or solve the problem.

My sister-in-law was a single mom and through financial aid, she did not pay a penny for her undergraduate work. Soley because she was a single mom. I believe there are resources out there if they look for them.

On your last paragraph, God's answer I am sure is neither what the conservative “prolife” exactly see NOR what the religious left/Sojourners would see either.

I wonder how someone in Africa or other parts of the world that are TRULY living in poverty would feel with a $19,000 a year salary. My sister was a beautician and never earned more than $13,000 a year as a single mom. She refused to put her daughters on free/reduced lunch and yet they never were missing for anything. One was salutorian in their class and got their education paid for while the other became a teacher. It is possible to be done, if you put your mind to it.

It is also very easy to claim that you don't have the opportunity if you want to.

I'm not placing you in any box. I am just responding to the topic of the forum. Abortion was not part of this.

I just saw an encouraging poll this weekend put out by the pew forum. For the first time in the poll's history, more people consider themselves “pro-life.” I think God is at work in this changing the hearts and minds of people. It may not look like the conservative “pro-life” community wants, but normally God doesn't respond like that.

I don't think Christians should be supporting a position of torture or abortion. Both are Scripturally wrong.

I am consistent on that. Are you consistent in your position? I hope you are.

I hope you say torturing a human being is wrong and stopping the life of an unborn human being is wrong.

Please show me where one public school charges for any student to attend.

Also, working in the public school, I know that there are hundreds to thousand sources of financial aid for single mothers. My college, Berea College, provides housing, education, JOB and meals for the single mother and child and unless they are a wealthy single mother than it would be at no cost.

Absolutely God will discipline and love at the same time. And sometimes discipline FROM God is hard.

However a hot topic is torture. What would you say to John Yoo, who allowed torture to take place, when he said that it is not a violation of the constitution or any treaty to crush a child's testicles in front of his parents in order for the US to extract information?

Also, are you standing in defense of torture to create links btwn Al-Quaeda and Iraq in an effort to justify our invasion of Iraq?

I expect my children to behave but they do not always do that. At that time, I discpline them but that does not mean my love for them has chained.

God has said he will discipline us but yet loved us by sending His Son to us. No contradiction there, IMO.

Do you see a contradiction in a loving God that sends his Son but has created Hell for those that reject Him?

That is why I supported Mike Huckabee who was for stronger social safety net and anti-abortion.

As for Jesus and justification, you must have misinterpreted my points.

I am NOT using it for justification but yet pointing out that Jesus' actions were not 100% nonviolent as some were trying to cast Jesus as.

On BOTH sides, we like to give a view of Jesus that best fits our VIEWS of what we want Jesus to be rather than the COMPLETE PICTURE of who Jesus truly was.

If you want to be a biblical literalist, read Exodus 21:22. It clearly shows that a fetus is a potential life and as such is valuable, but not as valuable as a fully developed living and breathing human. I am “pro-life,” but not b/c of the Bible, but b/c of science. When I see a baby in a mother's womb sucking on its thumb, I can't help but having my conscious affected and see a human life. However, in saying that, I think that there are many more elements involved in abortion. If you voted for Ronald Reagan or George Bush, then you contributed to the “murder of innocent human life.” The abortion rate skyrocketed under Reagan, as did the poverty rate. It finally declined by 10% under Clinton, along with the poverty rate. If you really care about abortion, then you're looking in the wrong place when confronting abortion clinics.

Why does Belgium and the Netherlands boast the lowest abortion rate in the world? Maybe b/c of their strong social safety nets–free healthcare, childcare, and education for mothers.

Plus, what does this have to do with our Fundamental Evangelical Military Industrial Complex?

Although I have no problem with our military handing out Bibles.

Our military have and will continue to do amazing and positive things.

That said, it is amazing that the God of the OT who is also the God of the NT, (is he not?) has two very distinct sides.

I am not sure we can discount the OT God as easily as we want to do in our society but rather both OT and NT gives a complete picture of the God of Mercy and Grace that sent his Son for us to have eternal life.