#181 Lu. 22:35-38 LEARNING TO DEPEND ON GOD AND TO COPE WITH LIFE

Introduction:

	In our previous text Jesus informed Simon Peter that he would
deny Jesus three times.  Jesus was not rebuking Peter, but
helping to prepare him for a difficult time ahead.
	In our text today, Jesus speaks to them all and seeks to
prepare them all for the difficult times ahead---His arrest,
trial and crucifixion.  He wants them to learn two things:  (1)
To depend on God and; (2)  To do what they can for themselves.

I.  Gods care in the past a lesson about God's care in the future

    V. 35, "And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse,
and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing?"  You will note first
of all that Jesus is no longer talking just to the Apostle Peter.
He is talking to all of the disciples.  Jesus presents to them
all with a question.  With this question He turns their minds
back to an earlier period of time.  He reminds them of the time
when He sent them out on what is now called "The Limited
Commission."  He had sent them out in twos to go throughout the
land of Israel to preach the gospel.  He reminds them that He had
sent them out without purse or scrip and without an extra pair of
shoes.
	The purse which He talked about was a small bag which was
used for carrying coins.  They did not have paper money in those
days.  All money was in coins.  The most valuable coins were, of
course, gold.  The silver coins were next in value and the least
were copper.  Jesus had sent them into the land of Israel to
preach the gospel, but He had forbidden them to take a purse.
That is, He forbid them to take any money.
    They were to learn to trust Him to take care of them in all
circumstances.  They were to learn to depend on God, but they
were also to learn to depend on the people.  Jesus had instructed
them to teach the people to whom they preached to supply their
need.  Thus they were to learn not only to depend on God, but to
depend on God to use the people to supply their need.
	Jesus had also forbidden them to take scrip.  Scrip was a
larger bag.  It was large enough to carry a little food and a few
extra clothes.  Food and extra garments were commonly carried
with them on trips.  An extra cloak or extra shoes would often
prove to be very useful on a trip.
    But Jesus had forbidden them to take a scrip.  Therefore, He
had forbidden them to take any food or extra clothes or shoes.
They were not only to learn to depend on God to supply the money
they would need, but they were to learn to depend on God to
supply the food, shoes and clothes.  That is, they were to learn
to depend on God to use the people to supply their every need.
They were to learn to depend on God to supply their need through
the people.
	If we took the time to look back to Matthew chapters we would
find that Jesus also forbid them to take an extra pair of shoes,
an extra cloak or an extra staff.  These are things that would
normally be taken on any long trip.  But Jesus wanted them to
learn to depend of God to supply all their need even though God
would use people to furnish their supply.
	Likewise, Jesus had later sent out seventy additional men to
preach the gospel in Israel and He had given them similar
instructions.  These, too, were instructed not to carry money,
food, extra shoes, extra clothing or an extra staff.  The seventy
also were to learn to depend on God and to depend on the people
to supply their need.
	But here is the question that Jesus asks.  He asked, "Did you
lack anything? Did any of you go hungry?  Did any of you need a
new pair of shoes that was not supplied?  Did any of you need a
new cloak or new staff that was not supplied?"
    (V. 36), "And they said, Nothing."  They all said that they
lacked nothing.  Not one lacked anything!  I do not know if Jesus
singled anybody out particular person or not.  However, I can
almost hear Him say, "Peter, did you lack anything?  Matthew did
you ever go hungry?  James, John, did you ever starve to death?"
They all said that they lacked nothing.  God had supplied their
need.  But is was still God who had supplied their need even
though it was through the people that He did it.
    Now why is Jesus asking this question?  Let me tell you why.
It is because that within the next few hours they would go
through the most devastating experience of their lives!  There is
nothing that can help one to depend on God in future events more
than remembering how He has already cared for us in the past.  If
those disciples would just look back to when the went out on a
preaching tour without money or supplies , they would be better
able to trust Him in the future.  This is a lesson we all need to
learn.

II. Learning also do what they could for themselves

	Jesus instructed that now they were to take with them a
purse, a scrip and a sword.  V. 36, "Then said he unto them, But
now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his
scrip..." Jesus is now looking beyond the arrest, the trial, the
crucifixion.  He is looking beyond the Limited Commission.  He is
looking to a world wide mission.  He is saying, "Things will be
different from now on.  From now on, take your purse with you.
Take money in it.  You will need money.  You will need money for
food.  People may supply some of your food and people may supply
money.  But you will need to carry some with you and not wait for
it to be supplied later.
    Furthermore, there would be times, when they would need to be
prepared to take care of their own need until some people got
saved and learned to support the Lord's cause.  They, of course,
did not have automobiles, busses or planes, but they did have
ships.  They would need to be prepared to pay their own fare when
traveling by ship.  There is no doubt that then the church at
Antioch sent out the Apostle Paul and Barnabas that the church
paid their fare on the ship and sent with them a temporary supply
of food.  But that supply would soon play out and Paul and
Barnabas had to make tents to supplement their income.  Later
after churches had been established, those churches would help
support Paul on the mission field, but Paul was always willing to
take care of his own need even if it meant making and selling
tents in order to do so.  So Jesus instructed them to carry with
them a purse and a scrip.
	This, of course, did not mean that they were not to trust in
God to take care of their needs.  But the point is that since God
had supplied their needs when they could not carry a purse or
script, then they surely should be able to trust Him to supply
their need now that they can carry a purse and scrip.
	Now here comes the shocker:  (V. 36), "...and he that hath no
sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."  Jesus said, "Get
a sword.  You're going need one.  At least, there is going to be
possibility of that need.
    Jesus said, "Even if it is necessary for you to sell your
garment in order to buy a sword, sell your garment and buy a
sword."  The Greek word, which here is translated "garment" means
"cloak or outer garment." Jesus is not saying that they should
strip down to their underwear.  They can get by, if necessary,
without a cloak or outer garment.  At least, they can do without
that extra cloak which they are now permitted to carry.  But
Jesus considered a sword a necessity for them starting now.  They
had not needed one up to this point, but from this point forward,
they would need a sword.
    V. 37, "For I say unto you, that this that is written must
yet be accomplished in me..."  Jesus is about to quote for them a
prediction about Him which had been in the Book of Isaiah.  Jesus
said that the prediction which Isaiah had made about Him must be
accomplished.  That is, it must be fulfilled.  Whatever Isaiah
wrote about Him must be fulfilled.  In fact, all other
predictions which God had made about Him must be fulfilled.
	But let us listen to this one which Jesus now quotes.  He
quotes from Isaiah 53:12, (V. 37), "...And he was reckoned among
the transgressors..."  Through the prophet, Isaiah, God had
predicted that the Christ would reckoned or numbered among the
transgressors.  That would literally be fulfilled within a few
hours.  Jesus would be crucified between two transgressor.  He
would be crucified between two thieves.
	Jesus said that this prophecy must be fulfilled.  It must be
fulfilled not only because God had predicted it, but it must be
fulfilled in order for us to be saved.   (V. 37), "...for the
things concerning me have an end."  That is, these things have a
literal fulfillment.  Jesus was about to go to the cross.  If
this prophecy were to never be fulfilled, all mankind would be
without a Savior.  We would all end up in the fires of hell.  If
any of us would be with God in heaven, then this prophecy must be
fulfilled.  We can all thank God in heaven that this prophecy has
been fulfilled.  It was about to be fulfilled at the time that
Jesus was speaking to His disciples in our text.

IV.  The matter of the two swords

    V. 38, "And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords..."
Among the eleven remaining apostles there were two swords.  There
were only two swords.  Luke does not tell us who had those two
swords, but apparently the apostles had already begun to sense
danger and two of them had already prepared.  They had either
obtained those swords there in Jerusalem or else they had brought
the with them from Galilee.  They could have carried them
underneath their cloaks and nobody but Jesus would have known.
	As I said, Luke does not tell us at this point just who had
the swords, but we will learn later in this chapter that the
Apostle Peter was one of them.  Later when they came to arrest
Jesus, the Apostle Peter drew a sword and cut off the ear of the
servant of the high priest.  Peter had meant it when he said he
was willing to die with the Lord and he came prepared to fight in
the defense of the Lord.
	Jesus certainly did not want them to use their swords in His
defense.  It was His purpose to die on the cross.  But He did
intend for them to use the swords in their own defense if need
be.
    (V. 38), "...And he said unto them, It is enough."  Two
swords would not be enough later.  It would not be enough later.
Jesus make it clear that He wanted each one of them to have a
sword.  But two was enough for now.  It was a start.

IV.  What we should all learn from this

	We should learn  that there is one thing that no man can do
for himself.  No man can save himself.  If man could save himself
it would not have been necessary for Christ to die on the cross.
There is only one thing a lost sinner can to about getting saved.
He can turn to Jesus Christ and place his trust in Jesus Christ
to save his soul.
	We should learn that after one is saved, he still needs to
trust in God to take care of him in this life.  Just as he has
trusted in God to take care of his spiritual need, even so he
needs to trust in God to take care of his physical needs.  He
needs to trust God to supply his physical needs.  He needs to
trust God to provide food, shelter and clothing.  He needs to
trust God to take care of his health.
	We are also to learn that we who are saved are not to sit
down and do nothing for ourselves.  We are to do what we can.  We
are to work in order to provide money, food and other material
supplies.  We are to live according to good health rules in order
to have good health.  We are to go to the doctor and take
medicine when we are sick.
	Yet in all these things we are not to forget that it is
really God who supplies all our need.  We are not to think that
we can do it without Him.  We are still to depend upon Him.

Conclusion:
	Are you saved?  If not then now is the time to turn to God
and to trust in the Savior that God has sent.
	Are you doing what you can to help yourself in this life?  If
you are able to work, God does not want you to sit down and
expect others to supply your need.
	Are you depending on the Lord to supply your need?