Why Didn’t Jesus Fight?

Matthew 26

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will die by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?” (Matthew 26)

We all wanted Jesus to fight. And we, all of us, wanted to join him in the fight. Because those who opposed us were clearly asking for it. Yes, they were spoiling for a fight and we, the disciples of Jesus, wanted him to give it to them.

The Arrest of Christ (c. 1500) by the Master of the Evora Altarpiece

You see, from the beginning, those in positions of power opposed Jesus. Their objections to him ranged from disagreements on the law, to his popularity with the poor, his lack of credentials as a rabbi, his place of origin, and, most important, his association with those who were counted as “sinners,” like prostitutes and tax collectors.

In confrontation after confrontation, they argued with him, posed questions meant to trick him, claimed that he was a disciple of Satan; and finally, when they feared for the loss of their positions and power, they had him arrested and killed: the greatest injustice in all of history.

Those of us who followed Jesus always wondered why he did not fight back. After all, he was in the right and they were in the wrong. He was the prince of peace and they were corrupt power mongers. And it wasn’t because Jesus was weak. He was a strong man, both physically and spiritually. So, why did he not fight back?

Actually, in one respect, he did fight back. But only with words. He called out their hypocrisy and how they neglected the poor, and how they distorted the law to protect their positions of privilege. Of course, his verbal attacks only enraged them even more. They felt threatened by his accusations, especially when the crowds of onlookers seemed to love them.

But in reality, Jesus wasn’t attacking them at all; no, instead, he was actually defending the honor of our YHWH God. You see, thanks to those corrupt leaders, the worship of our God had become terribly perverted. Jesus understood that: how the powerful in our nation were disrespecting our God, while all the time giving him lip service.

He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me:  in vain do they worship me,  teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ “(Mark 7)

Of course, if it came to violence, we all believed that Jesus had immense power at his disposal. I mean, we’d seen that power as he literally stilled a storm on the Sea of Galilee, drawing the wind and waves down into a dead calm. We’d witnessed how he fed multitudes, how he was transformed into the light of the sun, and how he brought the dead back to life. We even saw Jesus curse a barren fig tree, leading to its death!

So, naturally, we assumed that, in the event of an attack, that Jesus would display a power never before seen. We just couldn’t believe that Jesus would ever allow himself to be arrested or imprisoned, much less killed. No one could match the power that Jesus could invoke.

When he said that he could appeal to his father who would “at once” send more than twelve legions of angels, we believed him, and at least for me, I hoped that he would actually do it!

And maybe, deep down, Jesus wanted to make such an appeal. Maybe part of him thirsted for a fight. But as you know, he endured an arrest and mock trial, mostly keeping quiet. And of course, you know what actually happened after that, don’t you?

So, let me ask again: why didn’t Jesus fight?

I know what you are thinking. After all, we should have known: Jesus always told us not to fight:

But I say to you: Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also. (Matthew 5)

And you no doubt remember that Jesus told us three times that he would be killed in Jerusalem. As he said the scriptures about him must be “fulfilled.”

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised.(Matthew 16)

So, there would be no fight. Why? Because Jesus said so.

And yes, at least this time, we heard him. But honestly, it was next to impossible for us to reconcile his words with what we knew of Jesus. I mean, we witnessed his amazing powers and we knew his very identity as the Son of God. How could he be killed? How could he be made to suffer? It just didn’t add up to us. I think that’s why he tried to tell us no less than three times.

And some of the words of Jesus did, in fact, suggest violence:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword.” (Matthew 10)

We didn’t understand at the time, that he was speaking symbolically. Jesus did, in fact, divide people who followed him from those who resisted and even hated him.

And on our final night together, Jesus tried to prepare us for what was to come. Before, when he had sent us out to the villages, we were told to carry nothing. But now, in a time of elevated hatred and the threat of violence, it was different.

He said to them, “When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “No, not a thing.” He said to them, “But now, the one who has a purse must take it, and likewise a bag. And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one.  For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was counted among the lawless,’ and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.”  They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” He replied, “It is enough.” (Luke 22)

So, what does it all come down to? For the longest time, I struggled with making sense of what seemed to be contradictions. For me, looking back, I can see that Jesus was not a violent person. I mean, he condemned violence. And he wanted all peoples to live in peace.

But for Jesus, non-violence was much more than a “human precept” or moral philosophy of life. When he told Peter, “Put your sword back into its place” he was not just voicing his belief in a right way to live. No, it was more, much more.

Because for Jesus, it was all about obedience to his father, our YHWH God. As he said, he could appeal to his father and “more than twelve legions of angels” would appear to fight for him. But Jesus knew that God’s plan was different: he was to suffer, die, and be raised from the dead. A violent battle was not to be. Peter would have to sheath his sword.

I think that was the most difficult part for us to understand. As I said, we wanted to fight, and we were prepared to fight. It puzzled us for the longest time when Jesus told us that we’d need swords and then told Peter to put his away.

It was only when we realized that Jesus was simply obeying his father God that we finally understood. And we learned that for us, our own obedience would be expected, just as it was for Jesus.

At the end, Jesus said this to Pilate:

“My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”(John 18)

Jesus didn’t fight back, not merely because he advocated non-violence. No, he would not fight back against the greatest injustice the world has ever seen, only because that was God’s plan all along. And Jesus obeyed.

And what about you? What about me? I see injustices all around me, some aimed at me and some aimed at others. It’s all the consequence of hate. What am I called to do? And if you, in your time, see great injustice, what are you to do? Are you to fight back? Are you to take up arms?

You will have to answer that question for yourself. But whatever you do, look to Jesus as your example. Follow him, just as he followed his father God. And if God calls you to fight, you must fight. But if he calls you, as he did for Jesus, to turn the other cheek, to suffer and die, you must obey. And you must obey in the faith that he will raise you, just as he did for Jesus.