Luke 22 is often brought up to argue that Christians—and therefore churches—should remain armed to protect themselves, their neighbors, and even their country. But that reading could hardly be further from the point of the chapter when we follow the events leading up to the arrest and eventual execution of Jesus.

Jesus says that he must be “numbered with the transgressors,” quoting Isaiah 53:12. In English, “transgressors” can sound like nothing more than “people who sin.” The Greek word refers to someone who is “lawless” or an “outlaw”—that is, a criminal—and does not by itself mean an “armed revolutionary.” But Luke immediately places the saying in a setting of swords, arrest, armed resistance, accusations of criminality, and ultimately execution by the governing authorities.

When Jesus asks, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a criminal?” (Luke 22:52), the Greek word translated “criminal” is a term that could describe an armed bandit or violent insurgent in the first-century world. That creates a striking contrast with Jesus’ own nonviolent conduct that follows.

First, Jesus permits himself to be numbered among “outlaws” and “criminals,” yet refuses to behave like one. Swords are present, but when a disciple actually uses one, Jesus stops the violence and heals the wounded enemy. Note that in Matthew’s version of the events, Jesus explicitly rebukes Peter. So Luke 22:36 cannot simply be isolated and turned into a command for the church to remain armed.

Second, the event as a whole is central to Luke’s theology of the Messiah as the “suffering servant” prophesied in Isaiah. This is crucial to understanding Jesus’ teaching on nonviolence and non-retaliation. Here the disciples finally confront the fact that the long-awaited Kingdom will not be coming by force, at least not yet. As a result, there is no call for Jesus’ followers to launch the eschatological war foreseen by the prophets of old. The sword is put away—again, for now.

This is the climax of the nonviolent preaching and practice that characterized Jesus’ New Covenant ministry from the beginning: “Do not resist an evil person” and “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt. 5:39, 44). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached those commands. In Luke 22, however, he is seen practicing what he preached even when his own life is threatened. And the apostles finally begin to grasp what was probably one of the most difficult lessons Jesus ever taught.

Later, Paul commands Christians, “Repay no one evil for evil,” “never avenge yourselves,” and “overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:17–21).

Peter presents Jesus himself as the pattern Christians are called to follow: “When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten,” but entrusted himself to God who judges justly (1 Pet. 2:21–23). Peter then applies the same rule directly to believers: “Do not repay evil for evil… on the contrary, repay with a blessing” (1 Pet. 3:9).

Lastly, in Luke 22:37 Jesus explicitly explains that the swords are connected with the fulfillment of the aforementioned prophecy of Isaiah 53:12. That helps explain why Jesus condemns Peter’s defensive use of the sword in Matthew 26:52. The whole episode presents a sharp contrast between the way the Kingdom was promised ultimately to come in judgment and the present mission of the nonviolent, longsuffering servant of Yahweh.

Furthermore, Jesus identifies that violent hour with “the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53), not with the light of the gospel of peace. It is therefore profoundly difficult to reconcile Christian living, as preached and practiced by Jesus and later by his apostles, with Christians walking around armed for the purpose of killing an enemy.

Luke 22 should remove any attempt to turn Jesus into a violent revolutionary or to make the bearing of arms a so-called “God-given right.” Jesus is arrested as though he were the leader of an armed band of outlaws or criminals. And when one of his followers behaves like one, Jesus immediately stops and rebukes him. He then heals the enemy, showing himself to be the ultimate teacher who practiced what he preached, even as he was being led toward torture and death.

That is the whole point of this story, and how tragic it is to see so many Christians continue to misuse it and therefore misapply it.