Jesus and non-violence
Abner shouted to Joab, “Must the sword kill forever? Surely you must know this will only end in sadness! ~ 2 Samuel 2:26a (NCV)
“Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.” ~ Matthew 26:52 (NLT)
KEY IDEA:
Jesus calls his followers to be non-violent because the only thing that violence leads to is more violence -- and death.
PRAYER:
Lord Prince of Peace, thank you for leading us into a different way of solving problems. However, I admit that even though I don't believe in violent actions sometimes my words are violent. I say things that are as piercing as a sword. Save me from my own impulsiveness and rage. I want to follow Jesus and be all about peace in my thoughts, words, and deeds. Amen.
*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS
The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2015 I started posting these Bible verses for my spiritual formation students at Pacific Islands University. In the process of responding to the verses, I found the rhythm of looking for a common thread and writing a prayer based on that key idea to be helpful for my own soul. The prayers are more or less modeled on the TRIP method, which is what I ask my students to do in their journaling. ~ Brad Boydston
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase -- a freestyle biblical adaptation -- somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
