Luke 22:35-38--Scripture Must Be Fulfilled in Jesus

Luke 22:35-38
English Standard Version
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Scripture Must Be Fulfilled in Jesus
35 And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” 38 And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

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When Jesus originally sent the disciples out two-by-two (some versions say 70 were sent out, others say 72), they were told not to take any provisions with them, but to count on the generosity of their Jewish brothers and sisters who were commanded in the Law to care for the one who was a Jew.  Now Jesus says they should no longer expect the Jewish people to see them as brothers and take care of them, but instead they will need to take money with which to purchase the food they need and to carry a sword to defend themselves, and to take their cloak (their coat) and their knapsack to store their belongings and keep them close and easy to take with them.

Why the change in instructions from Jesus?  Well, Jesus knows that they are about to kill Him, and He won't be around to provide for them or protect them.  Jesus adds that all this has to be done to fulfill Scripture that He would be, "numbered with the transgressors."  To be numbered with the transgressors means that He would have be accused of a crime, tried, and convicted.  However, the disciples think this is a call to arms somehow to fight for him because they look and count that they have two swords among the eleven of them that remain.  Jesus says "It is enough."

What did Jesus mean by this? Certainly He wasn't telling them they needed to bring the swords with them to fight for Him and keep Him from getting arrested because we have read in other gospel accounts already how He tells Peter to put his sword away and that if He had desired it to be so, the angel armies of heaven would have defended Him and the eleven apostles who were still with Him.  Why Jesus is telling them they are going to need to have swords with them during this time, I'm not totally sure, but it wasn't for use to defend Him during His arrest, that is for sure.  There are parts of the story that none of the gospel writers thought was important to include and some of those details include what happened in the days and hours when most of the disciples had abandoned Jesus and were in hiding we know they all scattered from the Garden, and they all end up finding each other again by Sunday morning when the women come back to tell them that the tomb is empty, but what happened in between?  We don't know a whole lot because we weren't meant to, but I assume Jesus knew all that was going to happen and knew they would need money, clothes, food, and a sword or two.  We'll see how the instructions change (if at all) when He sends them out into the world 40 days after His resurrection when we get to the end of this book and the beginning of the book of Acts.