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."
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These verses are separated from those that tell of Jesus predicting Peter’s denial because verse thirty-five begins with a capitalized “Kai.” While such a capitalized marker word does not always denote a transition point in the narrative, it does in this case; because the focus is no longer on Simon-Peter. Instead, the focus returns to the whole group attending the Seder.
The whole of verse thirty-five literally states, “Kai he said to themselves , At which time I sent forth yourselves without money-bag kai sandals , no certain thing did you suffer need ? These now they said , None .” This becomes a question posed to the disciples-apostles, where the great importance comes from Jesus knowing the answer to his question, which asked divinely, “What more do you need than my blessing placed upon your souls?” When the importance highlights “sandals,” rather than “a purse” or “money-bag,” the question forced the group of interns to answer truthfully, “Were you unable to be sent without even a covering for the soles of your feet?” When the capitalized “Ho,” meaning “These,” places a divine elevation on those who were sent, as Jesus stated, “They” were led to truthfully respond by saying, “No. Nothing was lacking; and, none of us suffered.”
Verse thirty-six than has Jesus speak, following the expected response, which came collectively [not from one person speaking for the group], saying literally: “He said now to themselves , However immediately this possessing a money-bag , let it be removed ; in like manner kai leather pouch ; kai this not possessing , let him exchange this cloak of himself kai purchase a dagger [short sword] .” In the NRSV translation above, it should be seen how the two do not match. The paraphrase above has taken one’s eyes away from Jesus know who his betrayer was. In the capitalization of “Eipen” (“He said”) this mirror the same word (in the lower-case spelling) following a capitalized “Kai.” The importance of “Kai” projected directly one the word “eipen.” Now, this importance is again stated, as the divine elevation that now has Jesus speaking as the Father, to His children. The one “possessing the money-bag” for the ministry of Jesus was Judas Iscariot. Just as before the disciples had been sent out without taking a “money-bag,” soon they would be sent out without their cheating accountant. Judas will be found to have robbed them blind; and, in addition to the money that goes in the bag, he will have sold the leather pouch used to store supplies and gear. The important thing the true disciples-apostles needed to know was the material world would not be “possessing” their souls. The would have to barter, “to exchange a cloak” for “a sword.” Still, that metaphor says Judas “exchanged” his soul (“himself”) for “the cloak” that was his lying, cheating, and stealing. Judas was the lesson that confirmed the internship with no dependency on material needs was the way of the future. Soon, they would not have Jesus either (nor Judas).
In verse thirty-seven Jesus continued, literally saying, “I say indeed to yourselves because here this has been written , it is necessary to be fulfilled by me : This Kai among the transgressors he was counted . kai this concerning of myself the purpose it possesses .” Again, Jesus speaks as Yahweh [“I Am,” in the first-person] truthfully to each of the souls gathered around him, telling them Jesus has come to fulfill Scripture (not change it). Following a colon mark, a capitalized “To” (“This”) reflects back on that said just prior, where “exchanging a cloak for a sword” would be for self-defense. That then leads to a capitalized “Kai,” which says major importance needs to be found in Scripture, where “here this has been written.” The quote comes from Isaiah 53:12c, where the whole verse says this [NRSV]:
“Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the
strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the
transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors.”
The “transgressor” or “wicked” is Judas, who was “numbered” or “reckoned” with the “twelve.” Jesus would be the fulfillment of the one who “poured out himself to death.” This means Jesus “poured out” his soul so others could receive it, making his soul be “intercession for the transgressors.” This is then explaining why Judas Iscariot was allowed to come into the number of “twelve” (a leadership role, where he was entrusted with the “purse”). It had to be that way.
Verse thirty-eight then has the disciples-apostles not understanding anything Jesus just said, which can be partially attributed to the fact that after the Seder meal the men try to stay up as long as possible, while drinking more and more cups of wine. They will be found to be progressively less capable of holding an intelligent conversation with Jesus, much less remember his lessons. Here, it is written that they said (literally), “These now they said , Lord , behold! , daggers here two . This now he said to them , Suitable it is .” Here, the disciples-apostles heard Jesus talk about “exchanging a cloak for a short sword” or “dagger,” not realizing that Jesus was talking about his “betrayer.” When they took a count of who among them had a knife, there were “two” who had “daggers” on their persons. Here, the number “two” becomes symbolic. That is always a reflection of “duality,” where a body and a soul are the “two” that make one human being. The number “two” is also a reflection of the “duality” of souls in each apostle, where their own with Jesus makes “two.” When Isaiah wrote of “diving the spoils with the strong,” that could be thought to be those who have the greatest weapons; but the truth is the “duality” of the outpouring into the transgressors. So, when they told Jesus “here two,” his response says “That is all you need” – and, daggers are good for sacrificing lambs.