Jesus met one kind of force with another kind of force that, according to conventional thinking, was not supposed to work. His disciples believed, “The only thing Rome understands is force; Jesus, you must show them”. The sword was the force Rome would understand. Why didn’t Jesus summon those “twelve legions of angels”? In the end, brutal force does not convert or win another over. Love does not force. It cannot. The response God wants from us is love. It takes love to get love as a response; “God so loved He gave…”
“A large crowd with swords and clubs…came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:47a, 50b-53 (NASB)
