The Snag of the Sword is a thorough exegetical study of Luke 22:35-38.

Lk 22:35-38 is peculiar because it is never proclaimed except on Palm Sunday in the Year C. Although it is a pragmatic instruction on mission, it puzzles us like the Apostles in the Upper Room.

The Lord shortly before his arrest, asserting the importance of the teaching, prepares the apostles for mission in the post-resurrectional period of the Church. The shepherd, he insists, must be prepared to defend the sheep under his/her care, even to the extent of being called lawless according to world standards. Thus, Lk 22:35-38 in no way contradicts the prior mission training sendings, rather it endows the missionary with greater strategic responsibility and commitment in pastoral care.

The book highlights the contextual, hermeneutical, and theological dimensions in the final teaching of Jesus in the Lukan narration.