Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
~ Matthew 10:34
It was asserted to me by a Muslim that we cannot know what Jesus meant in Matthew 10:34 by "sword" (because we don't have the word in Aramaic) or that it implies violence or mandates warfare, all of these ideas are far from the truth and even self contradictory (it's meaningless but implies violence?). Firstly Muslims obviously don't really believe that we can only understand Jesus through his own original language (Aramaic) as there are quotations of Jesus in an Arabic Quran. Now clearly Allah is quoting many prophets in Arabic and not their original perspective languages. Language is not a real barrier for them. What matters is not what language we have Jesus voice in, but that we have his voice at all. Further more it is highly likely Jesus knew at-least some Greek or was fluent, as the good doctor you quoted mentioned. So this is not a serious objection. Now that we have all the Islamic herrings out of the way lets begin by examining the context.
Jesus gives his disciples the command to preach the Gospel to Israel (Matt 10:5-7) while preaching he gives them specific instructions to stay with morally righteous person(s) in various Israelite towns (10:11), it describes personal peace not as universal but rather as dependent on belief and cooperative moral behavior (peace for peace), this implies the golden rule (10:13). Jesus instructs believers on how to behave when someone rejects the gospel: "leave and shake the dust of your feet" (10:14). This rejection results not with mandatory human warfare or punishment upon disbelievers but God's judgement on the Lord's day (10:15). Jesus predicts disciples will be severely persecuted (10:17-23) then tells them although they may be killed for this belief (as opposed to killing others) they should fear God's punishment over the that of disbelievers who can only kill body but not soul. The soul and value of belief is placed far above and over anything else (10:28). Jesus proceeds to instruct them on the public profession of belief being essential and dependent upon entrance into God's kingdom, rather than offensive warfare or violence as one might expect a more radical violence Jesus to advocate (10:32-33). After having explained what kind of peace he is referring to in context (10:13-14), namely universal personal peace he says of the same: "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." (10:36). Rather than bringing or advocating universal personal peace regardless of creed, Jesus has explained that true spiritual personal peace is dependent on receiving him in belief and following him in spirit. Jesus had already said: "If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you." (10:13), but he goes into greater detail explaining how this invitation to Christ divides between family members and those who live together (35-36), and expects his disciples to follow him above all else (37-38). This is the very commandment that God gave in the Torah to the Israelites which has never been usurped by a Biblical prophet other than Jesus, this is because Jesus is the only prophet who is claimed divinity. The only being worthy of complete servitude in submission in all of scriptural theology in an ultimate sense above family and friends an loved ones is the Lord God himself. Jesus proceeds to impart spiritual wisdom that provides serenity, peace and life (10:39) and explain that peace and righteousness are received by receiving him and his message transmitted through his disciples who are likened unto to prophets (10:40-41).
Finally we believe Scripture interprets Scripture and Luke has recorded a parallel account of this exact sermon in Matthew 10, here is what Luke claims: "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division". From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. (Luke 12:51-52) this is the same type of language that is employed in Matthew: "For I have come "to turn" a man against his father" and "a man's enemies will be the members of his own household" (10:35-36) showing us that the enemies live together in the same house rather than destroy each other physically or take possession of the house.
Other passages of Scripture do advocate the idea of self defense, but no Scripture understood in proper setting as noted by innumerable scholars mandates offensive religious warfare, Christ Willing, more on this in future posts
A smaller footnote one critical thinker might object to: "Well which is it? Did Jesus say: Sword or Division?" which is seemingly a useless and irrelevant charge being that the original objection is that Jesus is implying violence or warfare or that can't determine what he is saying since we don't have his original words in his own tongue, and that objection is thoroughly untenable and refuted. I have however answered the sword vs division argument elsewhere but it is a long read, you have to want to be honest.
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