The Kingdom Suffers Violence
To what was Jesus referrring when He said, "the kingdom of heaven suffers violence." The "kingdom" which Jesus makes reference to in Matthew 11:12 is His kingdom, the church. If not, then what is it? The kingdom of Matthew 11:12 is also the same kingdom as that spoken of in Mark 1:15 (where Jesus speaks of it being "at hand"; John spoke of the same kingdom). I believe the kingdom of Matthew 11 must refer to the church Jesus built, and to the chagrin of the Scribe and Pharisee types, it couldn’t be taken by force.
24After they left, Jesus talked to the crowd about John. "Who is this man in the wilderness that you went out to see? Did you find him weak as a reed, moved by every breath of wind? 25Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people who wear beautiful clothes and live in luxury are found in palaces, not in the wilderness. 26Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. 27John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, 'Look, I am sending my messenger before you, and he will prepare your way before you.' 28I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the most insignificant person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!" 29When they heard this, all the people, including the unjust tax collectors, agreed that God's plan was right, for they had been baptized by John. 30But the Pharisees and experts in religious law had rejected God's plan for them, for they had refused John's baptism. 31"How shall I describe this generation?" Jesus asked. "With what will I compare them? 32They are like a group of children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends, 'We played wedding songs, and you weren't happy, so we played funeral songs, but you weren't sad.' 33For John the Baptist didn't drink wine and he often fasted, and you say, 'He's demon possessed.' 34And I, the Son of Man, feast and drink, and you say, 'He's a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of the worst sort of sinners!' 35But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.-- Luke 7:24-35
The passage above is parallel to the events recorded in Matthew 11: the animosity and violence of those who killed John and Jesus are alluded to in both (Lk.7:33; Mt.11:18). The kingdom which John prepared people for -- "behold, I send a messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you", Mt 11:10 -- is the "kingdom" which men were trying to forcibly enter, control, or destroy. Of course they failed, but it didn’t stop them from trying.
When Jesus says, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mk.1:15), He is saying it is near, it is coming, but not yet realized. The "kingdom of God" which Jesus refers to in Lk 7:28 (see quotation above) is the same kingdom. The most insignificant person in Jesus’ kingdom, is greater than John. Does anyone doubt that Jesus is referring to the church?
In Matthew 11:12 Jesus says, "FROM the days of John the Baptist until NOW the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force." J.W. McGarvey writes,
"Jesus here pictures the kingdom of heaven as a besieged city. The city is shut up, but the enemies which surround it storm its walls and try to force an entrance.... The gates of Christ’s kingdom were not opened till the day of Pentecost (Acts 2); but men, hearing it was about to be opened, sought to enter it prematurely, not by the gates which God would open,...but by such breaches as they themselves sought to make in its walls." (The Fourfold Gospel (Cincinnati, Ohio: The Standard publishing Company), p. 283.)
Contextually speaking, the violence must be attributed to the "generation" (vs 16) that killed John and that would kill Jesus. The kingdom suffered violence indirectly (since it was not yet established) in that the messenger sent to prepare people for it, was jailed and later killed. Force and violence inflicted upon John came from the evil religious leaders who sought to shape the kingdom according to their own desires. To them, the King had to look and sound just right or they would kill him (which they did). The plan to establish the kingdom was being met with resistance and violence. Their overt behavior intended to hinder the establishment of the Jesus’ kingdom was equal to the kingdom suffering violence. It is logical to relate the kingdom which Jesus makes reference to, to the kingdom which John preached of and failed to see.
The point is made that Jesus’ words indicate a different kingdom than the church because Jesus says, it "suffers violence." The timing doesn’t seem to be right for his words to refer to the church because it wasn’t in existence. Remember another instance where Jesus says, "I am a king", yet His rule did not officially begin until He sat triumphantly next to the Father (Acts 2). Was Jesus a king? Yes, and He would rule over the kingdom soon. Was the kingdom suffering violence? Yes, but the gates of hades would not prevail against its establishment.
To answer the first question, Matthew 11:12 must refer to the church, because violence WAS being acted out -- a reality to John who was in jail -- and that violence was directed toward the establishment of Jesus’ kingdom, the church.
Jesus’ Kingdom is established today. The alternative to being in His kingdom is remaining in "the domain of darkness." (Col.1:13). If you like, you may be in His kingdom today by believing Jesus is the Son of God, repenting of your sins committed against God, and being baptized to wash your sins away (Jn.3:16; Acts 3:19; 22:16). Even today, the kingdom suffers violence by men who try to subvert the will of God. In the first century, violent men didn’t like Jesus' words, His manner, His background, His dress, or his company. Today, men don’t like His message on salvation, His command to worship in truth, or His strong stand against sexual immorality and materialism. Still, there is no other way to enter his kingdom but by following the will of God. -- Dan Mayfield, June 2000
©2000 Dan Mayfield. Permission granted to use this article in any manner, as long as: 1) the content is not changed and 2) the name of the author is left on the article.
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