Language Studies

Difficult Sayings

John the Baptist and Jesus - Violent pressing into the Kingdom?
Matthew 11:12, Luke 16:16

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." (Matthew 11:12)
"The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it." (Luke 16:16)

"I have been studying the Bible for several decades, and even teach it in my church - but this passage has always confused me: "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." (Matthew 11:12) If the Kingdom of Heaven is ultimately a Kingdom of peace and love, and can come only from God, how can it be taken by force?" (http://www.cfdevotionals.org/devpg01/de011009.htm)

The question above is a typical response to this awkward and obscure verse regarded as an "infamous crux" (WBC). Others automatically identify the kingdom with the church and the violent as the Pharisees attacking it (http://birdville.org/kingdomsuffersviol.html). Alternatively, some regard the attackers as violent evil spirits putting pressure on the preaching of the gospel and its proponents.

Another source spiritualises the violence and applies it to the soul's journey toward heaven:

"The exercises of the worship of God are contrary to nature; therefore, there must be a provoking of ourselves to them. The movement of the soul toward sin is natural, but its movement toward heaven is violent. The stone moves easily to the center. It has an innate propensity downward, but to draw up a millstone into the air is done by violence because it is against nature. So to lift up the heart to heaven in duty is done by violence and we must provoke ourselves to it." (http://www.watchword.org/watsont/ww43b.html)

Different Bible versions clearly don't have a clue, take for example the disparate renderings below:

"violent people have been trying to take over the kingdom of heaven by force" (CEV)
"the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force." (NRSV, NAS, YLT, Weymouth)

"the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it" (NIV)
"the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people attack it." (NLT)

I have deliberately split these into two groups to show how the former take the kingdom as subject and passively suffering violence. The latter group has heaven actively advancing. The Greek verb is indeterminate. Two other versions offer further alternatives:

"the kingdom of the heavens, is being invaded, and, invaders, are, seizing upon it." (Rotherham)

These invaders could be taken positively, as the early 18th century commentator John Gill took them to be, "publicans, and harlots, and Gentile sinners; who might be thought to be a sort of intruders…", who were, "violently in love with Christ".

"life is given unto the kingdom of the heavens, and the valiant take hold of it." (Jubilee Bible)

Russell Stendal's Jubilee Bible appears to turn the violent into the valiant! The word for 'violent' here, בןסתן (Strong's #973) in the Greek, is only used once in the New Testament and derives from בןזו "to apply force" (Strong's #971), also only used here and in the parallel verse in Luke 16:16. Thus, within the Bible we have little to compare with for the meaning. Outside in classical literature it can mean everything from violence to pressure to persuasion.

The Word Biblical Commentary points out that we have four possible meanings by taking the two 'violence' clauses either positively or negatively. We can either have both positive or negative or one of each in either order.

The majority of interpreters take the phrases negatively, of the kingdom or its members suffering violence. If so, then this is more a prophecy about future persecution. Furthermore, unlike one of the web quotes above, the kingdom is neither the church nor the people, but broader still — the complete sphere of God's rule including the earth and the supernatural realms.

Another interpretation along the lines of the valiant invaders would refer it, positively, to those regarded as unsavoury by the religious separatists, such as tax collectors and prostitutes, pressing in to join the movement. Jesus may even be talking of his disciples as spiritual zealots taking part in a theological rather than political revolution using violence metaphorically. The true membership of the body was something discussed by Jochanan ben Zakkai with respect to the coming of Elijah, a person also associated with John the Baptist. In Babylonian Talmud, Eduyoth 8:7, the debate concerned the admission of true Israelites separated by 'force' and the rejection of those falsely having entered already by 'force' (cf. Allen, Matthew, ICC, 1907, p.118).

Another source of inquiry lies in Micah 2:12-13, some modern scholars, some Jewish traditions, and some Hebrew words...take a look at Micah and see if you can see how we are going to use it to illuminate this passage further next week...

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