HELP WITH MATTHEW 11:12

This verse always gives me pause when I hear it quoted.

What does this verse mean? We hear the last part quoted often.

Mat 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sean Terrell on February 17, 2012 at 12:32pm

This verse is speaking of those like the Pharisees who try to force their way into heaven instead of accepting it the way it was announced.

The Kingdom suffered violence from religious leaders who wanted to keep control instead of listening to John's message "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!"

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Colby Chase on February 17, 2012 at 10:14pm

Matthew 11:12

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. - KJV
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. - ESV
From the time of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been forcing its way in--and the men of force are trying to grab it! - KNT
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. - NIV

More translations are available from BibleGateway.com.

What did Jesus mean? Was he speaking literally of forces violently attacking and entering heaven? Who were these violent men? Or did he mean something else?

This is one of the most difficult Bible verses to interpret, according to many sources I found on the Web. Part of the difficulty, say some, is with how the Greek has been translated into English.

Sean's interpretation of 11:12 is the one with which I'm most familiar, which is that Jesus is speaking of the determined opposition that he (as well as the imprisoned John the Baptist) was encountering from the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other Jewish religious authorities.

Another interpretation is that the reference to Kingdom of God is to Christ himself, and the violence and resistance he is encountering in preaching the Gospel, as well as a prophetic statement about how he will be "taken by force" when he is arrested and crucified on the cross.

This verse is cross-referenced with Luke 16:16, which reads: "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it" (ESV).

Interestingly, as a side note, the Apostle Paul, refers to a struggle against evil not only in this world, but in the "heavenly realms" in Ephesians 6.12: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

For further study, here are several blogs I found that provide interesting commentary from different perspectives on the meaning and interpretation of 11:12.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kjv WordofGodBeliever on February 18, 2012 at 8:25am

Thanks Sean,Thanks Colby,

The interpretation that I most hear from pentecostal pulpits is the one where the violent are the saints of God and they are angry at the enemy. Angry, aggressive, forceful and completely on the offensive for what rightfully belongs to them. They will be bold and take what they want. For some reason I am not ever fully comfortable with that interpretation. It seems to go against the nature of the born again believer. If it is in the Word then I will accept it and pray God give me understanding, however I amnot yet convinced of this meaning. I just don't feel violent when I pray God's will be done.

AARRGGHH, this is a tough one.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kjv WordofGodBeliever on February 18, 2012 at 8:46am

Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Luk 10:3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you

Mat 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

1Pe 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

Php 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

And this one is great because it gives us an example of how we are to contend with the devil.

Jud 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Colby Chase on February 18, 2012 at 11:53am

Here are excerpts from a commentary on Matthew's Gospel by NT Professor David B. Wallace, Dallas Theological Seminary, from Bible.org.

"With Jesus’ authority fully demonstrated by his own miracles as well as by his ability to delegate such power to his ambassadors, the stage is set for the opposition to the king (11:2–13:53). Over the next two chapters it grows until it hits a climax in 12:22-37, where the Pharisees accuse Jesus of being empowered by Beelzebul. At this juncture Jesus began to speak in parables to hide the truth from unbelievers and reveal it to believers (13:1-53).

The first signs of opposition to the king come mildly: first, John the Baptist, Jesus’ forerunner, doubts whether Jesus was the Messiah (11:2-6). This was quite natural since he was imprisoned by another “king” at the time! Not only did Jesus commend John for his role in proclaiming the nearness of the kingdom (11:7-15), he also pointed out the hypocrisy of the multitudes who could not make up their mind about John or Jesus (11:16-19). This led to an outright condemnation of the towns where Jesus had performed many of his miracles, yet the citizens still did not repent (11:20-24). At the end of this first round of opposition, Jesus extends an invitation to the weary to turn to him and find rest for their souls (11:25-30).

The second signs of opposition were much more frontal (12:1-45): not just doubt, nor even unbelief, but open attack by the religious leaders on Jesus’ authority over the Sabbath (12:1-21) and his source of supernatural power (12:22-37). Immediately after Jesus’ strong rebuke for thinking that he was empowered by the devil (12:25-37, especially 31-32), the Pharisees ironically ask for more proof of what his spiritual source was (12:38). But enough miracles had been done—the sign of Jonah was all that was needed now (12:39-45)."