Matthew 11:12

Monday, 30 June 2025

 

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

 

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens, it is forced, and forcers, they seize it” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus noted the greatness of John among humanity, and yet the least in the kingdom of the heavens was greater than he. He now continues with, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now.”

 

The “days of John the Baptist” refer to the beginning of his ministry. This was recorded in Matthew 3 –

 

“And in those days, comes John the Baptist, proclaiming in the desolate of Judea, 2 and saying, ‘Reconsider! For it has neared – the kingdom of the heavens!’ 3 For this he is, the ‘having been spoken by Isaiah the prophet,’ saying, ‘A voice hollering in the desolate, “Prepare the Lord’s way. Make straight His paths.”’” Matthew 3:1-3

 

From that time, until the time of Jesus’ words while speaking to those present, He says that “the kingdom of the heavens, it is forced.”

 

A new verb, biazó, is seen here. It signifies to force, as in to advance forcefully. It is only found here and in Luke 16. In this verse, scholars debated whether it is in the middle or passive voice. It seems likely that it is passive.

 

One can think of the kingdom as a castle that is being forced upon by an advancing army. John’s words said, “Reconsider! For it has neared – the kingdom of the heavens!” With that, the people came and they were immersed by him in the Jordan.

 

They were, as it were, forcing their way into what was referred to. Think of a long-anticipated Hollywood movie. Without advance notice, it is sent out to all the movie theaters with a person standing outside at each and saying, “Pull out your wallets! The biggest hit movie of the century has arrived!”

 

Upon hearing that, the movie theater is forced as people clamor to get in. This is the sense of what is presented. Understanding this, Jesus next says, “and forcers, they seize it.”

 

Another new word is seen here, biastés, a forcer. It is found only here in the New Testament and is derived from the verb biazó, just used. Both words come from bios, a primary word signifying life, meaning the present state of existence.

 

One can see the etymological root of our modern-day words such as biosphere, biology, etc. In Jesus’ words of this clause, it is as if the movie theater is overwhelmed, and those who were able forced their way in. This is the sense of His words concerning the kingdom. John has “prepared the way of the Lord.” This was his honor, and it is what prompted Jesus to say, “not he has risen in ‘born of women’ greater than John the Baptist.”

 

Unlike some translations, there is nothing violent or hostile in the thought. Rather, Jesus is expressing that there is a surge of hope and anticipation as people rush to receive what John first set forth as the arrival of the kingdom.

 

Life application: The words of Jesus in this verse continue to be experienced in the hearts of people around the world to this day. Evangelist Ed Hinson once spoke of having preached in Africa. The crowd included a very large and intimidating person holding an AK-47.

 

Ed noted that this was the last person he could imagine who would be interested in what he had to say. However, he spoke of Jesus and the gospel. As he did, the man broke into tears, receiving Jesus and being added to the roles of the redeemed of heaven.

 

Instead of force against a military camp, his heart forced its way through the otherwise impregnable walls of heaven, finding access through the shed blood of Christ.

 

It is good to look back and remember the time when we heard and believed the good news. Li