Violence and the Kingdom of Heaven

The last few days I have been reflecting on the following verses  trying to understand them better.  Matthew 11:12-19 NIV:

[12] "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. [13] For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. [14] And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. [15] Whoever has ears, let them hear. 

[16] “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: [17] “ 'We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' 

[18] For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' [19] The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

These are such an interesting few verses, and I think somewhat troubling, as we don't think of the Kingdom of Heaven and violence together.  I studied the original Greek and it is talking about violence, and taking things by force.  I was letting these words bounce around a bit, and it seems to me the following is true.

1) From the time of John the Baptist, indicates the season they were in, and his primary message was one of preparation for the Messiah, and the repentance for sins.  Both of these were jarring to the senses and status quo that had developed over the last 300 years of prophetic silence.  The Jewish world would never be the same

2) Jesus came into this scene and started to perform miracles, signs and wonders, as noted in some of the previous verses, clearly demonstrating a Messianic ministry, as prophesied by Isaiah.  This too was a radical change to the status quo, their understanding of how God was working in their days. Their sense of God's ways was being completely rewritten.

3) Lastly, Jesus came to destroy the works of the evil one (1 John 3:8), and the miracles, healings, and deliverances were clearly doing that very thing.  In the spiritual realm He was violently confronting and destroying those things that stole life, liberty and freedom, and kept people shackled and chained, the very works of the enemy.  The world was completely changed!

All of these represent a radical shift in the status quo, and in the understanding of God!  It might not seem violent, but it was absolutely destroying centuries of thought and ideations.  

The other bit that was interesting in these verses was that Jesus indicated that people didn't receive Him because He didn't act the way they wanted.  One wonders how much of that is still true today?  Do we reject the things of God because we don't like the ways He does things?  We want a God that dances to our tunes, not the other way around.  They called John demonized because he was zealous for God and lived a fasted lifestyle.  They called Jesus a drunkard and glutton because He clearly both ate and drank, and hung out with sinners.  They wanted someone who followed their rules and fit into their preconceived notions of decorum and didn't push them out of their comfort.  

Finally, the idea of the Kingdom of Heaven advancing through the violence of violent men, aggressive in confronting the works of the evil one, rescuing and redeeming people from the kingdom of darkness, seems an interesting image, sometimes even at odds with the picture in our mind of a peaceful and gentle Gospel of love. However, in the spiritual realm this is exactly what is happening!  The Lord, in His love for us, has made a way through His power released by the Holy Spirit to set us free from all that binds us!  The rescue of a soul from the kingdom of darkness, from the power of sin and death is a mighty victory!  Any time we choose to embrace God's plan, to lay down our own life and daily take up our cross is a mighty victory!  Anytime someone is healed, delivered, restored, or even repentant is a great victory!  

Let us celebrate the Kingdom of Heaven advancing violently against the kingdom of darkness!  Let us embrace our God who is unlike us, and yet become one of us to set us free, to restore and heal us!  Let us proclaim this victory in our daily lives as we embrace His will, purpose and plan for our lives!  Let us love one another as He loved us!

Amen and Amen!