Matthew 11:12
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence, and the violent lay claim to it.
From the days of John the Baptist
This phrase marks a significant period in biblical history, highlighting the ministry of John the Baptist as a pivotal moment in the unfolding of God's redemptive plan. John is often seen as the last of the Old Testament prophets and the forerunner to Christ, bridging the old covenant with the new. His call to repentance and baptism prepared the way for Jesus, emphasizing the urgency and transformative nature of the coming kingdom. Historically, John's ministry was a time of great expectation and upheaval, as people anticipated the Messiah's arrival.

until now
This phrase indicates a continuous action or state from John's time to the present moment of Jesus' ministry. It suggests that the dynamics introduced by John's proclamation of the kingdom have persisted and intensified. The "now" refers to the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, a period marked by the fulfillment of prophetic promises and the active presence of God's kingdom through Christ's works and teachings.

the kingdom of heaven
In Matthew's Gospel, "the kingdom of heaven" is a central theme, synonymous with "the kingdom of God" in other Gospels. It represents God's sovereign rule and reign, both a present reality and a future hope. Theologically, it encompasses the transformative power of God's presence among His people, inaugurated by Jesus and awaiting consummation at His return. The kingdom challenges earthly powers and calls for a radical reorientation of life under God's authority.

has been subject to violence
The Greek word for "violence" here, "biazō," can imply forceful action or suffering. This phrase suggests that the kingdom's advance encounters opposition and conflict. Historically, this could refer to the persecution faced by John the Baptist, Jesus, and their followers. Spiritually, it reflects the struggle between God's kingdom and the forces of evil, as well as the personal cost of discipleship. The kingdom's progress is marked by both divine power and human resistance.

and the violent lay claim to it
The "violent" in this context can be understood as those who aggressively pursue the kingdom, whether through opposition or earnest seeking. The Greek term "biastēs" implies forceful individuals. This phrase can be interpreted in two ways: negatively, as those who oppose or try to seize the kingdom by force, or positively, as those who passionately strive to enter and embrace it. In a spiritual sense, it calls believers to a fervent and determined pursuit of God's kingdom, overcoming obstacles and enduring hardships for the sake of Christ.

Persons / Places / Events
1. John the Baptist
A pivotal figure in the New Testament, John the Baptist was a prophet who prepared the way for Jesus Christ. His ministry marked the beginning of a new era in God's redemptive plan.

2. The Kingdom of Heaven
This term refers to God's sovereign rule and reign, which Jesus inaugurated through His life, death, and resurrection. It is both a present reality and a future hope for believers.

3. Violence
In this context, "violence" refers to the intense opposition and forceful efforts against the advancement of God's kingdom. It can also imply the fervent and determined pursuit of the kingdom by those who earnestly seek it.

4. The Violent
This term can be understood as those who are forcefully opposed to the kingdom, as well as those who passionately and zealously pursue it, overcoming obstacles to lay hold of it.

5. Jesus Christ
The central figure of the New Testament, Jesus is the Messiah who brings the kingdom of heaven to earth. His ministry is the focal point of the conflict and advancement described in this verse.
Teaching Points
Understanding the Kingdom's Opposition
Recognize that the kingdom of heaven faces opposition both spiritually and physically. Believers should be prepared for challenges as they pursue God's kingdom.

Zealous Pursuit of the Kingdom
Embrace a fervent and determined attitude in seeking God's kingdom. This involves prioritizing spiritual growth and actively participating in God's work on earth.

Spiritual Warfare Awareness
Be aware of the spiritual battle that accompanies the advancement of God's kingdom. Equip yourself with the armor of God and remain steadfast in prayer and faith.

Perseverance in Faith
Persevere in your faith journey, understanding that the path to the kingdom may involve trials and tribulations. Trust in God's strength and guidance.

Active Participation in God's Mission
Engage actively in spreading the gospel and living out kingdom values. This involves both personal transformation and impacting the world around you.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the ministry of John the Baptist illustrate the beginning of the kingdom of heaven's advancement?

2. In what ways can believers today experience and respond to the "violence" against the kingdom of heaven?

3. How does understanding spiritual warfare help us in our pursuit of the kingdom of heaven?

4. What practical steps can you take to zealously pursue the kingdom of heaven in your daily life?

5. How can the teachings of Ephesians 6:12 and Philippians 3:12-14 encourage you in your spiritual journey and pursuit of God's kingdom?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Luke 16:16
This verse parallels Matthew 11:12, emphasizing the pressing nature of entering the kingdom of God and the urgency with which people are responding to it.

Ephesians 6:12
This passage highlights the spiritual warfare believers face, reminding us that the struggle for the kingdom is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces.

Philippians 3:12-14
Paul speaks of pressing on toward the goal, which reflects the determined pursuit of the kingdom that Matthew 11:12 alludes to.
A Struggle to Reach HeavenMatthew 11:12
A Visitation of Strong Religious DesireDean Lake.Matthew 11:12
Earliest PrayerC. H. Spurgeon.Matthew 11:12
Earnestness in ReligionS. F. Scovel.Matthew 11:12
Fighting a Way into the KingdomJohn Bunyan.Matthew 11:12
Heaven Taken by StormJ. Vaughan, M. A.Matthew 11:12
Holy ViolenceCharles Haddon Spurgeon Matthew 11:12
Need Inspires EnergyMatthew 11:12
Practical Religion Requires EnergyT. Manton.Matthew 11:12
Religious EarnestnessAnon.Matthew 11:12
Taking the Kingdom by ViolenceE. Griffin, D. D.Matthew 11:12
The Christian Must Use ForceH. Melvill, B. D.Matthew 11:12
The Kingdom of Heaven Taken by ForceNathanael Lardner.Matthew 11:12
The Kingdom of Heaven Taken by ViolenceH. Melvill, B. D.Matthew 11:12
The Most Religious, the Most EnergeticMatthew 11:12
Violent Entrance into the KingdomR. Tuck Matthew 11:12
The Forearming Against a Foreseen UnbeliefP.C. Barker Matthew 11:2-30
The Greatest of the ProphetsJ.A. Macdonald Matthew 11:7-15
John and Jesus: Children in the Market-PlaceMarcus Dods Matthew 11:7-19
People
Elias, Elijah, Jesus, John
Places
Bethsaida, Capernaum, Chorazin, Galilee, Sidon, Sodom, Tyre
Topics
Advancing, Assault, Baptist, Baptizer, Force, Forceful, Forcefully, Forcing, Heaven, Heavens, Hold, John, Kingdom, Lay, Reign, Seize, Seizing, Suffer, Suffered, Suffereth, Suffering, Suffers, Till, Violence, Violent
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Matthew 11:12

     2376   kingdom of God, coming
     5369   kingship, divine
     5714   men

Matthew 11:10-14

     5098   John the Baptist

Matthew 11:11-18

     5098   John the Baptist

Library
The Friend of Publicans and Sinners
'The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children,'--MATT. xi. 19. Jesus very seldom took notice of His enemies' slanders. 'When He was reviled He reviled not again.' If ever He did, it was for the sake of those whom it harmed to distort His beauty. Thus, here He speaks, without the slightest trace of irritation, of the capricious inconsistency of condemning Himself and John
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Sodom, Capernaum, Manchester
'Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not.' --MATT. xi. 20. These words, and the woes which they introduce, are found in another connection in Luke's Gospel. He attaches them to his report of the mission of the seventy disciples. Matthew here introduces them in an order which seems not to depend upon time, but upon identity of subject. It is his method in his Gospel to group together similar events, as we have it exemplified, for instance,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ's Strange Thanksgiving
'I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.' --MATT. xi. 25. When Jesus was about to cure one dumb man, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and sighed. Sorrow filled His soul in the act of working deliverance. The thought of the depth of the miseries He had come to heal, and of the ocean of them which He was then diminishing but by one poor drop, saddened Him. When Jesus thought of the woes that had
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

John's Doubts of Jesus, and Jesus' Praise of John
'Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3. And said unto Him, Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another? 4. Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me. 7.
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Rest Giver
'Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.'--MATT. xi. 28, 29. One does not know whether tenderness or majesty is predominant in these wonderful words. A divine penetration into man's true condition, and a divine pity, are expressed in them. Jesus looks with clearsighted compassion into the inmost history of all hearts, and sees the toil and the
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Rest for the Weary
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. W hich shall we admire most -- the majesty, or the grace, conspicuous in this invitation? How soon would the greatest earthly monarch be impoverished, and his treasures utterly exhausted, if all, that are poor and miserable, had encouragement to apply freely to him, with a promise of relief, fully answerable to their wants and wishes! But the riches of Christ are unsearchable and inexhaustible. If millions and millions
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Messiah's Easy Yoke
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. T hough the influence of education and example, may dispose us to acknowledge the Gospel to be a revelation from God; it can only be rightly understood, or duly prized, by those persons who feel themselves in the circumstances of distress, which it is designed to relieve. No Israelite would think of fleeing to a city of refuge (Joshua 20:2.
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

The Yoke of Christ.
"Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls; for My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."--Matt. xi. 29, 30. These words, which are brought before us in the Gospel of to-day's festival[1], are also found in the address made to us upon Ash Wednesday, in which we are told that if we "return unto Him who is the merciful Receiver of all true penitent sinners, if we will take His easy yoke and light burden upon us, to follow Him
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xi. 2, "Now when John Heard in the Prison the Works of the Christ, He Sent by his Disciples,
1. The lesson of the Holy Gospel has set before us a question touching John the Baptist. May the Lord assist me to resolve it to you, as He hath resolved it to us. John was commended, as ye have heard, by the testimony of Christ, and in such terms commended, as that there had not risen a greater among those who were born of women. But a greater than he had been born of a Virgin. How much greater? Let the herald himself declare, how great the difference is between himself and his Judge, whose herald
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xi. 25, "I Thank Thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, that Thou Didst Hide These Things From
1. When the Holy Gospel was being read, we heard that the Lord Jesus exulted in Spirit, and said, "I confess to Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." [2252] Thus much to begin [2253] with, we find before we pass on further, if we consider the words of the Lord with due attention, with diligence, and above all with piety, that we ought not invariably to understand when we read of "confession" in
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

Again on the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xi. 25, "I Thank Thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth," Etc.
1. We have heard the Son of God saying, "I confess to Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth." What doth he confess to Him? Wherein doth he praise Him? "Because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." [2288] Who are the "wise and prudent"? Who the "babes"? What hath He hid from the wise and prudent, and revealed unto babes? By the "wise and prudent," He signifieth those of whom St. Paul speaks; "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

Again on the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xi. 28, "Come unto Me, all Ye that Labour and are Heavy Laden, and I Will Give You
1. It seems strange to some, Brethren, when they hear the Lord say, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." [2323] And they consider that they who have fearlessly bowed their necks to this yoke, and have with much submission taken this burden upon their shoulders, are tossed about and exercised by so great
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

The Sinner's Friend
"Savior of sinners they proclaim, Sinners of whom the chief I am." What the invidious Jews said in bitter spleen, has been turned by the Holy Spirit to the most gracious account. Where they poured out vials of hate, odours of sacred incense arise. Troubled consciences have found a sweet balm in the very sound. Jesus, "the friend of publicans and sinners," has proved himself friendly to them, and they have become friends with him; so completely has he justified the very name which his enemies gave
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 10: 1864

Rest, Rest
We will, this morning, if we can, conduct you into the inner chambers of out text, place its words under the microscope, and peer into the recesses of each sentence. We only wish our microscope were of a greater magnifying power, and our ability to expound the text more complete; for there are mines of instruction here. Superficially read, this royal promise has cheered and encouraged tens of thousands, but there is a wealth in it which the diligent digger and miner shall alone discover. Its shallows
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Holy violence
"But," says one, "do you wish us to understand, that if a man is to be saved he must use violence and vehement earnestness in order to obtain salvation?" I do, most assuredly; that is the doctrine of the text. "But," says one, "I thought it was all the work of God." So it is, from first to last. But when God has begun the work in the soul, the constant effect of God's work in us is to set us working; and where God's Spirit is really striving with us, we shall begin to strive too. This is just a test
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

The Meek and Lowly One
I. First, then, I am to consider THE FIRST QUALITY WHICH JESUS CHRIST CLAIMS. He declares that he is "MEEK." Christ is no egotist; he takes no praise to himself. If ever he utters a word in self-commendation, it is not with that object; it is with another design, namely that he may entice souls to come to him. Here, in order to exhibit this meekness, I shall have to speak of him in several ways. 1. First, Christ is meek, as opposed to the ferocity of spirit manifested by zealots and bigots. Take,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

Powerful Persuasives
I HAVE preached to you, dear friends, several times from the words, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." There is such sweetness in the precept, such solace in the promise, that I could fain hope to preach from it many times more. But I have no intention just now to repeat what I have said in any former discourse, or to follow the same vein of thought that we have previously explored. This kindly and gracious invitation needs only to be held up in different
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 62: 1916

Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
(From the Gospel for St. Matthias'-day, 24th February) Of the proper marks of true humility. Matt. xi. 29.--"Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." CHRIST, our blessed Lord, the true master and teacher of all art and virtue, and a pattern of all perfection, when He came down from Heaven to instruct us poor ignorant men, did not see fit to make use of great subtleties, or mysterious and ingenious statements of truth; but in short, plain, simple words He delivered to us a maxim, and gave us
Susannah Winkworth—The History and Life of the Reverend Doctor John Tauler

Sermon for the Third Sunday in Advent
(From the Gospel for the day) How that we must wholly come out from ourselves, that we may go into the wilderness and behold God. Matt. xi. 7.--"What went ye out into the wilderness for to see?" OUR Lord Jesus Christ said unto the Jews, "What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?" In these words let us consider three things: First, the going out; secondly, the wilderness; thirdly, what we are to see there. First, let us consider the going out. This blessed going
Susannah Winkworth—The History and Life of the Reverend Doctor John Tauler

Sixth Day. Thankfulness.
"I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth."--Matt. xi. 25. A thankful spirit pervaded the entire life of Jesus, and surrounded with a heavenly halo His otherwise darkened path. In moments we least expect to find it, this beauteous ray breaks through the gloom. In instituting the memorial of His death, He "gave thanks!" Even in crossing the Kedron to Gethsemane, "He sang an hymn!" We know in seasons of deep sorrow and trial that every thing wears a gloomy aspect. Dumb Nature herself to
John R. Macduff—The Mind of Jesus

Fifth Day. Meekness.
"I am meek and lowly in heart."--Matt. xi. 29. There is often a beautiful blending of majesty and humility, magnanimity and lowliness, in great minds. The mightiest and holiest of all Beings that ever trod our world was the meekest of all. The Ancient of Days was as the "infant of days." He who had listened to nothing but angel-melodies from all eternity, found, while on earth, melody in the lispings of an infant's voice, or in an outcast's tears! No wonder an innocent lamb was His emblem, or
John R. Macduff—The Mind of Jesus

"I Will Give You Rest. "
A COMMUNION ADDRESS AT MENTONE. "I will give you rest."--Matthew xi. 28. "I WILL GIVE YOU REST." WE have a thousand times considered these words as an encouragement to the labouring and the laden; and we may, therefore, have failed to read them as a promise to ourselves. But, beloved friends, we have come to Jesus, and therefore He stands engaged to fufil this priceless pledge to us. We may now enjoy the promise; for we have obeyed the precept. The faithful and true Witness, whose word is truth,
Charles Hadden Spurgeon—Till He Come

A Devout Exhortation to the Holy Communion the Voice of Christ
Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you,(1) saith the Lord. The bread that I will give is My flesh which I give for the life of the world.(2) Take, eat: this is My Body, which is given for you; this do in remembrance of Me.(3) He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood dwelleth in Me and I in him. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.(4) (1) Matthew xi. 28 (2) John vi. 51. (3) Matthew xxi. 26; Luke xxii. 19. (4) John vi.
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

The Baptist's Inquiry and Jesus' Discourse Suggested Thereby.
(Galilee.) ^A Matt. XI. 2-30; ^C Luke VII. 18-35. ^c 18 And the disciples of John told him of all these things. ^a 2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent by his disciples ^c 19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them unto the Lord [John had been cast into prison about December, a.d. 27, and it was now after the Passover, possibly in May or June, a.d. 28. Herod Antipas had cast John into prison because John had reproved him for taking his brother's wife.
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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