Sunday, April 09, 2006
Short Ministry
Matt. 11:12. "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.
Jesus continues to explain the importance of John’s ministry to the crowd. He focuses upon the relatively short period of about 18 months that John has had to accomplish his ministry. And from the days of John the Baptist until now, would be the time span that the greatest man born of a woman has had to perform his monumental task of heralding that the King and the kingdom are at hand.
Jesus following words, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force,” can be rightly interpreted in two different manners. In a negative sense it would indicate the oppressive nature inflicted by the religious leadership from the outside that would soon behead John and kill Jesus. The idea expressed negatively would be the violence displayed in a physical manner to John and Jesus’ mission.
In the positive sense we view the kingdom of heaven pressing forward in a forceful and vigorous manner. The kingdom is being formed by healed sick people, cleansed lepers, and dead people being raised to new life. The idea is that as Hendriksen says, “One cannot sleep his way into the kingdom.” Satan is well prepared to keep men from entering the kingdom of God in any manner he can.
Jesus continues to explain the importance of John’s ministry to the crowd. He focuses upon the relatively short period of about 18 months that John has had to accomplish his ministry. And from the days of John the Baptist until now, would be the time span that the greatest man born of a woman has had to perform his monumental task of heralding that the King and the kingdom are at hand.
Jesus following words, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force,” can be rightly interpreted in two different manners. In a negative sense it would indicate the oppressive nature inflicted by the religious leadership from the outside that would soon behead John and kill Jesus. The idea expressed negatively would be the violence displayed in a physical manner to John and Jesus’ mission.
In the positive sense we view the kingdom of heaven pressing forward in a forceful and vigorous manner. The kingdom is being formed by healed sick people, cleansed lepers, and dead people being raised to new life. The idea is that as Hendriksen says, “One cannot sleep his way into the kingdom.” Satan is well prepared to keep men from entering the kingdom of God in any manner he can.
# posted by Castusfumus : 6:35 PM
