According to Matthew 11:12, “the violent” are those who take the kingdom of heaven (or the kingdom of God) by force.
But what does that mean?
The Greek word for “the violent” in the text is biastés (Strong’s Greek 973), which means,”a forceful, violent man; one who is eager in pursuit.” Jesus Christ calls those who passionately and excitedly seek the reign, rule, presence, and power of God, “violent”.
Violence as a Good Thing
If Jesus says that those who violently pursue the kingdom of heaven obtain it, then we should all become violent! Our intense desire for more of God and for his kingdom reality to be manifest in our lives comes from deep within. God wants us to draw from that deep hunger and love for him to seek his face and his kingdom, and to do it without any limitations or obstacles in the way.
The Son of God came to make us free to worship the Father truly, and to become like God (John 1:12-13; 4:23-24; 8:36).
Having devolved into a very passive religious culture, the Jews’ zeal for God was self-righteous and performative; they honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from him (Matthew 15:18). Being declared free to pursue the presence and glory of God with unbridled passion was radical to the hearers of Jesus’ words.
But freedom for the children of God to manifest God’s glory in the earth is the reason that the kingdom is come!
We don’t have to wait or rely on the authority of others or special days and seasons to determine our level of access to God – if we want more of God, we can press spiritually to receive and perceive more.
And God rewards passionate pursuit of him and his kingdom! (Luke 12:32, Hebrews 11:6)
From the Time of John the Baptist
When Jesus explained this kingdom principle of ‘the violent’ to his disciples, he did so within the context of the ministry of John the Baptist. There are a few reasons for this:
- The kingdom of God was manifest when Jesus Christ came into the world; born only months before, John the Baptist grew into a ministry that echoed the message of the angelic host at Christ’s birth (Isaiah 9:6-7, Matthew 11:13, Luke 2:10-14).
- John the Baptist fulfilled prophecy as the one who would prepare the way for the Messiah (Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1).
- As great as John the Baptist was, his covenant positioning was not as good as that of those who would receive the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:12, Hebrews 8:6).
- John was considered a wild but powerful man, illustrating a zeal and reverence for God that was to be an example to all who would be spiritually violent (Matthew 3:1-12).
The kingdom of God has come so that God can dwell among his people, and so his people can dwell in his presence. Those who want this reality must pursue it with all their might, not expecting it to passively overtake them because of heavenly or earthly status, but because of authentic spiritual connection.
Examples of the Violent in Scripture
Now that we know violent faith is rewarded with the manifestation of the kingdom of God, we can see examples in the Gospels of “the violent” whom Jesus encountered and took note of:
The Woman with the Issue of Blood
Knowing it was against Jewish law for her to even be among the people, the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34) had made a decree within herself, by faith, knowing that if she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, which was her acknowledgment that he was the Messiah, she would be made whole. She was unclean according to the law and therefore had no right to be there, but Jesus, acting in his Sonship authority and speaking as the Father, declares her rights to healing as a Daughter of Zion to supercede any exclusionary laws.
Her faith knew it had a right, and it made her violent.
The Roman Centurion
A Gentile who was complicit in the oppression of Israel, the Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his son (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10) had no right to ask Jesus for anything, much less for healing, which was a covenant right of the Jews. Not only was his instinct that Jesus’ compassion extended beyond his own people remarkable, the Centurion’s understanding of Christ’s spiritual authority to pronounce healing over his son, even from a distance, was even beyond the faith of the Jewish people.
The Lord was actually impressed.
The Canaanite/Syrophoenician Woman
Being both the wrong race and gender, the Canaanite woman was bold to approach Jesus at all, particularly calling him the Son of David, which was a Messianic title known to the Jews, not the Gentiles (Mark 7:24-30). With no covenant right to even ask, she begs for the life of her sick child, even after Jesus initially seems to deny her. The Canaanite woman’s insistence on Jesus’ goodness and mercy in spite of her not having a covenant broke through and moved Jesus’ compassion and power.
She had a violent understanding of God’s love and desire for mercy for all people.
What This Means for Me
Taking the kingdom of heaven by force is not a simple concept to understand; it’s a spiritual concept that requires great reflection and meditation. However, it is clear that God favors the violent, and it should be our goal to become more passionate, committed, and focused on God and the manifesting the glory of God in our lives every day.
Key Study References
Matthew 8:5-13
Matthew 9:20-22
Matthew 11:11-15
Mark 5:25-34
Mark 7:24-30
Luke 12:32
1 Corinthians 4:20
Hebrews 11:6
Matthew 8:5-13
5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
Matthew 9:20-22
20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Matthew 11:11-15
11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. 15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mark 5:25-34
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
Mark 7:24-30
21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. 23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. 24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. 27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Luke 12:32
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
1 Corinthians 4:20
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
