Pastor John,
I like your translation of Matthew 11:12, especially the “being earnestly sought” – which is the 3rd definition for biazo. (The transliteration of the word found in the Greek text.)
Is this verse basically saying that for many, the kingdom of heaven is being sought by some other means than what God has ordained (such as seeking the kingdom of heaven “forcibly” by the will of the flesh, or the use of ceremonies, etc.)?
Your Translation:
“12. The kingdom of heaven is being earnestly sought, from the days of John the Baptizer until now, and the forceful are seizing upon it.”
Vince
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Hi Vince,
Matthew 11:12 is an extraordinarily difficult verse to understand and translate. I came to my translation partly based on the fact that John the Baptizer was not in the kingdom of God, even though he was the first to declare the kingdom of God to be “at hand”, or near. We know that John was not in the kingdom of God because nobody but Jesus was. The holy Ghost was not yet given (Jn. 7:39; Rom. 14:17); therefore, John could only proclaim its nearness.
So, when Jesus said these words in Matthew 11:12, it seems unlikely that he was saying what the King James and other translations have: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” That translation might be seen as suggesting that John was in the kingdom of God with Jesus, and so, their cruel maltreatment by men meant the kingdom of God was suffering violence. On the other hand, although John was not in the kingdom of God, I do see how that Jesus could say the kingdom was “suffering violence” if those proclaiming it (John and Jesus) were mistreated. But consider the alternative:
If the gospel that John and Jesus preached had stirred up people to seek the kingdom of God as never before, and if some of those people were zealously (“forcefully”) pursuing it as never before, then Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:12 can be translated as we did. People were certainly stirred up as never before, and there was great spiritual warfare going on. So, I opted to translate that verse as reflecting that reality.
Of course, I remain open to a different way of looking at this verse. As I said, it is one of the most difficult verses in the Bible to understand and translate. But there is my reason for the translation we ended up with.
Thank you for asking about it.
Pastor John