Holy Boldness

Kingdom into the situation in Israel was so dramatic that a person’s entire spiritual status shifted based on their acceptance or rejection of the new. Indeed, even the least significant person in the Kingdom is greater than the most important in the old order due to the greater access to the grace of God. The phrase translated “ has suffered violence ” (which is passive) quoted above could have been translated “is forcefully advancing” (active voice). It could be translated in either a passive voice or an active voice. Therefore, in light of the context, I prefer the active voice translation because it better explains Jesus’ comparison between His ministry and that of John’s. In light of this understanding, the first statement could and should be translated “ Since the days of John the Baptist up until now the kingdom of heaven is forcefully advancing… ”. This means that there has been a shift since John with the coming of Jesus and that the kingdom of heaven has invaded the present situation and is forcefully making an impact. The second phrase, “ the violent take it by force ” can be interpreted either positively or negatively as well. It might mean that people who do not like the kingdom’s influence will do all they can to hinder it. This certainly became true as time went on and Jesus grew nearer to the end of His journey. There were many and various assaults upon the Kingdom of God beginning with the imprisonment of John, intensifying attacks by the Jewish leaders upon Jesus and His message, as well as misguided expectations of the people who were looking for a political messiah. But it also could mean that the hungry, the desperate, the poor recognized the opportunity the Kingdom’s presence made available and these violent men (the desperately hungry) seized the situation and did everything in their power to participate in it. Both interpretations make sense in light of the situation Jesus was discussing. The kingdom was suffering violent resistance, nevertheless, people who recognized the presence of the Kingdom were breaking with tradition and jumping into the movement created by Jesus’ presence.

Moving on with the Move of the Spirit

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing

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