John the Baptist and the Kingdom of Heaven

Following on from Jesus’ response to the disciples of John the Baptist, Matthew records Jesus’ defense of John. The thrust of vv7-15 is that John prophesied and prepared according to the light he was given—and he did that well—but those who saw and heard the Lord Jesus were given greater light—and greater responsibility to heed his words and follow him where he leads. These verses unfold in two parts.

In vv7-10, Jesus affirms that John is no weak-willed dandy who has suddenly come to a crisis because he was thrown in prison. No, just as the crowds knew, John was a mighty prophet, set apart by the fact that his own ministry was prophesied, as evidenced by Jesus’ citation of Mal 3:1 (v10).[1] But, for as great a man and messenger of God as John was, he could only prophesy according to the light given him. He stood at a particular point in redemptive history, namely as the last Old Testament prophet, on the threshold of the kingdom of heaven but not within its walls, as it were.[2] That is why Jesus says that the least in the kingdom of  heaven is greater than John, for the light that shines in the ministry of Jesus brings a clarity to God’s words and works that John could not perceive (v11).

With this indication of the greater light that has come with the kingdom, Jesus further explains John’s difficulty with the mode of the kingdom’s inbreaking by appealing to the effect of the collision of the kingdom of light with the domain of darkness in vv12-15. Verse 12 is somewhat difficult to interpret, but D.A. Carson offers three factors for consideration.[3] 

First, “from the days of John the Baptist” should be understood as an inexact overlap with the inauguration of the kingdom of heaven, i.e. a significant redemptive-historical change, rather than an attribution of its inauguration by John himself. The point of reference is John because these words are spoken in the context of a defense of the Baptist’s commitment and conviction.

Second, Jesus says that the kingdom has been forcefully pushing through, and not that it has been suffering violence. Carson appeals to Jesus’ miracles as proof of the kingdom’s forceful entry into this present evil age, and Jesus suggests as much in Matthew 12 when he speaks of exorcism by the power of the Holy Spirit as proof of the arrival of the kingdom of God and simultaneously the binding of the strong man, i.e. Satan (cf. Matt 12:25-29).

Third, while the use of the cognate noun at the end of Matt 11:12, rendered as “the violent” in the ESV, may appear to contradict the prior point, given that the noun is laden with negative connotations, Carson resolves the attention by appealing to a figure of speech called antanaclasis, in which the same or related word is used with differing nuance.

It is, then, a play on words or a play on the concept of forcefulness seen from two angles. From the perspective of the inbreaking of the kingdom of heaven, it has to slog its way through resistance. From the perspective of those who oppose the kingdom, they have to forcefully resist its advance. Once again, Matthew 12 is a vivid illustration of this play on the concept. Jesus casts out a demon as demonstration of the arrival of the kingdom of heaven, but he is immediately opposed by the religious authorities. Moreover, the parable of the sower nods in this direction as Jesus describes how the word sown on the path is eaten by the birds, i.e. snatched away by the evil one. So it is that the kingdom advances forcefully even as it is violently opposed by some.

Thus, Jesus acknowledges that the coming of the kingdom has not been what John expected, but it is nevertheless the reality for which John hoped and prepared (vv13-14). Therefore, along with John, the crowds also must believe that Jesus is the Christ, and they must do so because Jesus’ ministry accords with the revelation of God (v15). In a nutshell, these verses support the idea that engagement with God’s words and works will strengthen our belief that Jesus is the Christ.

[1] Herman N. Ridderbos, Het Evangelie Naar Mattheus, 2nd ed., Korte Verklaring Der Heilige Schrift (J. H. Kok, 1952), 216–17.

[2] Ridderbos, Mattheus, 217.

[3] The following is a summary of Carson’s comments in D. A. Carson, Matthew, Rev., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland (Zondervan, 2010); See also J. H. Bavinck, Geschiedenis der Godsopenbaring: Handboek voor de Kennis van de Bijbelsche Geschiedenis (J. H. Kok, 1938), 2:192; Ridderbos, Mattheus, 218–19.