βCan you explain Matthew 11:12, especially βthe violent take it by forceβ?β
βAnd from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by forceβ (Matthew 11:12).
The βviolenceβ that the Lord said the kingdom had suffered since Johnβs day was the violent resistance that the unbelieving leaders in Israel waged against the proclamation of the kingdom gospel. These violent rulers made several attempts on the Lordβs life as He preached the kingdom of heaven (Luke 4:29; John 5:18; John 7:1,19,25; 8:37,40; 10:31). As the Lord went on to explain, these violent attempts on His life were attempts to take possession of the kingdom by force.
The Lord illustrated all this with the parable of the βhouseholderβ who represented God (Matt. 21:33), βwhich planted a vineyardβ that represented Israel in the Old Testament (Matt. 21:33 cf. Isa. 5:1,2,7). God βhedgedβ or βfencedβ Israel (Matt. 21:33 cf. Isa. 5:2) with an invisible wall of protection from her enemies, but also βdigged a winepressβ which indicated He expected to reap a harvest of grapes from his vineyard to press into wine in return for His efforts. But the βservantsβ that God sent Israel to gather these fruits, the Old Testament prophets, were violently persecuted (Matt. 21:35,36). Last of all, He sent them His Son (Heb. 1:1,2), but when Israelβs leaders βsaw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill Him; and let us seize on His inheritanceβ (Matt. 21:38), His inheritance being Israel (Isa. 19:25). source
