Law Matters: The Law and Kingdom of God (5)

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been coming violently, and the violent take it by force.” Matthew 11.12 (ESV margin)

Jesus had just finished saying that He had come announcing the Kingdom in a way that would bring a sword to the earth, rather than peace. His message would divide loved ones and require that His followers be prepared to give up their lives for His sake (Matt. 10.34-49). His forerunner had been detained by the political powers-that-be, and would ultimately be executed. And Jesus certainly knew the violence that awaited Him.

But He also intended to overthrow His ultimate enemy, to clap him in eternal chains, and to plunder his holdings – the souls, lives, and cultures of the peoples of the world (Matt. 12.22-29). The Kingdom of God, He knew, would come with much opposition from the rulers of the world (Dan. 7.23-27). Receiving, embracing, and growing in the Kingdom of God is not a calling for the timid or fearful. Jesus calls His followers to seek the Kingdom as their highest priority in life and to pray earnestly for its progress on earth as in heaven (Matt. 6.33, 10). And He assures them they will make progress in and for the Kingdom only through a great struggle.

As we shall see in next week’s installment, this is primarily a spiritual struggle, but it is no less a violent one for that. We must overcome the law of sin that operates within us. We must resist spiritual powers of wickedness in high places. And we must be prepared to endure the scorn, mocking, and persecution of those who prefer the darkness of sin to the light of the Kingdom of God. The world, the flesh, and the devil hate the holy and righteous and good Law of God. Thus, as we resolve to learn, obey, and teach it, let us not be naïve; let us prepare for a violent spiritual – and even physical – struggle to force our way further into the Kingdom of God (Lk. 16.16).

Where shall we expect to encounter such violence? How do we press on through violence to greatness in the Kingdom of God?

By bending our knees and backs in service to God and men.

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