But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet

 

 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:

'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

Who will prepare Your way before You.'

"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

- Matthew 11:7-15 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples (preparing them and sending them off to their first apostolic mission), that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  

 

 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to se?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, / Who will prepare Your way before You.'"   In today's reading, the words of Jesus regarding John the Baptist echoes themes found in many of the prophets (notably Isaiah), but in particular the prophesy of Malachi, and the special messenger who would prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah.  See Malachi 3:1.  Jesus declares here that John is a prophet, and more than a prophet.  

 

 "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."  John the Baptist is the greatest of all the Old Testament type prophets.  But as this messenger of the coming of the Messiah, he forms a kind of bridge between the Old and New Covenants.  My study Bible comments that the New Covenant is of such incomparable value that those who share in the New Covenant are greater than John was without it.  This does not imply that John will not be resurrected to the kingdom of heaven, but only that his life on earth came before something far superior.

 

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."  My study Bible indicates that there are several interpretations which have been given to the idea that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence.  Some say that it refers to the Jewish opposition to the gospel.  But others have interpreted this to mean that it refers to the Kingdom breaking into the world "violently," that is, with tremendous power and force.  Yet others have commented that the kingdom of heaven refers to Christ Himself, who has been incarnate since the days of John the Baptist, and who will suffer the violence of the Cross.  According to St. John Chrysostom, the violent who take the Kingdom by force are those who have such earnest desire for Christ that they let nothing stand between themselves and faith in Him.  

 

"For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  My study Bible remarks that John does not ascribe to himself the role of Elijah (John 1:21), but Jesus does here.  This is the fulfillment of the prophesy of Malachi, in which it was predicted that Elijah would return prior to the coming of the Messiah (see Malachi 4:5-6).  John fulfilled the mission of Elijah (Luke 1:17, 76) and his destiny was similar.  Yet John is honored over Elijah, my study Bible comments, because John prepared the way for the advent of Christ Himself.  

 

Here Jesus reveals that John the Baptist is the one returned "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), not only ostensibly telling these crowds about John the Baptist, and indeed praising John in the highest of terms, but also indicating that Jesus Himself is the Messiah in so doing.  Because the prophecy of Malachi is fulfilled in John the Baptist in this way, it's clear meaning is the John is the one sent before the Messiah, to prepare His way.   Jesus begins His strong defense of John the Baptist, by saying, "What did you go out into the wilderness to se?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet."  Jesus' vigorous defense of John shows both a fiercely protective and totally loyal perspective, giving us great hints about Jesus' character, and perhaps with these characteristics expressed both His human persona as well as qualities of His divine Person.  It teaches us by example of the powerful goodness in such qualities, which by definition we should seek as well to emulate.  There are other contexts in which we see both a strong protectiveness and deep loyalty as His first impulse, such as when He rushes in to defend His disciples during a dispute (see Mark 9:14-16).  Jesus asks the crowds what they expected of John, clearly referring to his clothing, for as we know John's dedication to God was so thorough that he expressed this by living a radical poverty, living in the wilderness, and relying on God completely.   St. Matthew writes, "Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey" (Matthew 3:4).  This clothing echoes the dress of Elijah, another way of expressing the fulfillment of the prophecy in Micah that Elijah would return.  Jesus compares the "rough" John to those in more sophisticated and socially prominent environments, wearing soft clothing and living in kings' houses.  But this is not the stuff of which a prophet -- and this more than a prophet -- is made.  Ironically, however, John is indeed in a king's house, but he is imprisoned by Herod, and there he will be martyred (Matthew 14:1-12), dying a heroic and saintly death for his incredibly courageous work as a prophet of the truth of God.  Jesus' defense of John against the criticism of the people will continue in our following reading, in which He will rebuke the criticism that called John too rough and ascetic, while complaining that Jesus associates too often with the sinners of public life.  Let us understand His loyalty and love, and endeavor to see as He sees, and be the friend of all the good that He is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You

 

 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:

'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

Who will prepare Your way before You.'

"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" 

 

- Matthew 11:7-15 

 

 Yesterday we read that, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."   

 

 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, / Who will prepare Your way before You.'  Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."  Here Jesus quotes from the prophesy of Malachi (Malachi 3:1), to affirm the true identity of John the Baptist in the spiritual story of salvation.  Let us note how Jesus defends John from all of the common assumptions about what makes a person "spiritual" or lofty in some sense.  He comments astutely regarding people's expectations when He explains that those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what do we expect of prophets?  John is a prophet and more than a prophet.  My study Bible comments that, in terms of the Old Testament Law, John the Baptist is the greatest prophet.  As Jesus indicates here, John is both the greatest and the final prophet of that Old Testament lineage.  But, as my study Bible notes, the New Covenant is of such incomparable value that those who share in the New Covenant are greater than John was without it. 

 

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."  There have been several interpretations regarding Jesus' statement here that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence.  My study Bible says that some suggest it refers to the Jewish opposition to the gospel.  Others have said that it refers to the Kingdom breaking into the world "violently," that is, with great power and force.  Yet others have indicated that the Kingdom of heaven refers to Christ Himself, who has been incarnate since the days of John the Baptist, and who will suffer the violence of the Cross.   According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible adds, the violent who take the Kingdom by force are those who have such earnest desire for Christ that they let nothing stand between themselves and faith in Him.  

 

"For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  My study Bible points out that it is not John who ascribes to himself this role of Elijah (John 1:21), but Jesus does.  As Christ has quoted from the prophesy of Malachi above, so this is an indication that in John the prophesy of Malachi is fulfilled, that Elijah would return before the coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5-6).  John fulfilled the mission of Elijah (Luke 1:17, 76) and his destiny was similar.  But, my study Bible adds, John is honored over Elijah because John prepared the way for the advent of Christ Himself.  "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  is a common refrain Jesus repeats from the language of the prophets (see, for example, Jeremiah 5:21), to appeal to those with the capacity for spiritual "hearing" and understanding.

 Jesus says about John the Baptist, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses."  Well, John is in a king's house, indeed, but in the king's prison, and will die at the hands of the king and his corrupt court.  This is the life of the prophet and martyr John the Baptist, the one who is called "Forerunner" in the tradition of the ancient Church.  Jesus seems to be pointing out to this crowd of people who, long before the modern age of advertising and the internet, seem to be concerned that John was neither elegant nor very impressive in terms of his status in the society and his appearance.  Indeed, we know his appearance reflected his life lived outside of cities, utterly devoted to and dependent upon God.  The description of John makes it clear:  "Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey" (Matthew 3:4).  This description is also an image of Elijah the prophet (2 Kings 1:8), further affirming that John was Elijah returned in spirit (Matthew 17:12-13).  We know that both Elijah and John lived for much of the time in the wilderness, and this would in turn inspire the monastic movement of the Church in its earliest stages, particularly of those we term the Desert Fathers and Mothers.  But the kind of radical humility lived by John the Baptist teaches us something very important and relevant today, as Christ's words about those who wear soft clothing indicates.  We seem to judge by appearance more than ever, and the age of social media has magnified this far beyond the proportions of the past.  We're presented with impossible images to aspire to and to consider the most desirable, even when they are created through technological programs rather than reflecting true images of human beings.  This is antithetical to the ministry of John the Baptist, and to Christ's strenuous defense of him in today's reading.  In fact, one might suggest to those who are struggling with issues of fitting in and image (such as body image) that John the Baptist would make an appropriate saint to whom to pray.  Today his radical poverty might frighten us, but it is indeed that which strips away all falseness, and asks for reliance upon God for the ultimate truth of who we need to be and what we need to do in our lives.  John is proclaimed by Christ to be the greatest among those born of women, a prophet and more than a prophet, and we should pay attention to what that teaches us today.  We are fed fantasies and images of what success must look like that drive some to despair and some to desperate actions, and we need the spiritual antidote to that kind of falsehood which does not rest in true values of identity and meaning.  John the Baptist continues to fill that role, dedicated to the greatest meaning ever manifest -- the Messiah Incarnate as human being.  Let us remember John the Baptist as an image of Christ's praise of greatness, who fulfilled his mission with the fullest success.  Don't let mere appearances fool or guide you in terms of the fullness of meaning and choices in one's life, nor of whom we will regard -- or even revere -- with respect.  John was the messenger sent before the face of the Lord, Christ, to prepare Christ's way.  In this role, his place with Christ the Bridegroom, John finds the greatest status in the Church. 

But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet

 

 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:

    'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

    Who will prepare Your way before You.'

"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

- Matthew 11:7-15 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been preparing the Twelve for their first apostolic mission (starting with Monday's reading).  Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."   

 

 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'"  Jesus is quoting from the prophesy of Malachi (Malachi 3:1).  It is to the prophesy of Malachi Jesus will also refer when He speaks of Elijah returned a little further along in today's reading.  Here Jesus seems to chastise the people for their expectations of John.  He was not an elegant or elite reed shaken by the wind, nor a man clothed in soft garments. Neither was he one who dwelt kings' houses but rather one who was shut up in a king's prison, as many of the prophets were before him.  

 

"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."  My study Bible comments here that in terms of the Old Testament Law, John the Baptist is in fact the greatest prophet of them all.  The New Covenant is of such incomparable value, however, that those who share in the New Covenant are greater than John was without it.  

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."  My study Bible claims that several interpretations have been given to the idea that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence.  It notes that some say that it refers to the Jewish opposition to the gospel. Still others have said it refers to the Kingdom breaking into the world "violently."  In other words, with great power and force.  Still others have said that the Kingdom of heaven refers to Christ Himself, who has been incarnate since the days of John the Baptist, and who will yet suffer the violence of the Cross.  My study Bible also cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that the violent who take the Kingdom by force are those with such an earnest desire for Christ that they let nothing stand between themselves and faith in Him.  

"For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"   The prophesy of Elijah's return before Christ is found in Malachi 4:5-6.  My study Bible comments that John does not ascribe to himself the role of Elijah (John 1:21), but Jesus does.  It notes that John fulfilled the mission of Elijah (Luke 1:17, 76) and his destiny was similar.  But John is honored over Elijah because John prepared the way for the advent of Christ Himself.  

At this time John the Baptist remains imprisoned by Herod Antipas, the "king" or tetrarch of Galilee.  The Gospel will tell us of his violent end in Matthew's 14th chapter.  But Jesus here seems to be chiding the people for what might be a negative opinion of John resulting from his imprisonment.  While John was widely revered as a holy man during his ministry, we know that he was far from being a slender "reed shaken by the wind" or one who wore "soft clothing."  John was known as one so totally dedicated to serving God that he cared for nothing of a worldly type of life.  His was a type of radical poverty in devotion to God's purposes alone.  In chapter 3 Matthew tells us that John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:4).  John himself would become the model for the early monastic life, those who went out into the desert for spiritual battle of the type we read of in Christ's forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).   John's preaching and baptism took place also outside the cities, possibly at "Bethany beyond the Jordan" (John 1:28; see this UNESCO site).   When Jesus compares John to the ones who live in kings' houses, and asks the people what they went out to see, he seems to be addressing criticisms of John which would perhaps be expected within the context of the criticism we know Christ also experienced for His ministry.  Indeed, in our following reading, He will go on to compare both His and John's critics to those playing a children's game.  Possibly we might say these criticisms, like so much of what we will encounter in the Gospels, come from the religious leadership who now criticize John for his rigorous asceticism and rough life, and at the same time criticize Jesus for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners (which will also be addressed by Jesus in the reading the follows, on Monday).  We might well ask ourselves the same.  What do we expect followers of Christ to be like?  How would we expect to find those who love Jesus?  Would they be simple people or elegant?  Complex and intellectual, or possibly those who work with their hands?  Of course we cannot prophesy what those people look like or will be like who love Christ, for that is a matter of the heart which is devoted to God, and those spiritual "ears to hear" that Jesus calls upon in us.  In truth, God chooses the vessels God uses, and so often in the Bible those are the least expected, defying common assumptions and judgments; for only God can judge the heart.   Both John and Jesus refer to spiritual fruits in their preaching, and it is only this that teaches us about the grace at work in people.  Perhaps the Gospels teach us, however, that sometimes we need spiritual eyes and ears even to perceive those fruits as well.

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force

 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:

'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before you.'

"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

- Matthew 11:7-15

Yesterday we read that when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples (before their first apostolic mission), He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of is disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  

As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses."  John's disciples have just come to Christ, asking Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  This question has come from John, who is imprisoned in Herod's castle.  A natural reaction to those familiar with the Gospel so far would be to question whether or not John had perhaps changed his mind.  After all, it was John who recognized Jesus as the Christ when Jesus was baptized, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  (See this reading.)  But Jesus' ministry is not what was expected of the Messiah.  He hasn't publicly declared Himself.  He will cultivate a kind of faith that responds with the heart, and so His response to John was to quote from the prophet Isaiah, and the signs of the time of the coming of the Messiah, which are manifest in Jesus' ministry (see yesterday's reading, above).   Here, Jesus seems to address the crowds and this natural questioning of John's possible change of heart because of the question of John's disciples.  John has not changed his mind at all, but wishes his disciples to be given direction to Christ.  Jesus demands of this crowd to consider what they went out into the wilderness to see when they went to John.  A reed shaken by the wind is a description found in 3 Maccabees of Ptolemy Philopator, a king of Egypt, as he was smitten by the judgment of God for his persecution of the Jews.  Jesus asks them if they thought John was one who would bend with the wind, a person clothed in soft garments and therefore not used to struggle and difficulty.  Jesus says ironically, of John who is imprisoned in a king's house (the palace of Herod Antipas), "Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses."  He is challenging the crowd to know John and to understand him, and He goes on to praise John and establish his place in the story of salvation.

"But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before you.'  Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."  Jesus affirms that John is a prophet in the lineage of the Old Testament, but he is also even more than a prophet.  He is the forerunner, the messenger who goes before the Christ, fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi.  In the tradition of the Church, these words extend even after death, as John goes before Christ into Hades, to prepare all who have come before.  Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.  He is, as the greatest prophet, the fulfillment of all righteousness of the Law.  But there is something much greater that is now at hand, and within the ministry of Christ -- and that is the presence of the kingdom of heaven.  My study bible says that the New Covenant is of such incomparable value that those who share in it are greater than John was without it. 

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John."  My study bible notes that there have been several interpretations given of this passage.  What does it mean that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and that the violent take it by force?  Some have said that this refers to the Jewish opposition to the gospel.  Others say that it refers to the Kingdom breaking into the world "violently," that is, with great power and force.  Still others have said that the Kingdom of heaven refers to Christ Himself, who has been incarnate since the days of John the Baptist, and who will suffer violence on the Cross.  But St. John Chrysostom writes that the violent who take the Kingdom by force are those who have such earnest desire for Christ that they let nothing stand between themselves and faith in Him.  Jesus seems to imply this when He says that "for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John."   The time of prophecy of the Kingdom has ended with John, the prophet to end all prophets.  At this time the Kingdom is present, manifest, and those who wish to enter in seize it with all their might.   This word for violence in the Greek is used only twice in the New Testament, and both times in a positive sense.

"And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  John does not ascribe to himself the role of Elijah (John 1:21), but Jesus does, my study bible tells us.  John fulfilled the mission of Elijah (Luke 1:17, 76), and his destiny was similar.  (Malachi prophesied that Elijah would return before the Messiah and the coming of the Kingdom; see Malachi 4:5-6.)  Jesus uses the words of the prophets to indicate to the crowd that they need spiritual ears to understand the fulfillment of this prophecy in John. 

It's interesting to see this aspect of Jesus' persona:  strong and vigorous, and vigorously defending John to the crowds.  He appeals to their understanding of John's character, asking them what they went out to see when they all flocked to John in the wilderness (see Matthew 3:4-12).   We hear Jesus in a strong and bold key, claiming something powerful for John, and yet also proclaiming the boldness of those who now enter the Kingdom, with violence and force.  Jesus uses a voice of irony, nearly sarcasm, when He asks them if they went out to see a reed shaken by the wind, or one clothed in soft garments -- and declares that indeed, those who are clothed in soft garments are in king's houses.  It's also a testimony about the rulers of Israel, who seem to blow with every wind, and appease only worldly power.  We hear a Jesus who is neither soft nor a reed blown any way the wind blows.  This is the voice of vigorous defense and clear debate, a voice of bold proclamation and courage in the face of the oppression that has begun by the state and the powers that be, in the face of the imprisonment and soon-to-be death of John the Baptist.  This is Jesus who fully manifests all aspects of what it means to be human, and to use all His human capacity for exhortation and encouragement and a positive force.  He does not come into His Kingdom with an army for physical battle.  He does not call upon God the Father to send Him thousands of angels to force His Kingdom on the world.  But in His mission He also does not shrink from telling the truth, from the boldness of declaring what is what, of colorfully challenging complacency and lack of faith.  This is also the Jesus we're asked to imitate and to remember:  one who praises a positive kind of assertiveness, and the zeal for the Kingdom, the earnest and deep desire that sees and seizes the time when the "kingdom of heaven is at hand."   Spiritual understanding is a real and powerful force; it is not "ethereal."  It is not the stuff of fantasy or dreams.  Its truth is something that shatters every other power, that overturns all human or worldly plans, that permeates all things.  It is the strength and vigor of this reality that Jesus brings and challenges the world to hear, if we have ears to hear, if we can find a way to know and understand this reality He brings, His Kingdom.

The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force

 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:

'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before you.'

"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

- Matthew 11:7-15

In yesterday's reading Jesus had just finished commanding His twelve apostles as they set out on their first mission (see readings beginning with I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves). He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:   'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,  Who will prepare Your way before you.'"  As John's disciples depart, Jesus praises John.  Perhaps Jesus is addressing His own followers, many of whom began as followers of John.   It's a kind of chastisement of those followers, for perhaps considering John's question to Jesus in yesterday's reading ("Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?") a sign that John is vague or uncertain.  On the contrary, Jesus is challenging in His own response.  Would they have gone out to the wilderness to see "a reed shaken by the wind"?  Someone who changes with every passing breeze?  Did they go out to the wilderness where John baptized, living an extremely ascetic life of poverty and dressed in animals skins,  to find a man clothed in soft garments?  No, those are found in kings' houses (John is locked up in a king's prison).  Rather they must look to the great prophets -- hardly known as "soft!" -- of whom John is not only the greatest, but more than a prophet.  He is the one chosen to be the messenger sent before the Messiah, preparing the way.  His disciples must never forget this about John, whom Jesus casts in a heroic and courageous light.  Jesus quotes from the prophecy of Malachi 3:1.

"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."  Jesus stresses the transition that is happening.  This is what we understand as the movement from Old Covenant to New, just as the Apostles have sent out to preach, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."  John is the greatest under the Old Covenant, but a far greater gift than the old is the new.

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."  There are various traditional interpretations of this saying.  One is that this is a positive suggestion of violence or aggression.  Those who wish to come into this kingdom are seizing it (another aspect of the language used).   My study bible suggests an interpretation is that it is the Kingdom itself that is breaking in upon the world, with a kind of explosive power and force, not awaiting an invitation.  Some say this refers to Christ who is Himself the Kingdom and will suffer violence.  My study bible cites the interpretation of John Chrysostom,  in which the "violent" who take the Kingdom by force are those who have such earnest desire for Christ they let nothing stand between themselves and the opportunity that faith in Him bestows.  To take by force is to seize.

"For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Elijah was said to return before the coming of the Messiah.  In this way, John is "more than a prophet" -- he is also the return of a prophet, foretelling the time the "kingdom of heaven is at hand," and the coming of the Messiah.   But who is aware of this?  Only "he who has ears to hear!"

How does the kingdom of heaven suffer violence?  How do the violent take it by force?  I think we have to think of the word "kingdom" and what that means, or meant in the context of the imagery of Jesus.  Think of nations warring against one another for plunder or property, or for things like territory and maybe even oil.  Then we may start to get the drift of what worldly power and kingdoms are like.   Jesus has just sent out the Twelve Apostles on their first mission.  He taught them to preach that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand," or "the kingdom of heaven has come near to you."  In both of those sayings, the meaning is clear that a kingdom is in the midst of their hearers.  It is "within them" and "among them."  This is perhaps a peaceful kingdom that breaks in by force, that somehow suffers "violence," although the disciples are taught not to use any sort of violence in their mission and to portray themselves with all humility.  The kingdom spiritually and psychologically, emotionally and dramatically breaks in upon awareness, consciousness, the world.  And we, within ourselves, are taught to seize this kingdom like some sort of advance mission, but it can't be done militarily.  It's the violence of the "new" that breaks in upon our world.  Some are totally unaware of it.  Some are set on fire by it.  And some are breaking all the boundaries and rules and lines drawn in the sand by seizing it in their midst, grabbing hold of something they can't really fully contain or know.  The image comes to me of the woman with the twelve years' of haemorrhage, who just reaches to touch the  hem of Christ's clothing, and His power comes out of Him and into her for healing.  Faith, in this illustration, is a way of seizing the kingdom of heaven, an abrupt kind of hurtling into something new, and always surprising.  This New Covenant is one that opens up for the nations, for the Gentiles.  It opens by Christ for sinners like the despised tax collectors (as "politically incorrect" as you can think about), the prostitutes, the lepers, and that unclean woman with the flow of blood whose faith makes her well.  This spiritual reality makes its abrupt appearance, and it's well-served by one like John the Baptist, who is not at all a reed shaken by the wind, nor a person accustomed to soft clothing.  It's here, and all we have to do is accept it, along with its great, explosive, constant renewal, as it plunges us in to consider its effects in our lives, even as by faith we grasp and seize a sonship by adoption.