These verses further explain John the Baptist's crucial place in God's kingdom program.
11:12-13 These verses record Jesus' description of the condition of the kingdom when He spoke these words. The days of John to the present began when John began to minister and extended to the time Jesus uttered the words Matthew recorded here. What does "suffers violence"mean? If the Greek verb biazetaiis a deponent middle, it could mean that disciples must enter the kingdom through violent effort.465This seems to introduce a foreign element into Jesus' teaching on discipleship. Entrance into the kingdom depends on faith in Jesus as the Messiah. The deponent middle could also mean that the kingdom has been forcefully advancing, but it had not swept away all opposition, as John had expected.466However the image of an irresistibly advancing kingdom seems foreign to Matthew's portrayal of Jesus' ministry thus far. Mounting opposition suggests that the kingdom was encountering severe resistance.
Probably the verb biazetaiis in the passive tense. The kingdom suffers violence because evil men take it violently. Perhaps Jesus meant that men were snatching the kingdom from God and forcing its coming.467This is impossible since Israel was not forcing the kingdom to come. The Jews were unwilling to receive it when Jesus offered it. Perhaps Jesus meant that some Jews, such as the Zealots, where trying to bring in the kingdom by political revolution.468This is unlikely since Jesus made no other reference to this happening in the context. Probably Jesus meant that the religious leaders of His day were trying to bring in the kingdom in their own carnal way while refusing to accept God's way that John and Jesus announced.469
This view explains satisfactorily Jesus' reference to the period from the beginning of John's ministry to when He spoke. Ever since John began his ministry of announcing Messiah the Jewish religious leaders had opposed him. Moreover in 23:13 Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees of trying to seize the reins of kingdom power from Messiah to lead the kingdom as they wanted it to go. They also snatched the kingdom from the people by rejecting the Messiah. The imprisonment of John was another evidence of violent antagonism against the kingdom, but that opposition came from Herod Antipas. John and Jesus both eventually died at the hands of these violent men.
Jesus described the imminent kingdom as in grave danger because of His enemies. The Old Testament prophets had predicted until John, but when John began his ministry the time of fulfillment began. That was a unique time that the law and the prophets had foretold (v. 13).
11:14-15 In the previous two verses Jesus spoke of the imminent kingdom. It was encountering severe opposition. In these two verses He discussed the potential beginning of the kingdom.
The messianic kingdom would come ifthe Jews would accept it. In the Greek text the conditional particle (ei) assumes for the sake of the argument that they would receive it. Assuming they would, John would fulfill Malachi's prophecy about Elijah being Messiah's forerunner (4:5-6).
"There is scarcely a passage in Scripture which shows more clearly that the kingdom was being offered to Israel at this time."470
Those who believe that the kingdom really began with Jesus' preaching interpret this conditional statement as follows.471They say Jesus was acknowledging that it was difficult to accept the fact that John was the fulfillment of the prophecies about Elijah. They take "it"as referring to Jesus' statement about John rather than the kingdom. Since both are in the context the interpretation hinges on one's conclusion about whether the kingdom really did begin with Jesus' preaching or whether it is still future. I favor the second alternative in view of the Old Testament prophecies about the kingdom and how Matthew presented Jesus' concept of the kingdom. Jesus viewed the messianic kingdom as future, not present and future.472
Jesus did not say that John was Elijah. That depended on Israel's repenting and accepting Jesus as the Messiah. John fulfilled Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1, prophecies about Messiah's forerunner, but not Malachi 4:5-6, the prophecy about the forerunner turning the people's hearts to God, since Israel rejected Jesus.
". . . John the Baptist stands in fulfillment of the promise of Malachi concerning the coming of Elijah, but only in the sense that he announced the coming of Christ."473
Who will fulfill Malachi 4:5-6 and when? Perhaps Elijah himself will be one of the two witnesses who will prepare the Israelites for Messiah's second coming (Rev. 11:1-14). Since John could have fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah, I tend to think that Elijah need not return to earth personally for this ministry.474Probably the two witnesses will be two contemporary believers in the Tribulation who will turn the people's hearts to God as Elijah did in his day.
Verse 15 underlines the great significance of what Jesus had just stated.
