WEBVTT 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:06.280 Can I ask you something? When was the last time you felt urgency about your soul? Not guilt, 00:00:06.800 --> 00:00:13.100 not fear, but urgency. That quiet, steady awareness that eternity is real, and that the 00:00:13.220 --> 00:00:19.620 kingdom of heaven is not an idea, and that responding to Jesus actually matters. It's so 00:00:19.680 --> 00:00:26.640 easy to become familiar with spiritual things, isn't it? We listen, we read, we agree, but we don't 00:00:26.680 --> 00:00:32.980 always move. In Matthew 11, 12, Jesus says something that has puzzled readers for centuries. 00:00:33.960 --> 00:00:39.240 Here's what he said. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers 00:00:39.480 --> 00:00:46.000 violence, and violent men take it by force. Wow, that sounds intense, doesn't it? But he isn't 00:00:46.140 --> 00:00:52.339 talking about aggression. He's talking about response. He's describing what happens when the 00:00:52.360 --> 00:00:58.400 kingdom of heaven breaks into a human heart. It doesn't drift in quietly, and you don't drift 00:00:58.530 --> 00:01:04.800 into it. No one stumbles accidentally into surrender. Entering the kingdom requires something 00:01:05.160 --> 00:01:12.420 deeper than interest. It requires a kind of holy desperation, and maybe that's the part we've grown 00:01:12.570 --> 00:01:18.579 too comfortable to notice. Let's slow down and look at that together. We're going to consider 00:01:18.600 --> 00:01:24.680 the verb that has puzzled scholars for centuries. And we're going to discover what Jesus really is 00:01:24.780 --> 00:01:37.700 saying about the kingdom and about us. Hello, beloved, and welcome to Verses We Missed. 00:01:38.160 --> 00:01:44.699 I'm your host, your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. Every week we slow down and spend time with the 00:01:44.720 --> 00:01:50.860 quieter parts of Scripture, the verses that hide in plain sight, the ones that reward a slower 00:01:51.050 --> 00:01:58.140 reading and a prayerful heart. This is your midweek breath of Scripture and grace. Let's breathe it in 00:01:58.600 --> 00:02:07.880 together. So, let's look at the context. This is a seismic shift. Let's zoom out. John the Baptist 00:02:08.210 --> 00:02:14.680 is in prison. That alone tells you something is happening, right? John, the bold desert preaching 00:02:14.700 --> 00:02:19.900 prophet, the one who called religious leaders a brood of vipers, the one who announced, 00:02:20.440 --> 00:02:27.400 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And now he's locked away. He sends word to Jesus. He 00:02:27.500 --> 00:02:34.320 said, Are you the expected one, or shall we look for someone else? Jesus responds by pointing to 00:02:34.320 --> 00:02:42.340 his works. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have 00:02:42.360 --> 00:02:49.120 the gospel preached to them. In other words, the kingdom is here. Then Jesus begins to speak about 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:56.500 John. He praises John. He elevates him. And then he says, from the days of John the Baptist until 00:02:56.740 --> 00:03:04.220 now. Huh. That phrase marks a hinge in history. Before John, the kingdom was promised through 00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:10.900 Isaiah, through Daniel, through the prophets. But with John, the kingdom was announced as imminent. 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:14.500 With Jesus, the king himself had arrived. 00:03:15.540 --> 00:03:17.680 Heaven was no longer just anticipated. 00:03:18.150 --> 00:03:19.760 It was breaking into earth. 00:03:20.480 --> 00:03:23.240 And when heaven breaks into earth, it disrupts things. 00:03:25.600 --> 00:03:27.800 So here's the verb that starts the debate. 00:03:28.740 --> 00:03:31.400 Now we come to the phrase that makes interpreters pause. 00:03:32.190 --> 00:03:34.580 The kingdom of heaven suffers violence. 00:03:35.660 --> 00:03:35.820 Hmm. 00:03:36.420 --> 00:03:38.740 The Greek word here is biazidae. 00:03:39.180 --> 00:03:41.560 It's a verb, which means it's an action word. 00:03:42.060 --> 00:03:48.500 It can mean to suffer violence, to be attacked, to press forward forcefully, or to advance 00:03:48.780 --> 00:03:49.140 with power. 00:03:50.160 --> 00:03:53.060 Scholars have debated whether this is passive or middle voice. 00:03:53.780 --> 00:03:57.380 Is the kingdom under assault, or is it advancing forcefully? 00:03:58.200 --> 00:03:59.420 Here's the beautiful tension. 00:04:00.040 --> 00:04:01.680 Both realities are true. 00:04:02.820 --> 00:04:05.620 When the kingdom advances, resistance rises. 00:04:06.700 --> 00:04:07.480 John is imprisoned. 00:04:08.180 --> 00:04:09.280 The Pharisees are threatened. 00:04:09.880 --> 00:04:11.120 Herod feels exposed. 00:04:11.740 --> 00:04:14.240 The kingdom does not arrive into neutral territory. 00:04:14.980 --> 00:04:17.959 It confronts darkness, and darkness pushes back. 00:04:18.579 --> 00:04:20.880 But that is not all that Jesus says. 00:04:20.940 --> 00:04:21.480 He continues. 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:24.800 He says, and violent men take it by force. 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:29.760 The word used here means to seize or to grasp decisively, 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.480 to lay hold of with determination. 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:34.720 This is not about armies. 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:36.040 It's about urgency. 00:04:36.960 --> 00:04:40.600 So, whenever the kingdom advances, two things happen at the same time. 00:04:41.440 --> 00:04:42.700 First, there's resistance. 00:04:43.620 --> 00:04:45.720 Some resist because their power is threatened. 00:04:46.420 --> 00:04:48.600 Some resist because their pride is exposed. 00:04:49.280 --> 00:04:52.620 Some resist because repentance feels like loss. 00:04:53.780 --> 00:04:59.020 The kingdom confronts self-rule, and self-rule does not surrender quietly. 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:04.820 But second, and this is where I want us to really lean in, the desperate press in. 00:05:05.760 --> 00:05:12.040 Tax collectors came. Sinners came. The broken came. And they did not analyze from a safe distance. 00:05:12.630 --> 00:05:18.140 They didn't say, I'll think about it. They did not postpone repentance. They pressed in. 00:05:18.450 --> 00:05:24.780 They seized the moment. They acted decisively. And what happened? Jesus received them. 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:31.679 So, let's be very clear. This verse has never meant that the kingdom advances through physical 00:05:31.740 --> 00:05:37.520 violence. I mean, after all, Jesus rebuked Peter's sword, didn't he? Jesus refused political 00:05:37.820 --> 00:05:44.180 revolution. He went to the cross instead of raising an army. And then what happened? The apostles 00:05:44.620 --> 00:05:51.900 preached. They did not coerce. So, the force here is not outward aggression. It is inward surrender. 00:05:52.660 --> 00:06:00.180 It's the violence of repentance. It's the force of holy desperation. It's the tearing down of pride. 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:04.640 It's the crushing of self-will. It is the decisive act of saying, 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:11.460 I am finished with ruling my own life. And that feels forceful because pride does not die gently. 00:06:12.540 --> 00:06:17.440 Now, this is the core of what Jesus is teaching. No one drifts into salvation, 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:23.999 and no one wanders accidentally into the kingdom. No one inherits eternal life through mild 00:06:24.020 --> 00:06:31.100 curiosity. Entrance requires response. Not earning, not striving, but surrender. 00:06:32.300 --> 00:06:39.380 Repentance is not casual. It's decisive. It's turning from sin and clinging to Christ. 00:06:40.080 --> 00:06:46.040 It's laying down weapons of self-defense. It's dropping excuses. It's refusing delay. 00:06:46.660 --> 00:06:51.600 And that is why Jesus uses intense language. Because the moment is intense. 00:06:52.840 --> 00:06:57.520 Now, if you're listening and you've been spiritually curious, maybe you enjoy Christian 00:06:57.940 --> 00:07:04.000 podcasts. Maybe you appreciate biblical discussions. Maybe you feel warmed by Scripture, 00:07:04.780 --> 00:07:10.320 but you've never decisively surrendered to Christ. Listen, Jesus is not calling you to 00:07:10.620 --> 00:07:22.720 curiosity. He's calling you to repentance. Curiosity admires from a distance. Desperation 00:07:22.740 --> 00:07:24.560 Desperation says, I need this. 00:07:25.830 --> 00:07:28.440 The kingdom is entered by those who feel their need, 00:07:28.900 --> 00:07:31.420 not by those who merely enjoy the conversation. 00:07:33.400 --> 00:07:37.980 And now, let me gently but firmly speak to those of us who already belong to Christ. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:42.420 When you first came to Him, there was urgency, wasn't there? 00:07:42.850 --> 00:07:43.440 There was hunger. 00:07:44.030 --> 00:07:44.740 There was gratitude. 00:07:45.440 --> 00:07:46.060 There was fire. 00:07:46.880 --> 00:07:48.420 You knew what you had been saved from. 00:07:49.200 --> 00:07:50.060 You knew your need. 00:07:50.540 --> 00:07:51.680 You knew your desperation. 00:07:52.520 --> 00:08:01.300 So let me ask you, has comfort replaced urgency? Has routine replaced hunger? Have eternal realities 00:08:01.760 --> 00:08:07.840 become familiar? Beloved, the kingdom is still advancing. The spirit is still convicting. 00:08:08.650 --> 00:08:15.740 The gospel is still powerful. But it's possible to grow passive, to settle into safe Christianity, 00:08:16.320 --> 00:08:23.240 To stop pressing in. Well, Jesus' words wake us up. The kingdom is not sleepy. The kingdom is 00:08:23.400 --> 00:08:30.640 not drifting. It is advancing. Are you? There's something beautiful about the desperation that 00:08:30.760 --> 00:08:38.099 Jesus describes. Think of blind Bartimaeus. He cried out loudly. When others told him to be quiet, 00:08:38.640 --> 00:08:45.199 he cried out more. Well, beloved, that's pressing in. Think of the woman who touched the hem of 00:08:45.220 --> 00:08:52.440 Jesus' garment. She risked embarrassment. She risked rejection. She pressed in through the crowd. 00:08:53.300 --> 00:08:59.720 That's urgency. Think of Zacchaeus climbing a tree. A grown man in a tree because he had to 00:08:59.820 --> 00:09:06.960 see Jesus. That's not curiosity. That, beloved, is hunger. And Jesus never rejected that hunger. 00:09:07.430 --> 00:09:13.040 He welcomed it every single time. From the days of John the Baptist until now, 00:09:13.560 --> 00:09:20.760 The kingdom advances. It advances in hostile places. It advances in quiet places. It advances 00:09:20.910 --> 00:09:27.900 in hearts. It advances through preaching, through repentance, and it advances through believers who 00:09:27.930 --> 00:09:34.900 refuse to remain spiritually stagnant. Opposition does not stop it. Cultural shifts do not stop it. 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:42.319 Darkness does not extinguish it. The king is reigning. The spirit is working. The gospel is 00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:48.720 still powerful. The question is not whether the kingdom advances. The question is how you respond. 00:09:49.460 --> 00:09:56.720 Are you resisting? Are you indifferent? Are you merely curious? Or are you pressing in? 00:09:57.540 --> 00:10:02.560 Jesus does not describe passive entrance. He describes decisive surrender. 00:10:03.270 --> 00:10:07.880 The kingdom of heaven is not entered by the curious. It is entered by the desperate. 00:10:11.580 --> 00:10:17.160 Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you that your kingdom is strong and advancing. 00:10:18.190 --> 00:10:23.440 Thank you that from the days of John the Baptist until now, you have been drawing people to yourself. 00:10:24.700 --> 00:10:31.280 Lord, forgive us for indifference. Forgive us for delay. Forgive us for comfortable faith. 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:37.700 Lord, if there's someone listening who's been standing at the edge, curious but unsurrendered, 00:10:38.160 --> 00:10:41.860 I pray, God, that you would awaken holy desperation in their heart, 00:10:42.620 --> 00:10:47.080 break through pride, break through excuses, break through fear. 00:10:48.160 --> 00:10:54.020 And for those of us who belong to you, Father, restore our urgency, restore our hunger. 00:10:55.160 --> 00:10:59.280 Make us people who press into you, not violently towards others, 00:10:59.560 --> 00:11:02.920 but fiercely against our own sin and self-rule. 00:11:04.220 --> 00:11:05.360 Thank you, Lord, for your mercy. 00:11:06.160 --> 00:11:07.260 Thank you for your patience. 00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:15.160 thank you that the door of the kingdom is still open. We pray this in Jesus' name, our King. Amen. 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:30.580 Beloved, if this episode encouraged you, or if it challenged you, or helped you see the scriptures 00:11:30.880 --> 00:11:36.599 more clearly, this podcast operates on a value-for-value model. There are no advertisers 00:11:36.600 --> 00:11:43.100 here. No sponsors shaping the message. It's just you and me and the Word of God. If you receive 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:48.640 value from the show, would you please consider giving value back? How? Well, you can share the 00:11:48.960 --> 00:11:54.420 episode. You can send me a note at steve at lifespringmedia.com or, if you're able, support 00:11:54.470 --> 00:11:59.420 the show financially. Your support keeps the message going out. You'll find all the details 00:11:59.760 --> 00:12:02.480 at lifespringmedia.com slash support. 00:12:09.620 --> 00:12:10.660 This is a weekly show. 00:12:11.050 --> 00:12:14.000 I release a new episode every Tuesday at 10 p.m. Pacific 00:12:14.380 --> 00:12:16.160 so that it's waiting for you Wednesday morning. 00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:19.220 It's your midweek breath of Scripture and grace. 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:22.260 Thank you so much for being part of the Lifespring family. 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:25.860 Until next time, keep pressing into the kingdom 00:12:26.760 --> 00:12:28.220 and may God bless you richly. 00:12:28.680 --> 00:12:29.520 I'm Steve Webb. 00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:30.580 Bye.