Insolomonsporch's Blog

Under-the-Influence

Day 2/15Feb2011

The Messenger of God – John the Baptist

“But from the days of John the baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens is taken by violence, and [the] violent seize on it.” Darby Mt 11:12

John the Baptist was the herald for Christ the Messiah and he cried out to all in Israel to awaken them to the specifications of the Kingdom.  “Be aligned with it, or be apart from it” was the essence of his message. The Kingdom has one exact location – not many.  Hence, John was like a heavenly civil engineer with a measuring stick, or Kingdom surveyor declaring where the tracks of the Kingdom would be placed.  Those lines of the Kingdom could only be aligned with the truth and reality of the Kingdom.  Hence, all Israelites were given the opportunity for inclusion:  valleys were to be brought up, mountains to be pulled down, crooked to be made straight, rough places level. (Is 40:3-4) All were given the ability to find the Kingdom.

Yet, this issue of violence in the Scripture above is puzzling.  The Kingdom is taken by violence, and the violent seize on it.  Students of the law in Israel understood the law’s exacting nature.  Like a measuring rod … you were either accurate, or not: approved or disapproved.  You could never be at once correct and incorrect!  But John was more than just a civil engineer for the law.  As a prophet he was called to translate between the law and the Kingdom entities.  He pointed the way to the One Who could take your error and make you approved by giving you His covering of righteousness.  You had to first see your error, or inaccuracy, and then you had to receive His covering which brought you into right-standing.  This meant repenting (to change your way of thinking – because it was full of error) and receiving Christ and His way of thinking.  On your own, you were going to miss the mark (the Kingdom’s address) because of this error!  You would never find it!  But John revealed not only the requirements of the law, but he illuminated the One Who met all those requirements!

This is the violence spoken of – seeing our error and giving it over to  Jesus’ way of right being and right doing.  Nothing in us (no matter how good it seems) must stand in the way of our receiving.  Even if our right eye offends us (because of error), we cut it off knowing it is better to enter the Kingdom maimed (so to speak – not literally), rather than fail to enter at all!  The violent (those who repent and cast off their own way) take the Kingdom by force (the force of continually laying down our lives as a living sacrifice to Jesus Christ — to take up His life instead)!