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Gospel: Matthew 11: 11-15
Jesus said to the crowds:
“Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,
and the violent are taking it by force.
All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John.
And if you are willing to accept it,
he is Elijah, the one who is to come.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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“The Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.”
This may be one of the most obscure verses in all of the Gospels, perhaps lost in translation. But it still may have meaning for us today.
What does Jesus mean when he says, “the violent” are taking over heaven by force?
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Some scholars believe Jesus was using military terms to compare his kingdom to an earthly kingdom.
In his day, it was common for soldiers to surround a foreign city and take it by force.
When attacking, those soldiers had to fight tooth and nail to enter – their lives depended upon it.
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Similarly, Jesus urges his disciples to see themselves like soldiers surrounding a city; they must fight bravely – giving everything they have – in order to enter the city of God.
Their lives – our lives – depend upon it.
May we live like soldiers in that sense, bravely confessing our faith, and doing whatever we must to live it out with love.
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Image credits: (1) The Guardian (2) Siege, Wikipedia (3) St. John of Capistrano, Pinterest