raiders

Reading in Matthew today, I ran across a verse that had me scratching my head. That happens sometimes; I used to just move on, but now I want to understand. I don’t like not getting part of the Bible I don’t get, because all of it is stuff God has revealed so I can live effectively.

Here’s the verse, words spoken by Jesus and recorded in Matthew 11:12: “‘From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.’”

I spent some time wondering what it meant that violent people had been raiding God’s kingdom. “Raid” is a very specific word to an infantry officer; it’s an offensive military operation in which forces attack enemy territory and resources, do damage, and pull back. In a raid, the attacker never intends to hold territory or fight the main strength of the enemy. Instead, raids are done to gain resources and harass the enemy.

With that specific context in mind, here’s how I read this verse: when John began proclaiming the imminent arrival of Jesus, the Jewish leaders had a choice. They could believe John, and repent and prepare. Or they could dig in and protect their positions of prominence and privilege. Many of them made the second choice, one that led to suppression of Jesus’ followers and eventually crucifixion of Jesus himself. These raiders on the kingdom of heaven never meant to live there, they wanted to plunder it for their own comfort during their earthly lives.

There’s more to this verse than that, but my reading is consistent with the general meaning I glean from study Bible notes and commentaries. And it brings up an interesting question: how do Christians these days do violence to the kingdom for their own purposes. Do we appropriate the gospel to help us gain political power? Do we subvert the message to transfer money from other people's’ pockets to ours? Do we seek influence in the church as a way of increasing our own personal prominence?

However we might do it, I think Matthew 11:12 is a warning that Jesus is attentive to what we do in his territory. He doesn’t approve of violence or raiding; he desires homesteaders, the ones who intend to put down roots and bear fruits.