What does the Gospel phrase “The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force” mean? What kind of effort is being referred to? And why must it be achieved through effort rather than an easy, pleasant, carefree life? #

When reading and interpreting this phrase, it is essential to remember that the Lord spoke these words while conversing with the people about John the Baptist. He first asked the Jews listening to Him what they thought of John. This was no idle question. Large crowds of Jews had gone into the wilderness to hear the preaching of St. John the Forerunner. Yet John himself rebuked them for their hypocrisy, calling them a “generation of vipers” because they outwardly displayed piety, discussed Scripture, prayed at length for show, and put on sorrowful faces when fasting. In reality, they were full of vices and unbelief. They came to the wilderness, where John preached, merely to appear pious in the eyes of others, but they did not truly repent. Thus, the coming judgment of God would consume such people as one who winnows wheat on the threshing floor burns the chaff while gathering the wheat into the granary.

Speaking of John, the Lord compared him to the prophet Elijah and declared that among those born of women, none was greater than John the Baptist. However, the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. Immediately after this, the Lord added:

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.”
(Matthew 11:12–14)

The Greek word used in the Gospel, βιάζεται (biazetai), literally means “is taken by force or violence.” Euthymius Zigabenus explains this passage as follows:

“Chrysostom says that here the Kingdom of Heaven refers to faith in Christ as the pledge of the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, the enjoyment of heavenly blessings. ‘Suffereth violence’ means it is forcibly seized by people when they exercise violence upon themselves, overcoming the compulsion of their own passions or the tyranny of unbelief. Elaborating further, the Lord adds, ‘The violent take it by force.’ This praiseworthy violence began, He says, from the days of John’s preaching… Christ said this both to commend John, as one who initiated the salvation of people, and to encourage His listeners to exert similar effort upon themselves.”

Why is the Kingdom of Heaven taken by effort? Because in this life, nothing is given freely. The greatest treasure—abiding in the Heavenly Kingdom with God Himself and communing with Him—is not granted without cost. Our Lord Jesus Christ paid for this right with His own death, offering Himself as a sacrifice on the Cross. To obtain this treasure, we too must offer what is most precious—our entire selves, fully dedicating our lives to the Lord God.

Presbyter Mikhail Rodin.