Mathew 11:12 (commentary)

After John the Baptist questioned the identity of Jesus by saying “Is it you who has to come or should we wait for another one?”, Jesus said nobody born of women is greater than John the Baptist by calling, yet the least in kingdom of heaven is higher than him by choice. John the Baptist was first by calling (of God) but the least by choice (based on his performance). Jesus also said: why you go to see in the wildness “A reed shaken with the wind? …. A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what you went out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.”

 

The most important work of God on this earth is the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus to stand on the right side of the heavenly father. John was the prophet selected to prepare the road of the lord, which is the road of this most important work of God. John was the initial spiritual guide for most followers of Jesus. He was the prepared human witness so people could be saved by believing in the lord. He was a very critical brick of the lord, and he was more than a prophet, as a result.

 

Yet what is planned to be a firm foundation of the lord became like “A reed shaken with the wind?” The Holy Spirit who was speaking about Jesus through John was clear in the message, but John was naked and without understanding. For us, the message of John was not confusing at all, but he was expecting a king who would be in soft raiment, like those in the king’s house, with shining armor to conquer enemies of Israel by sword. Yet, this king of Israel cannot even save John from prison. That is why the wind of prison and prosecution did show him he is necked. The one who is supposed to build the faith of others becomes a faithless and confused witness. A confused witness is no witness at all, and John is called to be the first but selected to be the last because his failure was as critical as his call was.

 

Then lord added, one confusing point in Mathew 11:12 by saying “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.” John is not dead yet, but Jesus is saying that since the days of John the Baptist the kingdom of heaven suffered violence and the violent take it by force. The problem is that there is nothing special about John’s time and the time frame is too short when considering the loss of heaven in the hand of violent enemies, the devil, since Adam’s time. That is why this passage is puzzling. To understand this passage we have to notice the start of the time when the devil is destroying the kingdom of heaven by snatching its children. That started from the day of Adam and it continues until the time of Jesus. As John is Elijah and Jesus is David in some phrases of the Bible, Adam is John the Baptist in Mathew 11:12, therefore. What Jesus is saying is the problem of Adam was similar to that of John the Baptist.

 

Even though Adam and Eve were necked and without proper understanding, what Adam was communicating with God and among each other, between Eve and Adam, was not foolish talk but the wisdom of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit, who guides them. When Adam is exposed to the wind of the devil that opens his eyes which shows that he does not have proper understanding and as a result is necked, however, his faith in God, Jesus, is shaken. He was supposed to prepare generations for the coming of the lord, which is planned before the foundation of the earth, but he was able to baptize himself and all his generations in sin and death because he lacked the faith to stand in the wind and is without the first wisdom to fear God. That is why Adam did baptize all of us in death, including the lord Jesus Christ, and all of us, except Jesus, in sin.

 

That will take me to another popular misinterpretation of the Bible, which is about the Baptism of the lord. Jesus was in agony before his crucifixion about the Baptism that was up on him. Our lord even prayed to avoid it, though he was obedient until the cross. Jesus even said that the spirit is ready but the flesh is weak, so he and his three favorite disciples should pray about it. Now the problem is that people cannot believe that Jesus is afraid of pain and death, so they say he was afraid of the sin that will be put upon him. The fact, however, is that Jesus was afraid of the pain and death that he would have in the hands of people driven by the devil. This is so because this is not an American movie but real life. He is flesh and blood, and his flesh and blood was in agony, though his spirit is ready for it.

 

Why is this interpretation right than the popular alternative? This is because John and James asked him to sit on his right and left side, and the lord asked them if they could be baptized in what the lord would be baptized soon. They say yes and Jesus affirmed that they will be baptized too. If the baptism that Jesus has to face is to be covered by sin, how could it be possible for simple human beings to be baptized by such sin, and for what purpose? That is why the baptism that Jesus was afraid of and was praying to avoid was the suffering and death at the hands of people, who are guided by dark spirits. Even Jesus said if they can do this, his suffering, in this wet wood (Israel with work of Holy Spirit), what will happen in the dry wood (another part of the world), seeing what kind of baptism his followers are going to face around the world. In simple words Jesus is given into the hands of devils, which run people, to torture him and kill him, and he was trying to avoid it in advance. And, Adam is the Baptizer of all, including Jesus, into death.

Besides, if Jesus’s problem is having all our sins above him, it will be a spiritual problem, not a body problem. His clean spirit has to be covered with our sin and it could be painful to his pure spirit. But why Jesus says the spirit is ready but the flesh is weak will be contradictory with that proposition. Is the sin of other people, which we can assume as our sin, a thing that can inflict pain on our bodies? That is why our hero was afraid, and if Jesus is afraid of pain and death in the hands of devils, who run people, it is ok for us too. The most important point is not lack of fear, but obedience to the will of God even when it is very painful to be obedient by not giving up on our fear.