Matt 5:17
The Law and the Prophets
…15So He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is prized among men is detestable before God. 16The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time,the gospel of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.…
Berean Standard Bible · Download
Cross References
Matthew 4:23
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Matthew 11:12
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence, and the violent lay claim to it.
Matthew 15:11
A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it."
Treasury of ScriptureThe law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presses into it.
Law.
Luke 16:29,31
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them…
Matthew 11:9-14
But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet…
John 1:45
Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
the kingdom.
Luke 9:2
And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
Luke 10:9,11
And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you…
Matthew 3:2
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
and every.
Luke 7:26-29
But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet…
Matthew 21:32
For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
Mark 1:45
But he went out, and began to publish itmuch, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.
https://www.123helpme.com/essay/Moses-And-John-The-Baptist-489160
Make his paths straight
Preparing Arrival
Scriptural Similarities: Moses and John
In the opening of the gospel of John it is interesting to notice that the first Old Testament worthy (apart from John the baptist), that the writer draws our attention to is Moses. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (1:17). It is remarkable that there is a striking similarity between the writer of the gospel and the writer of the Law, and for a few moments I wish to consider these interesting similarities with you.
The first similarity is how they commenced their writings. Both men, inspired by the Holy Spirit used identical words. Genesis 1:1 commences with these three words; "In the beginning." John 1:1 commences with the identical words, "In the beginning."
Another thing worthy of notice is the subjects employed by each writer at the commencement. As Moses commences, he first records a prevailing condition, namely - DARKNESS. "And darkness was upon the face of the deep." Paul refers to this darkness in his writings to the Corinthians. "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6). Evidently Paul looked upon the darkness in Genesis 1:2, as satanic darkness. Could it be that John is confirming this in his first epistle? "This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). It is a darkness introduced through the sin of the underworld of evil spirits.
The second prevailing condition mentioned by Moses is LIGHT. "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." The darkness was not looked upon as good, but regarding light we read, "And God saw the light that it was good." Having divided the light from the darkness, Moses mentions the earth bringing forth various things which was an indication of LIFE.
Turning to the opening of John’s gospel we find the very same things mentioned in reverse order. Instead of Darkness, Light, and Life. We find Life, Light, and Darkness. "In Him was LIFE; and the life was the LIGHT of men. And the light shineth in DARKNESS; and the darkness comprehended it not" Uohn 1:4,5). Again we find satanic darkness. Some feel that the word "comprehended" indicates that the darkness did not overpower or extinguish the light. Even though this is true, we are inclined to believe that John is referring to the fact that as a result of the fall the effects are that those in the darkness perceived not the Light. A comparing of verses 10 and 11 would seemingly uphold this view. "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew (approved) Him not. He came unto His own (land), and His own (people) received Him not."
Moses introduces a LAMB at the beginning of Israel’s corporate deliverance from bondage (Exodus 12). In like manner, John introduces the LAMB that taketh away the sin of the world at the commencement of his gospel in chapter one. Later in Israel’s history, Moses records God’s provision for Israel in Exodus 16 and 17, namely MANNA and living (gushing) WATER. As John continues to write, he too, introduces the same elements, the MANNA in chapter 6 and the living WATER in chapter 7.
Moses, when speaking of Joseph records, "For God did send me before you to preserve life" (Genesis 45:5). In like manner when speaking of John the baptist, John records this concerning him, "There was a man sent from God" (1:6). Both men were sent of God, one to preserve life, the other to proclaim life.
It is also interesting to note that both men saw the promised land and that both men met each other. This took place on the Mount of Transfiguration, which of course, was in the promised land (Matthew 17:1-3).
Last of all, the similarity between Moses and John lies in the fact that both were chosen of the Holy Spirit to express God-breathed words by writing. Moses was chosen to commence the Holy Scriptures with five books. In like manner, John was chosen to conclude the Holy Scriptures by writing five books.
Both of these unique men enjoyed an unusual nearness to the Lord not experienced by others. "And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend" (Exodus 33:11). "If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all Mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold" (Numbers 12:6-8). Consider John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, and his nearness to His Lord at the supper, reclining on His breast, experiencing divine communication (John 13). View John in Revelation chapter one at the Lord’s feet, and the tender right hand of the resurrected and girded Christ gently resting upon him with words of comfort, "Fear not."
We leave these two men for your consideration. May we ever appreciate their inspired writings. May we ever consider the manner of their lives, and may we continually be devoted to the Holy One, Whom they served. Moses and John, two men of God!
John’s message was “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2), and he went about “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3) in preparation of the Messiah The gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached (and is continuing to be) since John first began his ministry. Jesus’s ministry began after Jesus endured the temptation of Satan and settled in Capernaum, and is described with this statement:
“From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
(Matthew 4:17)
As Jesus taught, He was presenting and inviting people to participate in His kingdom.
The third thought expressed by Jesus: and everyone is forcing his way into it.
The first two thoughts indicated that the Age of the Law had now come to a close, and the era of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God had now arrived. The third thought that Jesus states immediately after those observations is that everyone is forcing his way into it.
In Matthew’s gospel, instead of saying everyone is forcing his way into it, Jesus says: “and violent men take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).
What can Jesus mean by this enigmatic thought?
What is clear is that it refers to the kingdom of God.
The phrase everyone is forcing his way into the kingdom of God could mean two things.
It could refer to the violence done to John the Baptist (and other faithful members of the kingdom of God). According to this interpretation everyone (“violent men” in Matthew 11) implied earthly authorities such as the Pharisees and Sadducees who took John into custody (Matthew 4:12), and Herod who currently held John imprisoned (Matthew 11:2).
By extension this interpretation also refers to everyone who persecutes the faithful. Jesus foretold being a faithful witness can be hazardous to the body (but not the “psuche”) (Matthew 10). The Christian Church will encounter much violence and persecution throughout the Book of Acts and beyond. The force Jesus is speaking of here very well could refer to the violence of persecution against the kingdom.
If this is what Jesus meant, then we as Christ’s followers can rest assured that God’s “kingdom cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28) and that “the gates of Hades will not overpower” His church (Matthew 16:18).
But Jesus could have been referring to a different kind of violence altogether.
A second interpretation of everyone is forcing his way into the kingdom of God is that it requires a kind of spiritual violence to overcome the temptations of the present age to enter the kingdom. If this is the case, Jesus is alluding to something very similar to what Paul describes in Ephesians 6:10-17 as putting on the armor of God and preparing for spiritual warfare. According to this interpretation, everyone would specifically refer to spiritually violent men like John who took the kingdom by the force of resisting their sin nature, the corrupting patterns of this world and its temptations of luxury and prestige.
This second interpretation is akin to Jesus’s exhortation to diligently seek to enter into the kingdom by the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13-14). And if this is the case, it means that the only way to enter is to overcome by forcing your way into the kingdom by relying on God’s spiritual power.
If the second interpretation is what Jesus meant, then it reinforces the idea that such spiritual resistance against the schemes of the devil is commendable (James 4:7).
Perhaps Jesus has both in view, in that the kingdom of God is going to provoke a strong response one way or the other. Like the choice of masters between God or money, the response to the Kingdom will either be humble submission or adamant resistance.
Jesus makes the comparison: But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
After informing the Pharisees that the Age of the Law and the Prophets has ended and the Age of the Messianic Kingdom has arrived and that everyone is responding one way or the other, Jesus reminds them that the Laws of God are enduring.
He told the Pharisees it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of the Law to fail. It will all be accomplished. God is not mocked. It is easier for natural laws of this earth, indeed even this very earth itself to be undone than for God’s Law to lose its authority. God set the physical laws of the universe when He created all that is (Genesis 1:1). Someone can choose to ignore gravity, but gravity will still operate on them. In the same way, God set the spiritual and moral laws of the universe when He created all that is (Colossians 1:16). God’s moral laws can also be disbelieved, but they will still operate notwithstanding.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that “until” heaven and earth pass away, the Law will stand (Matthew 5:18). Once again, God’s Law did not and does not lose its relevance just because the Age of the Law has ended and the Age of the Kingdom has come. The Law will be enforced at least until the current earth is abolished and the New Heaven and the New Earth are given.
It is worth noting that the basic idea behind that Law, as interpreted by Jesus, is
- God should be acknowledged and followed as the Maker of all things (as this passage reinforces)
- The way God set things up to work best is for the humans He created to freely choose to serve one another in love (Matthew 22:36-40).
Understanding all three of Jesus’s expressed thoughts in this passage along with Jesus’s comparison within the preceding context of the Pharisees’ scoffing (Luke 16:14); and Christ’s rebuke of their foolish attempts of self-justification (Luke 16:15), we see that He was warning them that God’s perspective is supreme.
The gospel of the kingdom was and is being preached and people are having to take a side. It is better for us to accept the Creator God as our authority over what is highly esteemed rather than the scoffing of ignorant men. Will we choose the side that outlasts heaven and earth or will we choose the moral fashions and opinions of our day?
Biblical Text
16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.