![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/833\/2020\/07\/dbh-hart.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Anyone who knows me is already familiar with the fact that I admire David Bentley Hart as a theologian, New Testament scholar and as an author.<\/p>\n
Recently, I corresponded with him about a verse of scripture that I ran across after reading\u00a0through his excellent book, \u201cThat All Shall Be Saved.\u201d<\/p>\n
I suppose what got me to reach out to Hart was that someone on Facebook recently asked me about how to translate the verse in Matthew about how \u201cthe Kingdom suffers violence and the violent take it by force.\u201d<\/p>\n
That question jogged my memory of a passage in DBH\u2019s book where he had a surprising perspective on that one\u2026or so I thought.<\/p>\n
Anyway, here\u2019s the exchange between myself and Mr. Hart about this question:<\/p>\n
David,<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I know you had an alternate translation of this verse somewhere\u2026perhaps in \u201cThat All Shall Be Saved\u201d \u2013 that challenged the typical reading about \u201cviolent men take [the Kingdom] by force\u201d but seemed to turn that on its head in a way I found fascinating.
\n<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nDo you know what I\u2019m referring to? Is there another way of translating that verse that is different from how you have it in your translation, and in almost every other one I\u2019ve ever read?
\n<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nOtherwise, I am imagining this and I\u2019m losing my mind.
\n<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nPlease tell me you know what I\u2019m talking about. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Thanks<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Keith<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And then a few minutes later I sent DBH another email:<\/p>\n
David,<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ok\u2026I found it. On page 102 it was your translation of Luke 16:16 [a parallel passage] which says:\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cUntil John, there were the Law and the prophets; since then the good tidings of God\u2019s Kingdom are being proclaimed, and everyone is being forced into it.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nWould you say that the Matthew 11:12 passage might also be translated in this way? Or no?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nTo which DBH graciously replied:<\/p>\n
No. \u00a0But the two verses, while seeming to be based on a single logion, are actually extremely different. \u00a0One is about the Kingdom being besieged by \u201cthe forceful.\u201d \u00a0The other is about the Kingdom being preached and \u201ceveryone\u201d being\u2026(?). \u00a0The difference between what \u201cthe forceful\u201d are doing in order to lay hold of the Kingdom and what happens to everyone when the Kingdom is proclaimed is so vast that obviously each Evangelist is saying something quite unrelated to what the other is saying. \u00a0If you want to harmonize the two verses, read the message as this:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n
\u201cThe Kingdom has drawn near, the exuberantly zealous seize it with enthusiasm, but everyone\u2014zealous or not\u2014is being pressed into it one way or another.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
I really love this harmonization of the two passages as he expresses it here.<\/p>\n
First, the Kingdon of God has drawn near. This is what Jesus defines as the \u201cGood News [Gospel] of the Kingdom\u201d all throughout his ministry.<\/p>\n
Next, the idea that many who are \u201cexuberantly zealous seize it with enthusiasm\u201d \u2013 which is quite different from how most English translations render the verse as if those who are \u201cviolent\u201d are overtaking the Kingdom \u201cby force\u201d [as if this were even possible].<\/p>\n
Finally, the idea [as seen in the Luke passage] is that everyone \u2013 zealous or not \u2013 is being overtaken by Christ\u2019s Kingdom.<\/p>\n
This is also in line with how Jesus actually expresses what will happen \u201cif I be lifted up\u201d [on the cross] when he says: \u201cAnd I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will drag everyone to me.\u201d [John 12:32, David Bentley Hart\u2019s New Testament Translation]\n<\/p>
In other words, we are all God\u2019s children, and we are all being wrapped up into the arms of our Father who loves us, because we are loved with an everlasting love that can never be broken, or changed, or diminished.<\/p>\n
So, as God\u2019s Kingdom has drawn near, let us also draw near to the King, and press our way into the loving embrace of a God who would rather die than live without us.<\/p>\n
**<\/p>\n
FREE DOWNLOAD:\u00a0 The e-book \u201cUnraveled: More Thoughts On Christian Entanglement\u201d by Keith Giles is available now as a free PDF. If you\u2019d like a FREE download of the entire 85-page book, you can grab one\u00a0HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Keith Giles<\/strong>\u00a0and his wife, Wendy, work with\u00a0Peace Catalyst International<\/a>\u00a0to help build relationships between Christians and Muslims in El Paso, TX.\u00a0 Keith was formerly a licensed and ordained minister who walked away from organized church over a decade ago to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community. Today he is the author of several best-selling books, including\u00a0<\/em>\u201cJesus Undefeated: Condemning the False Doctrine of Eternal Torment<\/em><\/a>\u201d which is available now on Amazon.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Anyone who knows me is already familiar with the fact that I admire David Bentley Hart as a theologian, New Testament scholar and as an author. Recently, I corresponded with him about a verse of scripture that I ran across after reading\u00a0through his excellent book, \u201cThat All Shall Be Saved.\u201d I suppose what got me […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3089,"featured_media":5755,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[260,399,4,87,402],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cosmic-christ","category-discipleship","category-following-jesus","category-gods-love","category-gospel-of-the-kingdom"],"yoast_head":"\n
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