It is inappropriate to attribute to Jesus the Messiah an intention to recruit all of John the Baptist’s disciples. His aim was simply to speak the truth, without any personal motive behind this praise. Moreover, as Luke 7.24 specifies, these words were spoken after John the Baptist’s disciples had left.
Jesus the Messiah seeks only to speak the pure truth and does not try to persuade John the Baptist’s disciples through human means. The only way to prove to them that he is truly the Messiah rests on his actions in fulfilment of the prophecies (Isaiah 35.4-5). He draws on the same argument he presented to the great prophet (PER113: John the Baptist’s question).
The Master recognises the importance of John the Baptist’s ministry. This man’s qualities are evident to everyone except the religious leaders, who persist in denying them.
John the Baptist undoubtedly left his mark on his time. Nevertheless, the dominant religious class did not embrace his teachings. Jesus the Messiah highlights this ambivalent attitude, maintaining that John the Baptist’s ministry was an integral part of the divine plan, just as his own was. God had addressed the people through a great Prophet and now, once again, through Jesus the Messiah. Yet these religious leaders continued to show unbelief.
Matthew follows his custom of drawing on prophetic texts well known to his audience. In particular, he uses a quotation from Malachi 3.1. We note a difference in approach from Luke, who confines himself to reporting the facts without connecting them to the , with whom his audience is unfamiliar.
While Luke emphasises that John the Baptist is the greatest of the prophets, he supports this assertion by noting that many people, including tax collectors, were baptised by him. Matthew, for his part, quotes a somewhat enigmatic saying: ‘From the time of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully assailed, and violent people seize it.’
Matthew establishes the beginning of a period extending from John the Baptist’s birth to his own time, presumably the time when Matthew was writing. During this period, he specifies, the Kingdom of God has been subjected to violence, and malicious men (the violent) attempt to conquer it by force. The verb used here (Strong’s numbers 726 and 846) means to seize or take possession for oneself.
This passage indicates a crucial turning point, emphasising that John the Baptist is the last prophet of the old covenant (Matthew 11.13) and that after his coming a new covenant begins.
In this context, the reference may be to the religious leaders of that time, who built a kingdom based on their own criteria and rules, which they announced and proclaimed to the people. They thus sought to establish a kingdom in keeping with their own vision, but different from the one advocated by John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah.
By declaring that John the Baptist is the Elijah who was to come (Malachi 3.1), Jesus the Messiah thus confirms the truth of his words while emphasising that the are clearly mistaken.
Jesus the Messiah clarified the situation with this tribute, emphasising the existence of two distinct kingdoms: that of the , established according to their own religious principles, and that of John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah, the true Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, everyone is confronted with their responsibilities and can make an informed choice.
The conclusion of this message, illustrated by a about dissatisfied children quoted by both Matthew and Luke, highlights the attitude of the generation of Jesus the Messiah. These people hoped for a significant change when the Messiah arrived. John the Baptist appeared with his ascetic lifestyle, but they did not accept him. Jesus, for his part, drew close to the people, yet he too was not welcomed.
Jesus the Messiah speaks of the majority of the population, including the religious leaders, but specifies that within this generation a minority understood and were converted, choosing to follow this new Master, the Son of God.