THE GOSPEL OF LUKE: - Vital Christianity

126The tax-gatherers and heathens, whom the scribes and Pharisees think have no right tothe kingdom of the Messiah, filled with holy zeal and earnestness, seize at once on the mercy ofthe Gospel, and so take the kingdom as by force from those learned doctors who claimed forthemselves the most important places in that kingdom. Christ Himself said that the tax-collectorsand harlots go before the religious leaders into the kingdom of God (Lk 7:28-30).The Greek word in question here is biastai (the plural form of biastes), which manyversions translate "violent men." This is the word that appears in Matthew 11:12—"violent mentake it by force." The verb form of this word, which appears in both Matthew 11:12 and Luke16:16, is biazo. "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence" (Mt 11:12). "Every man enterethviolently into it" (Lk 16:16, ASV). In both of these passages where the verb form appears, theform of the verb used is biazetai, which is present indicative, 3rd person singular. This meansthe action is continuous in nature.The challenge is that this particular form, with regard to voice, may be either a middle ora passive. This means the context, whether immediate and remote, must determine which of thetwo is most likely intended by the author.The passive voice suggests the subject of the clause is the recipient of the action of theverb, whereas the middle voice suggests the subject itself performs the action of the verb. Itseems plausible that in both the Lucan and Matthean passages the verb has been correctlyidentified by most scholars as a middle voice.This word is used in only three passages in the New Testament. According to TheExpositor's Bible Commentary, "In Greek, sources relevant to the New Testament, biazetai isconsiderably more common in the deponent middle than in the active or passive voices." 5 Themiddle voice, however, is used by far the most in the extra-biblical sources. In fact, the passive ishardly used at all. Therefore, "the best solution is to take the verb in its most likely voice: themiddle." 6 The middle voice then seems to make the most sense in Luke 16:16. This means thatpeople are not being violently forced into the kingdom, but rather they themselves are forcingtheir way in.The problem, however, in the minds of many people, arises when the middle voice isused in translation of the clause in Matthew. This would make the kingdom of heaven thefacilitator of the violence specified, rather than the recipient of it. The Greek term, however,may be used either positively or negatively. Unfortunately, most translations and commentatorsin the past have assumed the negative connotation of the term which has led to confusion overthese two passages.