Matthew 11:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Or; All who come thereto with haste take by force the kingdom of God through the faith of Christ; whence He says, from, the days of John until now, and thus He brings them in haste to His faith, and at the same time adds support to those things which had been spoken by John. For if all things were fulfilled until John, then is Jesus He that should come; wherefore He adds, All the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.

Because John the Baptist was the first who preached repentance to the people, saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand: rightly therefore from that day forth it may be said, that the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For great indeed is the violence, when we who are born of earth, seek an abode in heaven, and obtain by excellence what we have not by nature.

He refers to spiritual ears, for all the listeners possessed physical ears. He asserts, "Whoever has ears to understand, let him comprehend what is conveyed," meaning that John is the Elijah foretold. This was enigmatic, demonstrating that John was indeed Elijah while also affirming the arrival of Christ. By proclaiming, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear," He encouraged them to seek understanding of what appeared to be a mystery.

Otherwise; The Lord bade His Apostles go to the lost sheep of Israel, but all their preaching conveyed profit to the publicans and sinners. Therefore the kingdom suffers violence, and the violent take it by force, for the glory of Israel, due to the Fathers, foretold by the Prophets, offered by Christ, is entered and held by force by the might of the Gentiles.

By the kingdom of heaven is meant the heavenly throne, whither when sinners defiled with any evil deed return in penitence, and amend themselves, they enter as sinners into the place of another, and take by violence the kingdom of heaven.

As much as to say, Whoso has ears of the heart to hear, that is, to understand, let him understand; for He did not say that John was Elias in person, but in the Spirit.

HE WHO HAS EARS TO HEAR, LET HIM HEAR! He who possesses a clear conscience, let him heed what it declares! With this statement, a familiar refrain among Jewish teachers, the Lord completed His commendation of His Forerunner. Luke, the evangelist, notes that everyone who heard the Savior, including tax collectors, glorified God and received John's baptism. In contrast, the Pharisees and legal experts dismissed God's purpose, choosing not to be baptized by him. The people and tax collectors grasped the Lord's message regarding John and praised God for their accurate understanding of him, allowing them to partake in his baptism of repentance.

His actions and words were an exact reflection of the prophecies concerning the forerunner of the Messiah. Following the example of the prophet Elijah, with whom he shared both zeal and appearance, he echoed the same calls to repentance, predictions regarding the Messiah, and warnings of impending judgment that characterized the words of the prophets who had outlined his mission. Did he speak of the impending wrath? Indeed, this was forewarned by God through Malachi: “And behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6).

From the time of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and those who proclaim the good news are seizing it (Luke 16:16). The term βιάζομαι conveys the idea of employing force or intensity. It is clear that this word is not intended as a rebuke because (a) Luke substitutes it with the term evangelized, and (b) the marginalized are welcomed into the kingdom of God—a state of rapture. Consequently, this refers to the spiritual journey toward the kingdom of God that has been unfolding since John's ministry. This phrase highlights both the challenges faced by the Jews in Christ's time due to their limited understanding of the Messiah and His kingdom, as well as the moral effort needed to transcend these barriers.

When Jesus spoke of John as the final prophet, He referenced a widely held belief among the Jews of the time regarding the return of the prophet Elijah before the Messiah's arrival. Malachi prophesied, “I will send Elijah the prophet to you before the coming of the day of the Lord, great and terrible” (Malachi 4:5). This prophecy unmistakably pertains to that significant and fearful day when the ultimate judgment of humanity will take place, namely, the Second Coming of Christ. Malachi foretold that John would serve as an angelic messenger who would prepare the path for the Lord, clarifying that this messenger would not be Elijah himself, but would come in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17).

After the departure of John's disciples, the Savior addressed the crowd and offered the utmost commendation that one could bestow upon a man. “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” This indicates that despite John's exceptional stature as a prophet of the Old Testament, any individual who directly listens to Christ and authentically embraces faith in Him possesses a greater claim to enter the new kingdom than even this esteemed prophet, who served as a forerunner like a new Elijah announcing the arrival of the kingdom. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” the Savior concluded with solemnity in His profound remarks regarding John.

The phrase "He that hath ears" is frequently employed by the Lord. It appears to have been a well-known saying among the rabbinical teachers, indicating that listeners ought to pay close attention to the words surrounding this phrase. Given the significance the Lord placed on His remarks concerning John, He ends this discussion with a plea for careful listening: "Let the one among you who can discern the significance of certain occurrences and individuals, which remain ambiguous to many, be attentive, let him focus, and strive to understand!"

In the writings of Moses and the prophets, there was a clear preparation for the arrival of the Messiah. John marked the conclusion of the Old Testament era, affirming that, as the Lord indicated, 'do not stretch your hopes far away and do not expect another; if everything was fulfilled before John, then I am the coming one.' John the Baptist was not the fulfillment of the law and the prophets; rather, he served as the Forerunner of Christ, empowered by the spirit and fervor reminiscent of the great prophet Elijah. The prophet Malachi had prophesied the arrival of Elijah prior to the notable day of the Lord, leading the Jewish people to interpret his words literally and to anticipate the return of Elijah, Jeremiah, or another prophet before the Messiah’s arrival. Jesus highlighted John as this Elijah, urging the people to be attentive to what was proclaimed about him, declaring: He who has ears to hear, let him hear.