Jesus says, "among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! If we want to know what makes the least in the kingdom of heaven greater than John, we first need to understand what made John great. Here is Jesus' testimony about John.
“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces! But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Here, Jesus sets forth the credibility of John to the people. Clearly, they did not see what they expected to see when they went out to hear John.
(Parts of this I have borrowed from other sources over the years but I do not remember the sources. LOL, I don't even remember anymore which parts of this are mine and which were borrowed.)
1. John was not an unstable messenger. He was not a reed shaken by the wind. He could not be shaken by the opposition. He was not a lunatic nor a crackpot. He refused to be intimidated by the unrepentant scribes or Pharisees. Exalted positions were meaningless to him.
2. He was not dressed in soft clothing. Those who wore such clothing lived in king's palaces. John sought no political or social prominence. John was not a social panderer.
3. John was more than just a prophet. He was sent to prepare the people for their Messiah.
4. More than any other man, John had risen to greater prominence for the work of God than all the prophets who had come before him. But, just what was it that made John great?
a. He was the object of prophetic vision. The prophets saw him coming.
* Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the Lord of hosts.”
* Malachi 4:5-6, “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
* Isaiah 40:3, “A voice is calling, 'Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.'” How would he accomplish this?
- By returning the hearts of Israel back to God, Matthew 17:11, Mark 9:12.
- By preaching the kingdom of God. This was a new message, Matthew 3:1.
- By pointing the people to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Finally, forgiveness of sins is being preached in Israel, John 1:29-30.
b. No one in the history of the OT prophets did more to restore the hearts of Israel to God than did John. He was the greatest man risen from among women?
5. Yet, he was less than the least in the Kingdom of heaven. Why? What makes Christians greater than John? This has nothing to do with whether or not John was in the Kingdom. This is not the issue. What made John great was his mission and his message. So, what makes the Christian greater than John?
a. We have a greater mission. While John's mission was to restore the hearts of Israel to God. The mission of the Christian is to restore the hearts of the entire world to God.
b. We have a greater message. John's message was one of repentance and doom with the winnowing fork, and the ax laid to the root, and the burning of the chaff. The message of the Christian is hope, redemption, salvation, and forgiveness of sins.
