Why John the Baptist is least

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glf1

Active member
Jun 10, 2018
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#1
Jn 1:29-34 The next day John seeth Jesus coming to him, and saith, behold the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining upon him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God.

Then later, while John the Baptist was in jail: (Lu 3)
7:19 Lu And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? Or look we for another?

So here is a man called of God while still within his mother's womb and he was given an awesome revelation and ministry of who Jesus is and while he was in a very hard place and probably very low; doubted and questioned that divine revelation concerning Jesus...
 

Noose

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2016
5,096
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#2
That is not the reason John is the least in the kingdom of God, it could be but i highly doubt. We know the greatest in the kingdom is like a child- they are very innocent and are not defiled by knowledge/ the pure in spirit. This can be likened to a new believer - their spirit/ heart is swept clean ready for knowledge but too much knowledge can puff someone and defile their innocence.
 
Dec 9, 2011
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#3
John made the path for JESUS straight.
IE Introduced JESUS and JESUS made things new bringing In the new testament.

The new testament Is better than the old testament.

In the old testament the person would be least likely to be saved on their own strength but In the new testament JESUS paid the price for sin on a cross and gave Grace to all who would believe In the WORD of GOD that was sent to earth manifested In and to the flesh so now the Issue Is faith.
 
Nov 12, 2015
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#4
Jesus said that among all men born, John was the greatest. But that even the least important in the Kingdom was greater than John.

John had his moment of doubt, worry and mistrust. We all have that at some time. John saw his bleak situation, (jailed and probably going to lose his life) and he doubted and mistrusted based on what his eyes were seeing.
 
Nov 12, 2015
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#5
If we doubt based on what our eyes see, that is not faith. Faith is trusting despite what our eyes see. Faith holds the promises, not what the eyes see.
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
36,530
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#6
Jesus said that among all men born, John was the greatest. But that even the least important in the Kingdom was greater than John.
yes, almost there, i think --

I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John;
yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
(Luke 7:28)

put that together with this

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
(John 3:5-6)
 
R

Ralph-

Guest
#8
Why is he least? Because he was born with the Spirit.
 

glf1

Active member
Jun 10, 2018
314
124
43
#9
Hey! Ralph
John the Baptist will the least in the kingdom of heaven because Jesus said that he will be. I just figured that doubting the divine revelation given to him by the Lord after the fact was the reason why...
 
Nov 12, 2015
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#10
Hey! Ralph
John the Baptist will the least in the kingdom of heaven because Jesus said that he will be. I just figured that doubting the divine revelation given to him by the Lord after the fact was the reason why...
Jesus was speaking of John in the temporal world, that of all men born, he was the greatest, because he prepared the way for the Greatest.

He was not saying John would be least in the Kingdom.
 
Sep 4, 2012
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#11
Jesus was speaking of John in the temporal world, that of all men born, he was the greatest, because he prepared the way for the Greatest.

He was not saying John would be least in the Kingdom.
Exactly. The least born of the last Adam is greater than the greatest born of the first Adam.
 

oldhermit

Senior Member
Jul 28, 2012
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Alabama
#12
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.
 

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
Jul 18, 2017
24,167
12,763
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#13
So here is a man called of God while still within his mother's womb and he was given an awesome revelation and ministry of who Jesus is and while he was in a very hard place and probably very low; doubted and questioned that divine revelation concerning Jesus...
And John was not rebuked for this either. He was gently shown why Christ was indeed the Messiah.

You have misunderstood Christ's saying: For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

What does this verse tell us?

1. That apart from Jesus, John the Baptist (Baptizer) was the greatest prophet to appear among all the Hebrew prophets, since he was the forerunner of the Messiah. That is outstanding praise.

2. That anyone who is a child of God and enters the Kingdom of God by faith in Christ is *greater* than John. This was in no way a put down of John, but an elevation of those who are children of God and are under grace and not under the Law of Moses.

What this is telling us is that the New Covenant dispensation is far better than the Old Covenant (and John was still under that), since it Christ who has shed His blood for our redemption, and given the saints a very high position in Christ. All have been made "kings and priests" before God.
 

prove-all

Senior Member
May 16, 2014
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#14
Jesus said that among all men born, John was the greatest.

At the time John was a man, begotten by God,
but Flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom.

We see man was made lower then the angles,
when we are born into the kingdom at Christs return,
we will be greater then the angles and any mortal men.


So John as a man, would be lower then a future spirit being.
 
R

Ralph-

Guest
#15
Hey! Ralph
John the Baptist will the least in the kingdom of heaven because Jesus said that he will be. I just figured that doubting the divine revelation given to him by the Lord after the fact was the reason why...
Not a bad suggestion. Just not feeling it myself, though.

John was saved, Spirit filled right out of the womb. He was not given the choice to be saved and filled with the Spirit. We have lived condemned in the flesh and have faced the cross roads of decision and chose Christ. He has not. And so we are greater in the kingdom than John in that sense.

We were forged in the crucible of suffering, he was not.
 
R

Ralph-

Guest
#16
The ironic thing about it is, the very thing that made him the greatest of all prophets--having the Spirit from the womb--is what makes him least in the kingdom of God.
 

Rosalea

New member
Jun 18, 2018
5
9
3
#17
yes, almost there, i think --

I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John;
yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
(Luke 7:28)

put that together with this

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
(John 3:5-6)
So to be born of water and Spirit is that baptism in water and baptized by the Holy Spirit? And is that why John would be least, because he may
have not been baptized by the Holy Spirit??
 

posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
36,530
13,094
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#18
So to be born of water and Spirit is that baptism in water and baptized by the Holy Spirit? And is that why John would be least, because he may
have not been baptized by the Holy Spirit??
i took this to mean, anyone in the kingdom is born of the Spirit -- among those born of woman ((flesh)) no one is greater than John, but whatever is of the spirit is greater than what is of the flesh. that doesn't mean John wasn't also 'born again' but Jesus was comparing him as being born in the flesh to all those born not of the flesh.
 
Jun 16, 2018
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#19
John the Baptist was the only prophet that had one leg in the old testament and one in the new testament. The reason john was the greatest prophet in the old testament was be he saw and introduced the Messiah that all the prophets prophesied would come.
But all those who are now in the kingdom of God is greater than John the baptist.

Heb 11:39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.