Jesus was a praiser of john the baptist

JESUS WAS A PRAISER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 11:7-157As John's discipleswere leaving,
Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What
did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed
swayed by the wind? 8If not, what did you go out to
see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who
wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. 9Then what did
you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more
than a prophet. 10This is the one aboutwhom it is
written: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who
will prepare your way before you.' 11Truly I tell you,
among those born of women there has not risen
anyone greater than John the Baptist;yet whoever is
least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12Fromthe days of John the Baptistuntil now, the
kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and
violentpeople have been raidingit. 13Forall the
Prophets and the Law prophesieduntil John. 14And if
you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to
come. 15Whoeverhas ears, let them hear.

Jesus' Praiseof John the Baptist ►
Parallel Gospels
Matthew 11:7-19
7 As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak
to the crowds about John, “Whatdid you go out into
the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8
“But what did you go out to see? A man dressedin soft
clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’
palaces!9 “But what did you go out to see? A
prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a
prophet. 10 “This is the one about whom it is written,
‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF
YOU,
WHO WILL PREPAREYOUR WAY BEFORE
YOU.’
11 “Truly I say to you, among those born of women
there has not arisenanyone greater than John the
Baptist!Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of
heaven is greater than he. 12 “Fromthe days of John

the Baptistuntil now the kingdom of heaven suffers
violence, and violentmen take it by force. 13 “For all
the prophets and the Law prophesieduntil John. 14
“And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is
Elijahwho was to come. 15 “He who has ears to hear,
let him hear.
16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is
like children sitting in the market places, who call out
to the other children, 17 and say, ‘We played the flute
for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and
you did not mourn.’ 18 “For John came neither eating
nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 19 “The
Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say,
‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of
tax collectorsand sinners!’Yet wisdom is vindicated
by her deeds.”
Luke 7:24-35
24 When the messengers of John had left, He began to
speak to the crowds about John, “Whatdid you go out
into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

25 “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in
soft clothing? Those who are splendidlyclothedand
live in luxury are found in royal palaces!26 “But what
did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you,
and one who is more than a prophet. 27 “This is the
one about whom it is written,
‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF
YOU,
WHO WILL PREPAREYOUR WAY BEFORE
YOU.’
28 “I say to you, among those born of women there is
no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the
kingdom of God is greater than he.” 29 When all the
people and the tax collectorsheard this, they
acknowledgedGod’s justice, havingbeen baptized
with the baptism of John. 30 But the Phariseesand the
lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves,not
having been baptized by John.
31 “To what then shall I compare the men of this
generation, and what are they like? 32 “They are like
children who sit in the market place and call to one
another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did

not weep.’ 33 “For John the Baptisthas come eating
no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a
demon!’ 34 “The Son of Man has come eating and
drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and
a drunkard, a friend of tax collectorsand sinners!’35
“Yet wisdom is vindicatedby all her children.”
New American Standard Bible Copyright© 1960,
1962, 1963, 1968,1971, 1972, 1973, 1975,1977, 1995 by
The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights
reserved. For Permissionto Quote Informationvisit
//www.lockman.org.
Adapted from ParallelGospels © Books for Living,
Inc. Digital Editionby V. GilbertBeers, © 2009 Bible
Studio, LLC.Usedby Permission.
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Matthew 11:11 11TrulyI tell you, among those born of
women there has not risen anyone greater than John
the Baptist;yet whoever is leastin the kingdom of
heaven is greater than he.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
The Greatness OfThe LeastChristian
Matthew 11:11
W.F. Adeney
These words of our Lord read like a paradox. They are alter the manner of
his strong startling sayings that arrestattention and dart surprising thoughts
into our mind. Nevertheless, understoodas he meant them to be, they contain
no exaggeration.
I. THE GREATNESS OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. All parties of Jews had
agreedin honouring the wonderful prophet of the wilderness. He had now
passedfrom his popular work to the seclusionof a dungeon, and the frown of
the government was upon him. In his lonely imprisonment he had been visited
by distressing doubts, and Jesus had just heard of his difficulties. But all the
more did our Lord delight to honour his forerunner, and now that John was
seenat the greatestdisadvantage, Jesus, magnanimouslypassing by the slight
offered to himself, described him with language ofthe highestpossible
honour.
1. John was greatas a man. His life was lofty, simple, unselfish, and devoted.

(1) He showedfearless couragein standing before a king and denouncing
royal wickedness.
(2) He showeddeep humility in giving place at the height of his popularity to
an obscure New-Comer.
2. John was greatas a prophet. His influence was felt throughout Palestine
and even beyond its borders. Alone, but a voice crying in the wilderness, he
thundered againstthe prevalent evils of all classes, andsucceededin
spreading an earthquake-wave through society.
3. John was greatin preparing for Christ. This was his peculiar function, and
herein lay his unique supremacy. He was the lastof the pro-Christian
prophets, and he prepared the soil for the new seedof the Word of Christ.
II. THE OBVIOUS INFERIORITYOF'THE LEAST CHRISTIAN. It would
be a piece of inordinate vanity for a commonplace Christian to pretend that
he was in himself superior to John the Baptist. There are very imperfect
Christians who yet cannot be denied the name of followers ofChrist.
1. These people are inferior in character. Comparedwith John the Baptist,
they are cowardly, selfish, and worldly.
2. These people are inferior in gifts. They are not prophets. They see no new
truth; they speak no Divine words;they do nothing remarkable, and very
little that is at all helpful to their fellows.
III. THE SECRET OF THE CHRISTIAN GREATNESS. Obviouslythis does
not consistin personal goodnessorattainment. It is purely a result of new
advantages. It is like the elevationof the dwarf on the giant's shoulders. The
rider will reachthe goalfirst if he is on a swift horse and is contending with a
foot-runner, although he may not be so agile. Modern ammunition and
military tactics give the soldiers of Europe and America an immense
advantage over barbarous warriors, although the latter may in some cases
equal them or even surpass them in strength and courage. The leastChristian
has certainadvantages which were beyond the reachof the greatestprophet.

1. The knowledge ofChrist. The context shows that John had not reachedthis
knowledge. Yetit is the heritage of every Christian.
2. The life from Christ. The Christian is redeemed, and to him a new life is
given. Christ is in him.
3. The baptism of the Holy Spirit. The world waited for that in waiting for the
advent of Christ. Christians live under the new dispensation of the Spirit.
John belongedto the servitude of the Law; Christians enjoy the sonship of the
gospel. - W.F.A.
Biblical Illustrator
There hath not arisena greaterthan John the Baptist.
Matthew 11:11
The leastin the kingdom of heaven
J. Brierley, B. A.

Is it contrary to any true theory of John's prophetical missionthat he should
be for once seizedwith a spasm of doubt? Greatmen are not at their greatest
at all times. The heavenly treasure is in earthen vessels.There are two
sufficient reasons for his doubt: —
1. Things were turning out somewhatdifferently from his own programme.
He was falling into the mistake we often make of fancying ourselves architects
in God's world, whereas we are only day labourers.
2. John's message came fromthe inside of a prison. A man of his
temperament, flung back from great activities to mope by himself, was almost
sure to get a little strained in his views of things. For such men the difficulty is
not to do hard things, but to be kept back from doing them. Note, now, the
way in which Christ deals with this message.Howis the doubter received? No
word of anger or remonstrance.
1. He gives the messengers clearproofof His Messiahship, and then, when
their back is turned, He speaks to the multitude of John in terms of
commendation.
2. Observe what Christ says concerning John — "What;went ye out for to
see." Mengo out to see whatthere is to see:what we bring to a thing
conditions what we shall bring away from it. "Notwithstanding, he that is
leastin the kingdom of heaven is greaterthan he." We are all of us higher up
than John. We are so by virtue of belonging to a dispensationbeyond his. The
baptism of Pentecostlifted the world to a higher stage, and we are on that
higher stage. Itis a glorious thought that, under God, the human race is
continually advancing.
3. Take two particulars as regards our dispensation: —
1. We have the advantage of John in the testimony we bear, from the facts we
deal with, as comparedwith those of which he spake. He sketchedthe Christ
in outline; we have the picture filled up.
2. The advantage of the workerin the Christian Church over the Baptist is
seenin the kind of effort to which he puts his hand. John's work was to bring
men to repentance;this its limit. But in the Christian Church this work is to

be carried on through all the process ofsanctification, till it lifts the soulto the
topmost heights of holiness. The element of the remarkable and extraordinary
is not always the measure of real value. John's careerwas extraordinary. We
do a work thousands have done before. Yearn not to be eccentric, but deep
and. real.
(J. Brierley, B. A.)
The infinite possibility of manhood
J. Brierley, B. A.
Eachgenerationis on higher ground than the last. Fathers, respectyour
children, they are older than you. Do people speak ofme as some forty years
of age, more or less? Nonsense.I Amos 6,000 years old, at least. I have in me
the sum of the lives and consciousnessofall who precededme, and something
new added besides. We are trees which, through the root, drink up the virtue
of the soilaround them — soilmade up of the buried generations of trees —
and bring forth also something new in their own fruit and flower. In the light
of this, what business have we to be always looking to the past, as if there were
nothing of goodness orvalue in the world but what is hundreds and thousands
of years old:' You get people who, in religion, are nothing if not antiquarian.
If Quakers, they think there were never such days as those of George Fox;if
Methodists, there will never be the like again of John Wesleyand his fellows;
if Churchmen, they grope about amongst the fathers, and hold that wisdom
and worth died with them. This is a wrong mood of mind. We want to take in
all our predecessors canteachus: hut, oh, if we have faith in the living God we
shall have belief in the boundless possibilities also, ofthe present and of the
future. Man is going on. He is pushed up from behind. He is drawn up from
above. Yes [ John is mighty in his generation. But those who come after are
higher than he. Onward, upward l Oh, that we may not hinder the progress in
ourselves, but spreadevery sail, stretchevery stitch of canvas to the breeze
that bears us along to the celestialcountry!
(J. Brierley, B. A.)

Greaterthan the Baptist.
CapetMolyneux, B. A.
I. THE MEANING OF THE TEXT. The first clause is simple enough; it states
that John Baptist was greaterthan all who preceded him. The secondclause is
the difficulty leastin the kingdom of heaven is greaterthan he." What is
intended by "the kingdom of heaven" — the kingdom of glory, or of grace, or
both? It is of course true that the leastin heaven is greaterand more
privileged than John. It is better to he with Christ than on earth. But the
kingdom of glory is not meant here. The term is almost universally used with
reference to the kingdom of Godon earth. "The kingdom of heaven, or the
kingdom of God, cometh not with observation." This refers to earth: the
heavenly kingdom will come with splendour. The gospeldispensationis
intended. Who are the least:' Not the apostles, but the saint.
II. THE REASON. In what sense Johnwas greaterthan all who preceded
him.
1. One might take the personal characterofJohn, and his superiority will be
seemHis zealwas great, he was the messengerbefore our Lord. This
establishes the greatsuperiority of John. No prophet actually prepared the
way of the Saviour. Realgreatness is approximation to God. The man who
knows Godbest is greatest. Who was ever brought into such nearconnection
with God as John? He was the friend of the Bridegroom. The dispensation of
John was peculiar; he stood betweenthe law and the gospel. How is it that the
leastin the kingdom of heaven is greaterthan John? Observe the expression
"leastin the kingdom of heaven." Johnwas not in the kingdom of heaven. It
all turns upon this. Our Lord draws the contrast. John was the greatestofall
who went before him; but the leastin the kingdom of heaven was greaterthan
he — hot in heaven, but on earth.The kingdom of heaven, in the sense here
intended, commencedwith the day of Pentecost;it is essentiallyconnected
both with the in-dwelling and out-pouring of the Holy Ghost. John said. "He
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost."

1. The leastin the kingdom of heavenis participator of all that the God of
heaven canbestow. Nothing more can be given him.
2. The leastin the kingdom of heavenis a member of the bride's.
3. The leastin the kingdom of heavenis a temple of the Holy Ghost.
4. The leastin the kingdom of heavenhas the spirit of adoption — the spirit of
a son.
5. The leastin the kingdom of heavenis brought into relationship with eachof
the Persons in the Trinity, in a sense which John was not.
6. The leastin the kingdom of heavenmay therefore become the greatest. Let
us realize the greatness ofthe gospeldispensation.
(Capet Molyneux, B. A.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(11) There hath not risen a greater.—Thegreatness ofmen is measuredby a
divine not a human standard. The prophet, who was more than a prophet, the
herald or the forerunner of the kingdom, was greaterin his work, his holiness,
his intuition of the truth, than the far-off patriarchs, than David or Solomon,
and, à fortiori, than the conquerors and the destroyers, suchas Alexander,
Pompey, Herod, on whom the world bestowedthe title of “the great” ones.
He that is leastin the kingdom of heaven.—The Greek gives the comparative,
not the superlative—he whose relative position in the kingdom of heaven is
less than that of John. Very many commentators have thought, strangely
enough, that our Lord referred in these words to Himself. He in the eyes of
men was esteemedless than the Baptist, and yet was really greater. But this is
surely not the meaning of the words. (1) It would be but a poor truism to have

declaredthat the King was greaterthan the herald; and (2) there is no
example of our Lord’s so speaking ofHimself elsewhere. Onthe other hand,
He does speak of His disciples as the “little ones” who believe on Him
(Matthew 10:42), and as applied to them the words have a meaning at once
natural and adequate. The leastof His disciples, rejoicing in His presence, in
communion with Him, in His revelationof the Father, though less than John
in fame, work, the rigour of ascetic holiness, wasyet above him in the
knowledge ofthe truth, and therefore in blessednessandjoy.
BensonCommentary
Matthew 11:11. Among them that are born of women — That is, among the
whole race of mankind in all former ages, there hath not risen a greaterthan
John the Baptist— As John, with regard to his religious and moral character,
was the best of men, so he had some peculiar honours superior to any prophet
of former generations. “OurLord,” says Macknight, “honouredthe Baptist
with the magnificent title of the greatestofall the prophets, under the law, for
four reasons. 1st, He was the subject of ancient prophecies, and had long been
expectedby the people of God under the characterofElias, a name given him
by Malachi, because he was to possessthe spirit and power of Elias. 2d, His
conceptionand birth had been accompaniedwith miracles. 3d, When the
seasonofhis inspiration came, he was favoured with a clearerrevelation
concerning the Messiahthan had been enjoyed by any of the prophets under
the law. 4th, By his preaching he prepared the Jews for receiving the gospel,
and consequentlybegan that more excellentdispensation.” Notwithstanding,
he that is leastin the kingdom of heaven — That is, in the gospeldispensation,
when fully opened, understood, and enjoyed in all its privileges and blessings,
is greaterthan he — ForChrist’s ministers, and even his real people in
general, under the gospel, were to receive superior supplies of the Spirit, and
know many important truths respecting our Lord and his kingdom which had
not been revealedto John himself. So Doddridge understands the clause. But
Baxter confines it to Christ’s ministers, paraphrasing the verse thus: “There
hath not been a greaterthan John before him; as being nearestthe kingdom
of the Messiah:but yet the leastof my ministers in this my kingdom is greater

than he, and shall have more eminent gifts of the Spirit, as well as a more
excellentoffice and work; so far shall my kingdom, begun after my ascension,
excelall ages that were before it.” Others, again, think the expression, is
greaterthan he, is only applicable to Christ’s first servants, namely, the
apostles and evangelists, andNew Testamentprophets, and interpret the
words thus: “Thoughthe Baptist excelledall the preceding prophets, the least
inspired person in the kingdom of heaven, the leastapostle or preacherof the
gospel, was a greaterprophet than he, being much better acquaintedwith the
character, disposition, and doctrine of Christ. They were also employed, not in
making preparation for, but in erecting the Messiah’skingdom; hence they
were greaterthan the Baptist in respectof the dignity of their office.
Moreover, having gifts bestowedonthem to fit them for that office, far
superior to his, they were greaterin respectof their illumination. They had
the Spirit so dwelling in them, that, on all occasionsthey could declare the will
of God infallibly, being, as it were, living oracles. To conclude, as they had
likewise beenthe subjects of ancient oracles,Acts 2:16, they had long been
expectedby the people of God.”
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
11:7-15 What Christ saidconcerning John, was not only for his praise, but for
the people's profit. Those who attend on the word will be calledto give an
accountof their improvements. Do we think when the sermonis done, the care
is over? No, then the greatestofthe care begins. John was a self-denying man,
dead to all the pomps of the world and the pleasures of sense. It becomes
people, in all their appearances, to be consistentwith their characterand their
situation. John was a greatand goodman, yet not perfect; therefore he came
short of glorified saints. The leastin heavenknows more, loves more, and does
more in praising God, and receives more from him, than the greatestin this
world. But by the kingdom of heaven here, is rather to be understood the
kingdom of grace, the gospeldispensationin its power and purity. What
reasonwe have to be thankful that our lot is castin the days of the kingdom of
heaven, under such advantages oflight and love! Multitudes were wrought
upon by the ministry of John, and became his disciples. And those strove for a
place in this kingdom, that one would think had no right nor title to it, and so
seemedto be intruders. It shows us what fervency and zeal are required of all.

Self must be denied; the bent, the frame and temper of the mind must be
altered. Those who will have an interest in the great salvation, will have it
upon any terms, and not think them hard, nor quit their hold without a
blessing. The things of God are of greatand common concern. Godrequires
no more from us than the right use of the faculties he has given us. People are
ignorant, because they will not learn.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Among them that are born of women- This is an emphatic way of saying that
there "had never" been a greater"man" than John. See Job 14:1.
He that is leastin the kingdom of heavenis greaterthan he - The phrase
"kingdom of heaven" is used in many senses. See the notes at Matthew 3:2. It
here probably means, "in preaching the kingdom of God," or the gospel. It
could hardly be affirmed of the obscurestand most ignorant Christian that he
had clearerviews than Isaiahor John; but of the apostles ofthe Saviour, of
the first preachers who were with him and who heard his instructions, it
might be said that they had more correctapprehensions than any of the
ancient prophets, or than John.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
2. Now when John had heard in the prison—Forthe accountof this
imprisonment, see on [1261]Mr6:17-20.
the works ofChrist, he sent, &c.—Onthe whole passage, seeon[1262]Lu
7:18-35.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Ver. 10,11. St. Luke hath the same, Luke 7:27,28, only he saith, there is not a
greaterprophet than John the Baptist. It was written, Malachi3:1, Behold, I
will send my messenger, andhe shall prepare the way before me: and the
Lord, whom ye seek,shallsuddenly come to his temple, even the messengerof
the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of
hosts. The latter part was a prophecy of Christ. The former part a prophecy
of John the Baptist, and applied to him not in this text only, but Mark 1:2

Luke 1:76 7:27. Christ is set out as a greatPrince, who sends his harbingers
before him to prepare his way, and by John’s preaching we may learn the
ministers’ duty, who are to prepare Christ’s way to people’s souls, viz. to
preach repentance and faith in Christ.
Verily I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there hath not
risen a greater;that is, (as Luke expounds it), a greaterprophet; i.e. amongst
all the prophets of the Old Testament, Godraisedup none greaterthan John.
Notwithstanding he that is leastin the kingdom of heaven is greaterthan he.
Mr. Calvin and many others think that by this phrase is to be understood, the
leastof those who shall preach the gospelafter my resurrectionwill be greater
than he, that is, as to their doctrine. John could only declare me to be come.
They shall preach me, as having died for my people’s sins, and risen again for
their justification, Romans 4:25. The death and the resurrectionof Christ
were indeed greatpoints of the gospel, which John could only prophesy of, not
preach of, and declare us things in his time accomplished.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Verily I say unto you,.... What Christ had before said, he proved from a
testimony of Scripture; what he was about to say depending on his word, he
asseveratesin the most solemnmanner:
among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greaterthan John
the Baptist. The phrase, "them that are born of women", is a "periphrasis",
of men born into the world by ordinary generation;see Job 14:1 and the sense
is, that of all the prophets that have been in the world, since the beginning of
it, Moses himselfnot excepted, there has not been raisedup by God a greater
prophet than John, the first administrator of baptism; were but considered,
the uncommonness of his birth, his being filled with the Holy Ghostfrom his
mother's womb, his exemplary life, the excellencyof his doctrine; and
especially, his work and office, as the harbinger of Christ, and the preparer of
his ways.

Notwithstanding, he that is leastin the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he;
which is to be understood, not of Christ, who was youngerin age, and a junior
preacher, and less in the esteemof the Pharisees, being greaterthan he, in
nature and office, nor of the saints in heaven, where he that was least, the
meanest, and most abject, when on earth, is more happy than John, who was
then in prison; nor of all the believers under the Gospeldispensation;but of
the apostles ofChrist, and the leastamong them, who were then the kingdom
of heaven, or the visible Gospelchurch state. These had a better opportunity
of conversing with Christ, and of seeing and hearing the things they did, than
John had; they had the power of performing miracles, which John had not;
were immediately sent forth by Christ, to preach the Gospel, and had a
clearerinsight into the truths of it, than John; especially, after the Holy Ghost
was in such an extraordinary manner poured forth upon them, on the day of
Pentecost;particularly after the death and resurrection of Christ, they were
able to preach him, not only as come in the flesh, but as having suffered and
died, and obtained eternalredemption: they could speak ofhis blood being
shed, of his righteousness being wrought out, and of his sacrifice and
satisfactionas made, which John could not; and besides, were more successful
in the conversionof sinners, both Jews and Gentiles, than ever he was. The
comparisondoes not lie so much betweentheir persons, as their several
different degrees oflight and doctrine.
Geneva Study Bible
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not
risen a greaterthan John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is leastin the
{c} kingdom of heaven is greaterthan he.
(c) In the new state of the Church where the true glory of God shines: the
people are not comparedtogether, but the types of doctrines, the preaching of
John with the law and the prophets: and again, the most clearpreaching of
the gospelis compared with John's.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary

Matthew 11:11. Ἐν γενν. γυν.] among those born of woman. Intended to
denote the categoryofmen according to that nature which is peculiar to the
whole race in virtue of its origin (mortality, weakness,sinfulness, and so on).
Sir 10:18. Comp. ‫י‬ ְ‫ל‬ ‫ּו‬‫,הָּׁשִא־ד‬ Job14:1; Job 15:14;Job 25:4; see also on
Galatians 4:4. Forἐγήγερται (by God), comp. Luke 7:16; John 7:52; Acts
13:22 f.
μωίζων] a greater, one more distinguished generally, and that just because he
is this promised herald of God who was to precede the Messiah. The words do
not warrant our interpreting them to mean: a greaterprophet, as has been
done by Rosenmüller, Kuinoel, and the older critics.
ὁ δὲ μικρότερος, κ.τ.λ.]he, however, who is less in the kingdom of heaven is
greaterthan he. It is to be observed, (1) that neither here nor elsewhere does
the comparative stand for the superlative; (2) that, according to the context,
the reference ofthe comparative (see μείζωνἸωάννου, and afterwards μείζων
αὐτοῦ)need not be lookedfor elsewhere but in Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ;[442]
(3) that, since ὁ μικρότερος cannotreferto Jesus, it is (Matthew 18:1;
Matthew 18:4) necessarilylimited and defined by ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν
οὐρανῶν, with which it has been connectedby Isidore, Cyril, Theodoret,
Heracleon(see Cramer, Cat. p. 85). Hence it is to be explained thus: But he
who stands lower in the kingdom of the Messiah, stands (according to the
divine standard) higher than he. Notas if John would be excluded (as against
this, see Matthew 10:41) from the kingdom of Messiahthat was about to be
established, but the standpoint of those who share in the kingdom is compared
with the high position which, as still belonging to the ancient theocracy, the
Baptist occupies in the αἰὼν οὗτος. There he is the greatestofall; yet he who is
lowerin the approaching kingdom of the Messiah, and can by no means
compare himself with the eminent personage in question, is, nevertheless,
greaterthan he. Thus the βασίλεια τῶν οὐρανῶν, raised above the Old
Testamentorder of things, simply appears as the state of perfectiontowards
which the theocracy, ending with John, its foremostrepresentative, is only the

first step. Others (Chrysostom, Hilary, Theophylact, Euth. Zigabenus,
Erasmus, Luther, Melanchthon, Osiander, Jansen, Corn. a Lapide, Calovius,
Fritzsche, Fleck, de regno div. p. 83) interpret: he who, as comparedwith him,
retires into the shade (Jesus, μικρότερος κατὰ τὴνἡλικίανκαὶ κατὰ τὴν
πολλῶν δόξαν, Chrysostom)will, as Messiah, outshine him in the kingdom of
heaven. These expositors have rightly understood the comparative μικρότερος
as comparing some one with the Baptist; but how extremely improbable that
Jesus, conscious as He was of a Messiahshipthat had been divinely confirmed
at His baptism, and with the multitudes flocking around Him, would have
spokenof Himself as μικρότερος than John the prisoner! And is it not utterly
foreign to the contextto suppose that He would here have compared Himself
with the Baptist? Finally, were the ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν, again
(referred to what follows), only an awkwardtoning down of the sharp
characterof the statement, it would have been far more sensible (since Jesus
would mean Himself as the Messiah, whose greatnessin the Messianic
kingdom is a matter of course)if He had merely said with regardto Himself: ὁ
δὲ μικρότερος μείζωναὐτοῦ ἐστιν.
[442]Therefore not: less than the others who participate in the kingdom, as it
has been commonly understood of late (Winer, Buttmann, Bleek, Weizsäcker,
Keim), according to which view the superlative sense is developed, as in
Matthew 18:1; Luke 22:24. So Bengelalso:“minimus in regno coelorumest
minimus civium regni.” Keim sarcasticallyobserves that, according to the
view I have given above, John “would still occupya subordinate place even in
heaven,” and I confess that I am at a loss to comprehend how one can
understand ver. 11 in such a way as to exclude (so also Schenkel)the Baptist
from the kingdom of heaven, in which, however, the patriarchs and prophets
find a place. Where is the Baptist’s place to be? Outside the kingdom is τὸ
σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον, Matthew 8:12. And outside the church, if this be
understood (though erroneously)as what is meant by the kingdom, is the
κόσμος of unbelievers. This also in answerto Weizsäcker, p. 411 f.;
Weissenbach, p. 31 f.; Weiss.
Expositor's Greek Testament

Matthew 11:11-12. This is the further justification of the περισσ. desiderated.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
11. he that is leastin the kingdom of heaven]Literally, he that is less, either
(1) than John or (2) than others. Those who are in the kingdom, who are
brought nearer to God and have clearerspiritual knowledge ofGod, have
higher privileges than the greatestofthose who lived before the time of
Christ.
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 11:11. Οὐκ ἐγήγερται, there has not arisen) or there hath not been
raisedup as yet. The verb ἐγείρεσθαι, denotes an office conferred.—ἐν
γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν, among them that are born of women) An expressionof
universal extent. Thus, ἐν γυναίξιν, among women, of the blessednessofMary,
Luke 1:28.—μείζων, a greater, sc. prophet) See Luke 7:28; Luke 1:15, even if
he be comparedwith Enoch, Moses, andElias.—τοῦ βαπτισοῦ, the Baptist) He
was already then distinguished by this surname, on accountof the novelty and
magnitude of the matter, not merely afterwards to distinguish him from John
the apostle.—ὁδὲ μικρότερος, but the least)The comparative with the article
has the force of a superlative. As far as John excels every one, even the
greatestofthe ancientprophets, so far is John himself excelledby every one,
even the least, in the kingdom of heaven, whether he be a preacherof Christ,
or merely a citizen thereof. John himself was not yet in the kingdom of
heaven, but he preceded it [as a herald].[519]Jesus is not the leastIN the
kingdom of heaven, but is the King Himself; and He Himself is implied by the
kingdom of heaven, which John announced.—See Matthew 11:10;Matthew
11:3, and ch. Matthew 3:11. And the less and the greaterare here spokenof as
they are, not in the opinion of men, but in reality, in the knowledge ofthe
revealedChrist.—See 1 Peter1:12. The idea of external appearance, in
Matthew 11:6, does not come in here. Jesus was despisedand unknown
amongstmen, but He was not the least, as far as the kingdom of heavenwas
concerned;all the citizens of the kingdom of heaven alreadyacknowledged
Him as their King.—Cf. the phrase in ch. v. 19. He is never calledless than
John, nor leastin the kingdom of heaven. The leastin the kingdom of heaven,

is the leastof the citizens of the kingdom. In that THIRD point[520] in which
John is greaterthan others, the leastin the kingdom of heaven is less than the
other citizens of the kingdom of heaven. John did not yet know all, which at
present even catechumens know from the Apostles’Creed. A noble climax—
prophet, John, apostle or Christian. It is greater, in this kind of comparisonof
the Old and New Testament, to know things present than things future,
howeverbrief be the interval which separates them from the present;[521] but
in another point of view, the knowledge offuturity is an especialdistinction
conferredby GOD.
[519]Even at that time the Apostles themselves already were superior to John
in their baptizing and teaching, John 4:2; Matthew 10:7, etc.—Harm., p. 299),
at the end.
[520]Beng. seems to me to use Tertium here in the logicalsense ofthe
intermediate term, affording a point of comparisonbetweenthe other two: as
here John stands midway betweenthe Old Test. covenantand its prophets, on
the one hand, and the N. Test. kingdom, and its preachers and members, on
the other.—ED.
[521]In the original, “scire præsentia quam futura, quamvis proxime futura;”
lit. “to know present than future [things], although most closelyfuture” i.e.
“to know the things that are, than those that are to be hereafter, however
close that hereaftermay be to the present.”—(I. B.)
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 11. - Verily. Matthew only. This solemn asseveration(Matthew 5:18,
nine) would the more remind them of their duty towards John; and, if its
force may be extended to the next clause, calltheir attention the more forcibly
to his being only the herald of better things. I sayunto you, Among them that
are born of women (Job 14:1) there hath not risen. These last words have the

emphasis in the Greek, οὐκ ἐγήγερται, i.e. to work and energy as a prophet
(Luke 7:16; Matthew 24:11, 24). A greaterthan John the Baptist. This seems
almost less praise than ver. 9. But our Lord probably intended to tacitly meet
the objectionthat Moses orAbraham was to be listened to rather than John
(cf. Matthew 3:9, note). Notwithstanding (yet, RevisedVersion) he that is least
(but little, RevisedVersion, ὁ δὲ μικότερος:cf. μείζων, Matthew 18:1) in the
kingdom of heaven is greaterthan he. The weakestChristianis greaterin
privileges than the greatestofthe Old Testamentsaints. John could preach
repentance, but the joys of redemption he knew nothing cf. He is therefore
judged according to the rule, "Minimum maximi mains estmaximo minimi"
(cf. Holtzmann, 'Hand-Commentar,' p. 134).
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BARCLAY
The AccentOf Admiration (Matthew 11:7-11)
11:7-11 When they were going away, Jesus beganto speak to the crowds
about John. "What did you go out to the desertto see?" he said. "Was it a
reed shakenby the wind? If it was not that, what did you go out to see? Was it
to see a man clothedin luxurious clothes? Look you, the people who wear
luxurious clothes are in kings'houses. If it was not that, what did you go out
to see? Was it to see a prophet? Indeed it was, I tell you, and something
beyond a prophet. This is he of whom it stands written: 'Look you, I am
sending before you my messenger, who will prepare your waybefore you.'
This is the truth I tell you--amongst those born of women no greaterfigure
than John the Baptizer has ever emergedin history. But the leastin the
Kingdom of Heavenis greaterthan he is."

There are few men to whom Jesus paid so tremendous a tribute as he did to
John the Baptizer. He begins by asking the people what they went into the
desertto see whenthey streamed out to John.
(i) Did they go out to see a reed shakenby the wind? That canmean one of
two things: (a) Downby the banks of the Jordan the long cane grass grew;
and the phrase a shakenreed was a kind of proverb for the commonestof
sights. When the people flockedto see John, were they going out to see
something as ordinary as the reeds swaying in the wind on Jordan's banks?
(b) A shakenreedcan mean a weak vacillator, one who could no more stand
foursquare to the winds of danger than a reed by the river's bank could stand
straight when the wind blew.
Whateverelse the people flockedout to the desert to see, they certainly did not
go to see anordinary person. The very factthat they did go out in their
crowds showedhow extraordinary John was, for no one would cross the
street, let alone tramp into the desert, to see a commonplace kind of person.
Whateverelse they went out to see, they did not go to see a weak vacillator.
Mr. Pliables do not end in prison as martyrs for the truth. John was neither as
ordinary as a shakenreed, nor as spineless as the reed which sways with every
breeze.
(ii) Did they go out to see a man clothed in softand luxurious garments? Such
a man would be a courtier; and, whatever else John was, he was not a
courtier. He knew nothing of the courtier's art of the flattery of kings;he
followedthe dangerous occupationoftelling the truth to kings. John was the
ambassadorofGod, not the courtier of Herod.
(iii) Did they go out to see a prophet? The prophet is the forthteller of the
truth of God. The prophet is the man in the confidence of God. "Surely the
Lord God does nothing, without revealing his secretto his servants the
prophets" (Amos 3:7). The prophet is two things--he is the man with a
messagefrom God, and he is the man with the courage to deliver that
message. The prophet is the man with God's wisdom in his mind, God's truth
on his lips, and God's courage in his heart. That most certainly John was.

(iv) But John was something more than a prophet. The Jews had, and still
have, one settled belief. They believed that before the Messiahcame, Elijah
would return to herald his coming. To this day, when the Jews celebrate the
PassoverFeast,a vacant chair is left for Elijah. "BeholdI will send you Elijah
the prophet, before the greatand terrible day of the Lord comes" (Malachi
4:5). Jesus declaredthat John was nothing less than the divine herald whose
duty and privilege it was to announce the coming of the Messiah. Johnwas
nothing less than the herald of God, and no man could have a greatertask
than that.
(v) Such was the tremendous tribute of Jesus to John, spokenwith the accent
of admiration. There had never been a greaterfigure in all history; and then
comes the startling sentence:"But he who is leastin the Kingdom of Heaven is
greaterthan he."
Here there is one quite generaltruth. With Jesus there came into the world
something absolutelynew. The prophets were great;their message was
precious;but with Jesus there emergedsomething still greater, and a message
still more wonderful. C. G. Montefiore, himself a Jew and not a Christian,
writes: "Christianity does mark a new era in religious history and in human
civilization. What the world owes to Jesus and to Paul is immense; things can
never be, and men can never think, the same as things were, and as men
thought, before these two greatmen lived." Even a non-Christian freely
admits that things could never be the same now that Jesus had come.
But what was it that John lacked? Whatis it that the Christian has that John
could never have? The answeris simple and fundamental. John had never
seenthe Cross. Therefore one thing John could never know--the full
revelation of the love of God. The holiness of God he might know;the justice
of God he might declare;but the love of God in all its fulness he could never
know. We have only to listen to the messageofJohn and the message ofJesus.
No one could call John's messagea gospel, goodnews;it was basicallya threat
of destruction. It took Jesus and his Cross to show to men the length, breadth,
depth and height of the love of God. It is a most amazing thing that it is
possible for the humblest Christian to know more about God than the greatest
of the Old Testamentprophets. The man who has seenthe Cross has seenthe

heart of God in a waythat no man who lived before the Cross couldever see
it. Indeed the leastin the Kingdom of Heaven is greaterthan any man who
went before.
So John had the destiny which sometimes falls to men; he had the task of
pointing men to a greatness into which he himself did not enter. It is given to
some men to be the signposts of God. They point to a new ideal and a new
greatness whichothers will enter into, but into which they will not come. It is
very seldom that any greatreformer is the first man to toil for the reform with
which his name is connected. Many who went before him glimpsed the glory,
often laboured for it, and sometimes died for it.
Someone tells how from the windows of his house every evening he used to
watchthe lamp-lighter go along the streets lighting the lamps--and the lamp-
lighter was himself a blind man. He was bringing to others the light which he
himself would never see. Let a man never be discouragedin the Church or in
any other walk of life, if the dream he has dreamed and for which he has
toiled is never workedout before the end of the day. God needed John; God
needs his signposts who can point men on the way, although they themselves
cannot ever reachthe goal.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR
Verses 7-9
Matthew 11:7-9
What went ye out into the wilderness to see?
The attractiveness ofJohn the Baptist
What is it in human characterthat exerts the most powerful influence over
the hearts of men?

1. Is it what is generallycalled amiability? Is it “a reed shakenby the wind?”
a characterthat bends at the first expressionof adverse opinion? Is this the
characterthat wins the human heart? That which really draws us to itself is
the man who is strong enough to resistwith tenderness.
2. Are we, then, generallyattracted by the attributes of high station? “Clothed
in soft raiment.” Few people are insensible to the attraction of high station; it
has often the charm of old associations and achievements. Butdoes it draw
our hearts? His life may contradictthe high ideal his position would lead us to
expect; and these decorations are outside the man.
3. Is it mental powerwhich most powerfully affect us? Many a man bows
down to intellect who would not to wealth. Intellect is attractive, but its
attractionis not universal; it is not powerful; there are large regions of heart
in our nature where it does not touch. Intellect may forfeit its power by being
divorced from goodness-“More than a prophet.”
4. The feeling which is always inspired by a greatreligious soul of whose
consistencywe are well assured, but which we only half understand. Such a
characterlives before us evidently in constantcommunion with God while
shrouding from the public eye much which our curiosity would fain explore.
Without analyzing their feelings, the multitude felt that in coming near to the
Baptist they were like men who stoodat the base of a mountain which buries
its summit in the clouds of heaven. John was not discreditedby his
imprisonment; he was a prophet still; so our Lord would have them
understand. (CanonLiddon.)
Conceptions ofreligion
I. There are those whose idea of religion is a weak, vacillating, or vague
principle. It has no strong hold in their minds or hearts. To how many is
religion hardly more than a mere curiosity, or a transcientexcitement, like
wind blowing among reeds. But these words are meant to describe the
preconceptions ofthe multitude respecting John. For, after all, it may be said
of the mass of men that their feeling in regardto religionis not one of

curiosity; there is a deep sense ofsomething in the thing itself, and not in the
mere manner of presenting it; but it is not held to be a strong principle, fitted
for maturity, or, if they do not conceive it to be vacillating and weak, they
hold it fitfully, or else it is merely in a traditional way that men hold religion;
or perhaps religion is held by them because it is respectable.
II. That there is a class to whom religion is merely an affair of sentiment. They
are representedby those people who expectedto see the Baptist clothed in soft
raiment. There are those to whom religion is a matter of aesthetic beauty. In
another view, religionis to some a matter of softraiment, from the idea that it
is merely a matter of comfortand consolation. Others do not like a religion
that has anything to do with agitation or reform. There are some who do not
like to hear hard, sharp epithets from the preacher.
III. There are those who regard religion in its supernatural character, They
look for nothing less remarkable or worthy than a prophet. They view religion
solelyin its connectionwith miracles. The supernatural is not the exclusive
element in religion; religion touches our common daily life. What is religionto
you? (E. H. Chapin.)
The only realmoral powerinfluencing the world is courage in acting up to
our convictions
Those who have not this are reeds. They may be classifiedthus:-
1. The irresolute; the soul which never can be got to take a decided line. But it
puts off this necessaryreformation; and so, although it has gota full flowery
head of goodintentions, they all blow awayin the wills.
2. The backsliding; sincere in its weak, wateryway, desiring to do what is
right, but never able to stand alone-always falling for want of a prop.
3. The frivolous; unable to form a serious purpose, or take a grave view of its
responsibilities. The frivolous mind is a mind outside the person;there is only
emptiness within, and the mind is occupied only with externals. It is a more

mischievous reed than the preceding;the winds that blow it about are fashion,
folly, pleasure.
4. The timorous; a weak little rush, harmless, not noxious. It will not
undertake a duty, lest it should not have strength to carry it on. (S. Baring-
Gould, M. A.)
A reed is
1. A light man, inconsistent, tossedto and fro; at one time, impelled by the
words of flatterers, he asserts something;again, being driven by detractors, he
denies it, as a reedis blown in different directions by different winds.
2. A man devoid of truth, virtue, and consistency-withoutstamina.
3. One who has no fruit of goodworks to show.
4. He who is delighted with, and feeds upon, the fluctuating pleasures of the
world. For a reed is dry, yet it grows beside the waters. (Lapide.)
The ends of the Sacrament
Basedon the expression, “Whatwent ye out for to see?” Whenwe are going to
an ordinance, we should considerour aim, and what we are going about. In
every action we should reflectupon the principles and ends, the reasons that
move us to any duty. The ends of the Lord’s Supper are-
I. To be a badge of profession. Professionis a greatmatter for two reasons.
1. Casesmay happen in which professionis like to costus dear.
2. We are bound to a profession, not in word only, but in deed. He is not a
professorwhose life is not a hymn to God. What are the excellencesofthe
Christian profession? Sure principles of trust, or commerce, betweenus and
God, for mercies of daily providence, pardon, and life, excellentrewards, and
holy precepts of purity and charity. Now if we transgress any of these, we
dishonour our profession.

II. To be a sealof the covenant. On our part an obligationto obedience;God
bindeth Himself to be our God, and we bind ourselves to be His people.
III. To be a pledge of heaven.
IV. To be a sign, means, and pledge of our communion with Christ.
V. To be a means of our spiritual growth and nourishment.
VI. To be a memorial of Christ’s death. VII. To be a pledge of his coming. If
these be the ends of the sacrament, you see whatneed there is of preparation.
(Thomas Manton.)
How may we give Christ a satisfying accountwhy we attend upon the ministry
of the Word?-
I. Those that attend upon the ministry of the word should propose unto
themselves some end why they do it.
1. Some propose no end at all.
2. Some propose ends downright sinful.
3. Some propose ends frivolous and trifling.
II. Those that propose a goodend must call themselves to a strict accounthow
that end is obtained or lost.
1. He must give such an accountas a scholarto his teacher, of what he learns.

2. As a stewardto his master.
3. As a debtor to his creditor (Matthew 18:23-24).
4. As a malefactorto a judge (Matthew 12:36-37).
III. The strict accountwe take of ourselves must be frequent. Inferences:
1. It is not the bare hearing of the best preachers that will save you.
2. Remove those hindrances which prevent any soul business.
3. Call yourself to accountbefore and after hearing the Word of God.
4. Christ asks thee here in this world, that thou mayeststand at the last day,
when there will be no time to rectify.
5. If you do not give Christ an answerwhich He will accept, it is vain to expect
relief from any other. (S. Annesley, D. D.)
Christ praising the Baptist
The time to praise:-Due praise is to be given to the goodparts and practices of
others; but rather behind their backs than before their faces, lestwe be
suspectedof flattery, than which nothing is more odious. Aristobulus, the
historian, wrote a flattering book of the brave acts of Alexander the Great,
and presentedit to him. He readit, and then castit into the river, telling the
author that he deservedto be treatedas his book was. (John Trapp.)
Men see wheatthey go out to see
A geologistand a botanist take a walk together. They go over the same
country, but the geologistseesthe lie of the strata, the botanist sees the wild
flowerunder the hedge. So it is in the world of the moral and the spiritual.
What we are spiritually all goes into our vision. (J. Brierley, B. A.)
The reed of the Jordan
Mr. Macgregor, knownas Rob Roy, gives the following precise description of
this reed. “There is first a lateral trunk lying on the waterand half

submerged. This is sometimes as thick as a man’s body, and from its lower
side hang innumerable string-like roots, from three to five feet long, and of a
deep purple colour. On the upper surface of the trunks the stems grow
alternately in oblique rows;their thickness at the junction is often four inches,
and their height fifteen feet, gracefully tapering until a: the top is a little
round knob, with long, thin, brown, wire-like hairs, eighteeninches long,
which rise, and then, recurving, hang about it in a thyrsus-shaped head.”
Verse 10
Matthew 11:10
Which shall prepare Thy way before Thee.
Preparations for Christ’s coming
God does not seem, as a rule, to allow any greattruth or blessing to burst
upon the world without some sort of preparation. In this case two series of
preparations:
I. Courage to tear the mask from evils and abuses, and this implies
II. Disinterestedness. Aman may be brave, and yet he may be selfish; he may
work and endure, yet only for himself. John Baptist had to resistthis
temptation. Some of his disciples would have liked him to become the founder
of a new religious school. But he himself never yielded to the temptation to
make selfish capital, in the way of influence or consideration, out of his
popular power. He everregarded it as his highestwork and glory to bury his
own miserable self beneath the surpassing greatnessofhis commissionfrom
Heaven. (CanonLiddon.)

John as forerunner of Jesus.
I. ‘Tis written in the prophets that such a messengershe,ridgo before and
prepare the wayof the Messias.
II. St. John was the person, or he of whom this was written.
III. In what manner did he prepare the way of the Lord?
1. Notwith any worldly pomp or splendour.
2. Notby calling upon the inhabitants of the earth to meet their Lord in state
and magnificence.
3. It was by preaching repentance, and turning men from their sins. (Matthew
Hole.)
Verse 11
Matthew 11:11
There hath not arisena greaterthan John the Baptist.
The leastin the kingdom of heaven
Is it contrary to any true theory of John’s prophetical missionthat he should
be for once seizedwith a spasm of doubt? Greatmen are not at their greatest
at all times. The heavenly treasure is in earthen vessels.There are two
sufficient reasons for his doubt:-

1. Things were turning out somewhatdifferently from his own programme.
He was falling into the mistake we often make of fancying ourselves architects
in God’s world, whereas we are only day labourers.
2. John’s message came from the inside of a prison. A man of his
temperament, flung back from great activities to mope by himself, was almost
sure to get a little strained in his views of things. For such men the difficulty is
not to do hard things, but to be kept back from doing them. Note, now, the
way in which Christ deals with this message.
How is the doubter received? No word of angeror remonstrance.
1. He gives the messengers clearproofof His Messiahship, and then, when
their back is turned, He speaks to the multitude of John in terms of
commendation.
2. Observe what Christ says concerning John-“What; went ye out for to see.”
Men go out to see what there is to see:what we bring to a thing conditions
what we shall bring awayfrom it. “Notwithstanding, he that is leastin the
kingdom of heaven is greaterthan he.” We are all of us higher up than John.
We are so by virtue of belonging to a dispensation beyond his. The baptism of
Pentecostlifted the world to a higher stage, and we are on that higher stage. It
is a glorious thought that, under God, the human race is continually
advancing.
3. Take two particulars as regards our dispensation:-
1. We have the advantage of John in the testimony we bear, from the facts we
deal with, as comparedwith those of which he spake. He sketchedthe Christ
in outline; we have the picture filled up.
2. The advantage of the workerin the Christian Church over the Baptist is
seenin the kind of effort to which he puts his hand. John’s work was to bring
men to repentance;this its limit. But in the Christian Church this work is to
be carried on through all the process ofsanctification, till it lifts the soulto the
topmost heights of holiness. The element of the remarkable and extraordinary
is not always the measure of real value. John’s careerwas extraordinary. We

do a work thousands have done before. Yearn not to be eccentric, but deep
and real. (J. Brierley, B. A.)
The infinite possibility of manhood
Eachgenerationis on higher ground than the last. Fathers, respectyour
children, they are older than you. Do people speak ofme as some forty years
of age, more or less? Nonsense.I am 6,000 years old, at least. I have in me the
sum of the lives and consciousnessofall who precededme, and something new
added besides. We are trees which, through the root, drink up the virtue of
the soilaround them-soil made up of the buried generations of trees-andbring
forth also something new in their own fruit and flower. In the light of this,
what business have we to be always looking to the past, as if there were
nothing of goodness orvalue in the world but what is hundreds and thousands
of years old:’ You get people who, in religion, are nothing if not antiquarian.
If Quakers, they think there were never such days as those of George Fox;if
Methodists, there will never be the like again of John Wesleyand his fellows;
if Churchmen, they grope about amongst the fathers, and hold that wisdom
and worth died with them. This is a wrong mood of mind. We want to take in
all our predecessors canteachus: hut, oh, if we have faith in the living God we
shall have belief in the boundless possibilities also, ofthe present and of the
future. Man is going on. He is pushed up from behind. He is drawn up from
above. Yes [ John is mighty in his generation. But those who come after are
higher than he. Onward, upward l Oh, that we may not hinder the progress in
ourselves, but spreadevery sail, stretchevery stitch of canvas to the breeze
that bears us along to the celestialcountry! (J. Brierley, B. A.)
Greaterthan the Baptist.
I. The meaning of the text. The first clause is simple enough; it states that
John Baptist was greaterthan all who precededhim. The secondclause is the
difficulty leastin the kingdom of heavenis greaterthan he.” What is intended
by “the kingdom of heaven”-the kingdom of glory, or of grace, orboth? It is

of course true that the leastin heaven is greaterand more privileged than
John. It is better to he with Christ than on earth. But the kingdom of glory is
not meant here. The term is almostuniversally used with reference to the
kingdom of God on earth. “The kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God,
cometh not with observation.” This refers to earth: the heavenly kingdom will
come with splendour. The gospeldispensationis intended. Who are the least:’
Not the apostles, but the saint.
II. The reason. In what sense John was greaterthan all who preceded him.
1. One might take the personal characterofJohn, and his superiority will be
seemHis zealwas great, he was the messengerbefore our Lord. This
establishes the greatsuperiority of John. No prophet actually prepared the
way of the Saviour. Realgreatness is approximation to God. The man who
knows Godbest is greatest. Who was ever brought into such nearconnection
with God as John? He was the friend of the Bridegroom. The dispensation of
John was peculiar; he stood betweenthe law and the gospel. How is it that the
leastin the kingdom of heaven is greaterthan John? Observe the expression
“leastin the kingdom of heaven.” Johnwas not in the kingdom of heaven. It
all turns upon this. Our Lord draws the contrast. John was the greatestof all
who went before him; but the leastin the kingdom of heaven was greaterthan
he-hot in heaven, but on earth.
The kingdom of heaven, in the sense here intended, commencedwith the day
of Pentecost;it is essentiallyconnectedboth with the in-dwelling and out-
pouring of the Holy Ghost. John said. “He shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost.”
1. The leastin the kingdom of heavenis participator of all that the God of
heaven canbestow. Nothing more can be given him.
2. The leastin the kingdom of heavenis a member of the bride’s.
3. The leastin the kingdom of heavenis a temple of the Holy Ghost.

4. The leastin the kingdom of heavenhas the spirit of adoption-the spirit of a
son.
5. The leastin the kingdom of heavenis brought into relationship with eachof
the Persons in the Trinity, in a sense which John was not.
6. The leastin the kingdom of heavenmay therefore become the greatest. Let
us realize the greatness ofthe gospeldispensation. (CapetMolyneux, B. A.
Tribute to the Forerunner of the Kingdom, Part2: More than a Prophet
Series:Matthew
Sermon by J. Ligon Duncan on Jan25, 1998
Matthew 11:7-19
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If you will, turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew, chapter11. We'll begin
in verse 7. Last week we saw Johnsend his disciples to the Lord Jesus as he
was struggling in prison with doubts about the personof Christ. Christ sent
those disciples back to John with a message: “Look atthe fulfillment of the
scripture, John, and look at the works that I am doing.” He pointed John to
the word of God and to his own works, the works of Christ, in order to
strengthen his faith. After he had sent them away, however, He continued
speaking about John. And, as we said last week, the theme of this whole
chapter is the majestyof Christ. And, even as he speaks ofJohn, even as He
gives tribute to John in this greatpassage, we see the majesty of our Lord and
Savior. So, let us attend now to His holy word, inspired and inherent as it is in
Matthew, chapter 11, Verse 7.
Matthew 11:7-19
Our Father, we thank You for this word. We ask that You would nourish us
spiritually by it. Shake us out of our slumber. Help us to see the glory of
Christ in all that He does for His people. As well, O God, we would pray that
by Your Spirit, You would enable many to embrace the gospelinvitation that
the Lord Jesus sends forth here. We ask it all in Jesus'name, Amen.
John's entire careerhad been devoted to proclaiming the glories of the
Messiahwho was present. Him who would come to take awaythe sins of the
world. That was the one that John testified to. Now, he found himself in
prison. He was discouraged. And, in that discouragement, he senthis own
disciples to ask of the Lord Jesus “Are you the one that we are looking for or
should we look for another?” Johnwas confused. He was downcast. We
learned last week thatif John the Baptist can suffer from spiritual
discouragementand wrestle with serious doubts, then so can any believer.
But, because of that doubt and because it was conveyedpublicly to Jesus by
his disciples, apparently many in the crowds were now criticizing John. John,
who had once been a hero in the land of Israeland a favorite among the
crowds, was apparently now suffering an attack upon his reputation. We see
some of the things in verses 7, 8 and 9 that people were saying about him.
And, the Lord Jesus comes to his rescue in this passagedefending his
reputation. And, in the course of it, He teaches us some eternaltruths that

apply to us just as well as they did to John. I'd like to share a few of those
with you today.
I. Christ comforts and encouragesHis faithful but weak followers.
In verses 7 through 10 Jesus gives a defense of John's reputation and He
acclaims him to be more than a prophet. There the Lord Jesus teachesus that
He comforts and encourages His faithful followers, evenwhen they are weak.
Christ comforts and encourages His faithful followers evenwhen they are
weak. Jesus'high words of testimony concerning John indicate to us that He
genuinely cared about His disciples. He genuinely caredabout John and
about his reputation. Even when the world had turned its back on John,
Jesus had not turned His back on John.
Look at some of the things people were saying about John. Becausehe had
experiencedthis doubt, his reputation was suffering serious damage amongst
the multitudes. They were being openly criticalof him and accusing him of
various things. First of all, in verse 7 you will see that some people were
accusing Johnof being fickle - of vacillating. He had thunderously
proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah. Now he is asking the question, “Are
you the Coming One or is there somebodyelse that we ought to look for?”
You can imagine the material that was made out of that by the crowd. ‘Well,
John, you who were so certainwhen you proclaimed that he was the Messiah,
now that you're in prison, what do you think now? Which is it today, John?
Are you going to take an opinion poll to decide what you believe?’ You can
imagine the kinds of aspersions that would have been caston John.
But the Lord Jesus comes alongside andsays ‘Wait a minute, who did you go
out into the wilderness to see. Didyou go to see a reed blown by the wind? If
you really think that he is a man that vacillates like a reed in the wind, why
did you go out to hear him in the first place? No, you knew he was a sturdy
oak. He was a man of conviction. Don't you judge him with this one
stumbling block in his career. Don'tyou judge him by this struggle with faith
at this point because his entire life has been devoted to serving Me, and his
characterhas proven itself. He is a man of conviction, of courage, ofbravery

and character. And, even though he has wrestledat this point, don't you
think that that undercuts who he really is.’
Notice also in verse 8, people were accusing Johnof being weak, soft. ‘Oh,
John - he was bold when he was in the desert proclaiming judgment and
repentance but now that he's in prison, he is doubting himself, he's uncertain,
he's weak.’ The Lord Jesus, again, comes andHe says, ‘Did you go out into
the wilderness to see a soft man? Did you go out in the wilderness to see a
man who wore fine clothes, the kind of clothes that people wearwho are in
king's courts, who want to have the pleasures of this life, or did you go out in
the wilderness to see a man who ate locusts and wild honey and wore rough
clothing?’ And the Lord Jesus knows that the answeris yes - they didn't go
out into the wilderness to see a soft man. They went out into the wilderness to
see a man of conviction. The Lord Jesus says that's the kind of man John is.
He is a man of conviction. He's a man of principle. He's a man of courage.
That's the kind of man you went out to see.
And then, apparently in verse 9, there were some who were actually
questioning John's status as a prophet. They were saying, ‘Prophets,
according to the Old Testament, are not supposedto miss. They are never
wrong. The judgment of the prophet is that he must always preach the truth.
And now, John is questioning if Jesus is the Messiah. Maybe he's not a
prophet.’ And so the Lord Jesus says, ‘Did you go to see a prophet?’ The
Lord Jesus says, ‘Oh, yes, you did go to see a prophet. John is a prophet. He
is a faithful prophet of the Lord. In fact, he's more.’ The Lord Jesus says
that John is more than a prophet. He defends John from these charges and
criticisms that are put to him and He honors him. Jesus is manifesting a
tender concernfor his people in the way He defends the reputation of John.
And, let me just say that you are seeing a picture here of how Christ will
confess youbefore God and the world if you confess Him before men. John
had given all for Christ and now he was being torn down by the world. The
Lord Jesus immediately stands to his defense.
You are seeing a picture of what will happen at the end of time if you will
embrace Christ by faith. It may costyou everything in this life to confess the
Lord Jesus Christ. There are many today; there are more martyrs in the

world today for the Christian faith than ever in history. There are many that
to confess Christin their land, openly, means instantaneous death. They do it
nevertheless. Thoughthey lose all, they will be confessedby Christ. Though
in your confessionofChrist, because ofyour integrity, it requires you not to
go with the flow and to sacrifice your careerand your aims and your
reputation in the community, Christ will confess you just like He confessed
John. Christ does not run awaywhen His disciples are assaulted. He is there
to stand as their defense. Whatdefense attorney better than Christ would you
choose? At the lastday when Satancomes and says, ‘But, yes, that person
was fickle, she vacillated.’ He will be there to say, ‘Though she was faithless, I
was faithful.’ When Satan comes to say, ‘Yes, have you seenthe life of this
person shot through with sin and struggles, notconsistentin the Christian
testimony that he bore before the community,’ Christ will say, ‘My blood
atoned for his sins and I will now glorify him. This is My own and I honor
him before the world.’ Christ will confess before God all who confess Him,
just like He confessedJohn.
Isn't it interesting, too, dear friends, how people often vent their frustration at
gospelministers because oftheir frustration with the gospelitself? We have
to assume that there must have been some Pharisees amongstthis crowd who
had originally had high views of John but had been very disappointed with
John when he identified Jesus as the Messiah. And now, those very ones who
praised him originally turned their backs onhim and assaulthim. They don't
like his message. Theybegin a characterattack upon John that the Lord
Jesus says is unjustified, and so Jesus comes to John's rescue. Don'tthink
that the Lord Jesus doesn'tcare about you and about your reputation. The
Lord Jesus made Himself of no reputation in order that He might make you
sons and daughters of the MostHigh. And, He tells you not to worry about
your own reputation. He says to you ‘Look, you trust Me, you put your
reputation in My hands. I’ll take care of it.’ He just proves it to John, there.
Are you ready to watchHim prove it to you? You confess Christwith your
lips and with your life. You put your life on the line for Christ and He'll
confess youbefore God. Take him at His word.
II. Christ calls all who heard John’s messageto embrace and enter the
kingdom.

Notice, also, in this passagein verses 11 through 15, Jesus issuesa kingdom
invitation. He turns His focus from the characterof John - which he has
vindicated - to the message thatJohn preached, to the time in which John
preached. And He teaches those ofus who hear John's messagethat we are to
embrace and enter the kingdom. Christ calls all those who have heard John's
messageto repent and believe. He calls all those who have heard John's
messageto embrace and enter the kingdom. Jesus, in verse 11, pays the most
profound compliment to John. Look at those words: “Truly, I say to you,
among those born of women there have not arisenany greaterthan John the
Baptist.” Jesus may wellhave given His most profound compliment to John,
the greatestcompliment of His ministry.
What does He mean when He says that “None has arisengreaterthan John”?
Well, He means a number of things. First of all, Jesus reminds us that John's
arrival, John's birth, John's very ministry was a matter of prophecy. He
quotes to us, in verse10, from Malachi3:1, these momentous words: ‘John is
the fulfillment of this word of Malachi's prophecy.’ So John's very arrival, his
very ministry, is the fulfillment of prophecy. He is greaterthan any born of
women.
Notice also, that John clearlyannounced the coming of the Messiah, even
though the prophets proclaimedthe Messiahwho was going to come in the
distant future, John proclaimed a present Messiah. And, John performed his
duty with uncommon bravery and solemnfaithfulness. He proclaimed a
messagethat was not popular. John's person, the fact that he was the focal
point of this prophecy, the factthat he proclaimed the present Messiah, the
fact that he did his job with solemnfaithfulness and bravery, all of these
things combined to cause Jesus to call him the greatestofthose born of
women.
Notice specificallythe work that he did. He was filled with the Holy Spirit
from his mother's womb, we learn that in Luke 1:41-44. Johnhad spiritual
experience of God from the earliestdays of his life. That was a consistent
aspectof John's nature. Notice, also, that he clearly announcedthe arrival of
the Messiahin John 1:29. It was John the Baptist who said, “Beholdthe
Lamb of God who comes to take awaythe sins of the world.” He was the one

man chosento give that message in history. He was a divine messengerfor the
Messiah.
Notice also that he emphasized in his preaching the necessityof repentance.
Jesus makes this clear as He tells us about that messagein Matthew 3:2. You
remember John's message:“Repentfor the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
John preacheda message thatwas not popular but it was true. He preached
not what people wanted to hear, but what they neededto hear. And so, he was
faithful in proclaiming that message. And he resistedthe temptation to draw
attention to himself. It was Johnthe Baptist who uttered those immortal
words recorded for us in John 3:30: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
John did not want to draw attention to himself but to focus the attention of the
multitudes upon their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And so we see John's
humility, and that may be the greatestpoint of this man's character. With the
courage and the commitment and the faithfulness and the talent and the
giftedness of this man, it would have been very easyfor him to be arrogant,
but he was humble. And, he did not mind fading into the backgroundas
Christ was exalted, for that was what he came for.
And yet, in verse 11, at the very end of that verse, the Lord Jesus tells us that
John is not as greatas even the leastin the kingdom of heaven. What in the
world does Jesus mean by that? After paying him this tremendous
compliment, what is Jesus saying? He's not saying that John wasn'tsaved.
But, he is reminding us of severalvery important things.
First of all, he's reminding us that He, Himself, represents a transition point
in the history of God's dealings with His people. Jesus says that the Law and
the Prophets were until John. All the things that lead up to the Messiahcame
to their culmination in John. With the coming of the Messiah, with Calvary
and with Pentecost, the people of God are ushered into a new era. They
experience a new fullness of the Spirit, a new fullness of His indwelling, a new
universal proclamation of the gospel, a greaterdepth of spiritual experience
than was normally experiencedby those believers under the Old Covenant.
The Lord Jesus is saying that John - though he is the Joshua, though he is the
Moses to point you to the promised land - John does not experience himself

the blessings ofthe promised land realized. He is not unlike Moses,is he?
Moses'jobwas to take the children of Israelinto the land, and yet, Moses had
to peer from Pisgahinto the land. Moses neverentered into the land. He was
buried outside the land. His whole life was devotedto bringing the children of
Israelinto the land; but he, himself, did not go in. Joshua took the people of
Israelin. So, also, John the Baptist. He would die in prison. John never got
to see Jesus'incredible miracles with his own eyes. Canyou imagine if you
were like Simeon, holding that little baby in his arms and imagining the things
that this child was going to do for God and for His cause and yet, he, himself,
never saw our Lord do His greatdeeds. John never saw Calvary. He never
saw Pentecost. His whole life was devoted to preparing the way for the Lord
Jesus Christ and he never saw those things with his own eyes. You and I have
been given those things in this book. We have been given a heritage that John
was never even allowedto see. And, you know, the sadthing is that we
discount it. We overlook it. We don't realize the privilege that is ours. That's
preciselywhat the Lord Jesus is saying here. He is saying that ‘those who
were children of the kingdom - My kingdom that I've inaugurated now in a
fullness that had never been experiencedbefore under the days of the Old
Testament- My people are greatereven than John the Baptist; even the least
of them are more blessed, more privileged and have more benefits.’
John was the Elijah sent by God to call men and womeninto the kingdom of
the Messiahby repentance and faith, but he never saw the glorious deed of
Christ on the cross nor did he see the glorious pouring out of the Spirit. To all
of which, we are the beneficiaries.
And so, the Lord Jesus says this in verse 12:“And from the days of John the
Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men
take it by force.” Thatis a very difficult passageto translate. Many good
translators wrestle overjust what it means. Many of you heard the great
sermon that John ReedMiller preached on that text from this pulpit many
years ago. It was called“Taking Heavenby Storm.” I think that Dr. Miller
correctlytranslated that passage. Whenwe read it as it reads now in The
New American Standard, it seems as if the kingdom is being assaultedby
violent men. Dr. Miller pointed out that the thrust of the passage is that men
of courage and of vigor are embracing the truth of the kingdom.

Jesus'point is that the kingdom - we cannottake the kingdom and sleep. We
cannot be indifferent about the kingdom. We must embrace the kingdom like
John, a man of vigor. We must embrace the kingdom of God. The kingdom
of God is not something that we canbe blasé about, or apathetic about. The
kingdom must be embraced. And, the Lord Jesus is saying in this generation
there are people who are embracing the kingdom even while others are
standing by and criticizing faithful men like John the Baptist. Their
spirituality consists ofcomplaining about what they don't like in the
messengerandthey're not exulting in the messageofthe kingdom of heaven.
And, so, He's exhorting us to take heaven by storm - not that we canearn our
salvationby works. Oh, no; it is by grace through faith alone. But, we must
respond to the gospeland so enter into the kingdom. We cannot sleepour
way into the kingdom. It demands action and commitment - response to the
messageofthe gospel.
III. Christ confronts the excuses ofthose who have not entered the kingdom.
And, so, we learn one more thing in verses 16 through 19. There, Jesus
delivers a warning towards preciselythose people who do not embrace the
kingdom. In verses 16 through 19, He turns from considerationof John and
his message, now, to considerationof the crowds who had just moments
before been criticizing John. And He asks this question in verse 16: “But, to
what shall I compare this generation?” He thought a little bit with them
about John and he said‘John is more than a prophet.’ He thought a little bit
with them about John's messageand He said ‘You need to embrace the
kingdom that John preached; don't stand by and criticize him about it. You
embrace it.’ Now, He says, ‘What about you. What about this generation?’
And, in verses 16 and 17, He gives an illustration. He says this generationis
like the children who go out into the marketplacesonholidays and they play
games. But, they get into arguments about which game they are going to play.
Some of them want to play wedding. Others of them want to play funeral.
My wife, in kindergarten, had a wedding dress given to her. A little, tiny
wedding dress. And, she would take it to kindergartenand there was a little
boy at kindergartenthat she would make be her bridegroom. And, one day
he said to the kindergartenteacher:“Mrs. So and so, I don't want to get
married today.” Children love to play wedding and all sorts of other things

and Jesus says this generationare like ‘Children who can't agree on what
game you’re going to play. You can't agree whether you're going to do
wedding or funeral. John comes and he's austere. He's a man of courage.
He's not a ‘buddy, buddy’ kind of guy. He abstains totally from alcohol. He
eats weird food. He wears weird clothes and he prophetically proclaims
judgment, condemnation and repentance in the wilderness. And, what do you
say about him? ‘He's so mean. He's mean-spirited. He's not nice. He's not
warm.’ They accuse Johnof being a demon-possessedman. ‘He's a fanatic,’
they say. The Lord Jesus says, ‘Johncomes that way. I come and I dwell
among sinners. I draw close to them. I don't follow any of the Nazarite
rituals. I don't abstain from wine. I don't abstain from the foods that John
abstainedfrom. I gatherwith those who are unbelievers, close to them,
sharing the word. And, what do you sayabout Me? He's a glutton and He's a
drunkard. He hangs out with sinners.’
Then Jesus says, ‘I think those are about the only two options you have there.
What else are you going to criticize? Both of us you reject. I do it one way for
the sake ofthe gospel. You criticize Me. John does it another way for the
sake ofthe gospel;you criticize him. You're like the children who can't decide
which game you're going to play.’
So, the Lord Jesus closes withthose awesome words:“Yet, wisdom is
vindicated by her deeds.” He's saying: ‘Look, our ministries will be
vindicated by the spiritual results. As we have both proclaimedsalvation by
grace through faith, the myriads who come to Christ will vindicate the
faithfulness of our ministry. Our results will prove us out.’
Isn't it amazing how folks will often criticize the method of ministry and the
messageofthe minister and the outer trappings of the Church; and they'll
miss the gospel. We come from a societyof consumers and we approach
everything like consumers, including the Church. We taste testit. We color
test it. We music test it. We have different criticisms for the trappings of the
church, but do we miss the gospelin the midst of those criticisms? Jesus is
warning the generationaround them that the messagethat He and John both
proclaimed in radically different styles, in radically different ways, is the one
messageoftruth that will save you.

We need men like John and like Jesus ofcharacterin our generation who care
not for the opinions of the pollsters and who are not afraid to proclaim truth
in a generationthat does not believe in truth. We need a generationof men
and women transformed by the powerof the gospelwho will embrace the
kingdom, take heaven by storm and stand for Christ in the midst of the
culture, no matter what the culture thinks of them. Because, my friends plans
of culture don’t work. Now, do you want to follow someone whose plan has
worked, will work and will always work? You embrace the kingdom and He
will confess you. He will not leave you alone in your hour of need. And, He
will never fail you for He is Jesus, the Messiah, the Lamb of God who comes
to take awaythe sins of the world. Let's look to Him in prayer.
Our Lord and our God, We need the Messiah. We needHis grace. Whenwe
see our own hearts, when we see the hearts of the people in whose midst we
dwell, we see that we need His grace. Give us the grace to desire Him above
everything else, to trust in Him above everyone else. To turn from death to
life in Him, by grace. We ask it in Jesus’name. Amen.
In what way was John the Baptistthe greatest(Matthew 11:11)?
Question:"In what way was John the Baptistthe greatest(Matthew 11:11)?"
Answer: In a discourse about John the Baptist, Jesus honored the prophet
with these words: “Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not
risen anyone greaterthan John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11a). Johncertainly
did not see himself as “great”—hedid not see himself as worthy enough to
baptize Jesus (Matthew 3:13–14)oreven to carry His sandals (Matthew 3:11).

The “greatness”that Jesus refers to concerning John has to do with John’s
unique position in history, not with any specialtalent, holiness, or personal
merit. In fact, immediately after stating that John is the greatest“among
those born of women,” Jesus says, “Yetwhoeveris leastin the kingdom of
heaven is greaterthan he” (Matthew 11:11b). More on this paradox later.
One reasonthat Jesus calledJohn the Baptistthe “greatest” was thatJohn
held the honor of being chosenby God as the forerunner to the Messiah.
John’s missionwas to personally prepare the world for Christ’s arrival.
John’s ministry was predicted in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi3:1. After Jesus
came, John introduced Him to the world as the Lamb of God who would take
awaythe sin of the world (John 1:35–36). Johnwas the herald who introduced
to the world the Hero of all history. It was this introduction that accredited
Jesus before the Jewish crowds and leaders, some of whom believed on Jesus,
and many of whom did not.
John was also the “greatest”in that he preached with the power of Elijah
(Luke 1:17; 3:7–18). Johnshared many qualities with Elijah, including calling
a nation to repentance, rebuking the king, and persevering in the face of
public misunderstanding and malicious persecution(Matthew 11:16–18;
Mark 6:14–19).
John was also the “greatest”in that God had chosenhim to break the 430
years of divine silence that had existed since the prophet Malachi. John was
the Spirit-anointed bridge from the Old Testamentto the New. John was the
last of the Old Testamentprophets and stoodon the cusp of a new
dispensation. His preaching was the end of the Law and the beginning of the
Promise. He was the last in the long line of prophets who predicted Christ, yet
he was the only one who could actually see Christ in the flesh. Moses,Isaiah,
and the rest of the prophets had pointed to a far-distant personage theycould

see only faintly. John pointed at an actual human being who stooddirectly in
front of him. No other prophet had that privilege.
Jesus’full statement in Matthew 11:11 is paradoxical: “Truly I tell you,
among those born of women there has not risen anyone greaterthan John the
Baptist; yet whoever is leastin the kingdom of heaven is greaterthan he.”
How can John be the greatest, ifeven the “leastin the kingdom” is greater
than John? Again, the answerhas to do with the Christian’s unique position
in history, not with his personalmerit. John died without seeing the fullness of
God’s plan in Christ (see Mark 6:17–29). Johnnever saw the crucifixion of
Christ or His glorious resurrection. Yet even the “leastin the kingdom of
heaven” knows of these events and understands their meaning.
The baptism of John was insufficient to save (see Acts 18:24–26;19:1–7). The
disciples of John in Ephesus needed to hear the whole gospel, notjust what
John had taught. They needed to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,
the one John had predicted. They needed the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John
was truly the greatestprophet of his era—the Old Testamenttime—yet all
Christians today have a fuller perspective on the work of Christ.
https://www.gotquestions.org/John-Baptist-greatest.html
JOHN MACARTHUR
True Greatness
Sermons Matthew 11:7–15 2286 Sep13, 1981
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Let’s open our Bibles this morning to Matthew chapter 11, Matthew chapter
11. And I want to speak to you on the theme True Greatness, True Greatness.
We’re going to be looking at verses 7 through 15, particularly, in our thoughts
this morning, and focusing on a very, very specialman by the name of John
the Baptist. There’s a somewhatfamous boxer who constantly announces
around the world that he is “the greatest.”I’m not really sure what exactly his
criteria is, but I think he might get an argument out of God.
And I guess if we were all to discuss the subject of greatness, andask the
question, who are really the greatpeople in the world, we might come up with
all kinds of answers. Some wouldsay the geniuses of the world. Others would
say the educators. Some might think the politicians and the statement –
statesmenare the greatest, orthe wealthy or the famous or the entertainers,
or the athletes, or the kings, or the princes, or the heroes, or whatever.
But when it comes to greatnessas Goddefines it, it’s very different than it is
for the world. In fact, today we’re going to meet a man who is from a common
humble family, no wealth, no worldly education, no success,no particular
physical beauty, no earthly possessionorposition, and yet our Lord says he’s
the greatesthuman being who ever lived.
Look at verse 11 of Matthew 11. “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are
born of women there hath not risen a greaterthan John the Baptist.” Now
that is an amazing statement. And that is not somebody’s opinion. That is a
statementof factfrom the lips of our Lord Himself who is speaking in this
text. And just to emphasize it, He says at the beginning of verse 11, “Verily,”
which means truly, a factbeyond dispute. And then He says “Among them
that are born of women.” Now what is that? Well, basically, that is a sort of a
Jewishreference, ora sort of an ancient reference to the human race.
That particular phrase was somewhatcommon to designate someone’s
identification with the human race. We find it as far back, evenprior to the

establishing of the Jewishnation, as the book of Job. In chapter14 verse 1,
“Manthat is born of a womanis of few days and full of trouble.” In chapter
15 in verse 14 it says:“What is man that he should be clean, and he who is
born of a woman that he should be righteous?” It became then, a designation
of humanness. And that’s very important for us.
Now listen carefully. The Lord said when it comes to humanness there has
never been a greaterthan John the Baptist. He is the greatesthuman being
ever to live up until his time. Now, that does not mean that he is necessarily
being defined on supernatural terms or on spiritual terms even, but on strictly
human terms, from the earthly human perspective, the characterof the man
and the calling of the man and the impact of the man from an earthly
perspective make him the greatestmanthat ever lived.
And you’ll notice the statement, “There hath not risen a greaterthan John the
Baptist.” And the word “risen” is interesting because it is commonly used to
speak of the appearance ofa prophet. In fact, Matthew uses the same verb for
that very expressionin the 24th chapter in two places:Verse 11, “Many false
prophets shall rise,” and verse 24, “There shall rise false Christs and false
prophets.” The term “rise” then frequently is used in reference to a prophet.
So let me sum up what I’m saying. When it comes to humanness, when it
comes to the uniqueness of a human being, and when it comes to his special
ability to speak, and speak powerfully, there never was anybody like John. As
men just stoodback and perceivedhim, there was never anybody like him. He
was the most powerful personality and the most powerful voice that ever
spoke. He had dynamic ability to communicate. There never was a prophet
with more human talent and a more significant role to play in human history
than John the Baptist. He was unparalleled.
In this sense, he was greaterthan Adam. He was greaterthan Abel. He was
greaterthan Enoch. He was greaterthan Melchizedek!He was greaterthan
Abraham. He was greaterthan Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. He was greaterthan
Moses,Joshua, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel. He
was the greatesthuman being that ever lived, basedupon his human abilities

and his unique calling in human history. A man of tremendous greatness. Now
our Lord reinforces the greatness inthis passageoverand over again.
He is confronting a multitude here, as we learn from the beginning of the
chapter. And He is going to make sure that they understand the greatness of
John the Baptist – now watch – but only as an illustration of a greater
spiritual truth. That’s why at the end of verse 11 He says, “Notwithstanding,
or in spite of his greatness, he that is leastin the kingdom of heaven is greater
than he.” Now, what He’s saying is this – and I’ll give you the thesis at the
beginning and then we’ll build to it – when it comes to human talent and
playing a role in human history, there has never been anybody as great as
John the Baptist.
But when it comes to the spiritual dimension, the leastperson in the spiritual
dimension is greaterthan the greatestpersonin the human dimension. That’s
what He’s saying. Now, our Lord reinforces John’s greatness andHe does it
by discussing three major truths about John that mark his greatness,three
major truths. The first one is his personal character. He was greatamong
men, among them that are born of women, just because ofhis personal
character. He had the marks that it takes to be great, to be a cut above, to be
setapart, to be unique. Let me suggestwhatthese personal characteristics
were.
First of all, he was a man who could overcome his weakness. He could
overcome his weakness.It is always – now, mark this – it is always a mark of
greatness thata man can overcome his weakness. I mean, there are basically
only two kinds of people. They are the victims and the victors. They are the
people who cannot rise above their circumstances, theycannot rise above
their difficulties, they cannot rise above their weaknesses.
And there are the people who can, and the people who canare the ones that
make a mark. Becauseeverybody has weaknesses,everybody has failings and
infirmities and problems. The question is whether or not you can overcome
them and that is the mark of greatness.The greatones fight through, the
greatones are competitive. They can compete againsttheir own ignorance,
they can compete againsttheir own laziness, they cancompete againsttheir

own indifference. They cancompete againsttheir own weaknessesand they
will overcome. That’s the difference. And John had that ability.
And we saw that last week, andI’m only going to remind you of it. Verse 2
tells us he was in prison. And I told you last time that that was a difficult
circumstance for a man who’d known freedom, who had known freedom, who
had knownfreedom all his life. He was not only in prison but he had been
victimized some – somehow by the current thinking about the Messiah. And
so, he was questioning whether Jesus was reallythe Messiahornot, because
Jesus was not living up to the current expectations. He was also somewhat
hard pressedto know whether Christ was really the Messiahbecausehe had
incomplete revelation. He didn’t really have all of the information he needed.
And, also, becausehe had been in prison for about a year his unfulfilled
expectationof the Messianic kingdommade him question and doubt and
become perplexed.
So at this point, he is at a low in his life. He is at a weak place. Circumstances,
outside influences, lack of information, unfulfilled anticipations have all
brought doubt and confusion and perplexity into his mind. How does he deal
with it? Does he sulk? Does he just sort of drop his head and shuffle off? Does
he despair? Does he start to tell all his problems to everybody else? No. He
goes immediately to the Lord.
He sends two disciples, it says in verse 2, and said to them, you ask if He is the
One that should come or are we looking for somebody else. And they went and
they askedand Jesus demonstrated, you’ll remember, with miracles and they
went back, of course, and they told him. And that settledthe issue. And he had
to go to some extremity to pull that off. He was quite a long ways awayfrom
where Jesus was. He was waydown in the easternpart of the DeadSea and
the Lord was clearup in Galilee. He had absolutelyno access becausehe
couldn’t leave the prison. He had to dispatch two of his disciples.
It was not an easytask but the man who is greatis always the man who deals
with his weaknessand overcomes it. And I don’t care what dimension of life
you’re talking about, and we’re just talking on a human level. I don’t care
whether you’re talking about the ministry or your job or your schoolwork or

your athletic careeror whateverit is, greatnesscomes from an ability to get
past your weakness.Thatmarked John. The whole section, as I said, began
with John’s doubt.
And you remember what I told you last week, thatchapters 11 and 12 deal
with all the different kinds of responsesthat people can have to Christ. And
the first response the Lord talks about is the response of doubt and John is
His illustration, and we see that John doubted. But that only gave an
opportunity for him to manifest his greatness, to overcome that. So, we learn
then that the first mark of a truly greatperson is to – is to overcome your
weakness.But let’s see how he did it, and I’m going to give this to you fast
‘cause I want to geton to the text we’re supposed to look at today.
The first thing he did was admit that he had a weakness.I mean, he
recognizedthat. And listen to this. He was also willing to admit it to
subordinates, people beneath him. He wasn’ttrying to play the God game, to
make everybody think that he was absolutely infallible, flawless andwithout
any weakness. He did not want to play to that illusion, because anybody who
plays to that illusion remains in doubt and confusion. Anybody who will not
admit weaknessis not going to getany help. So he admitted his weaknessand
then he sought to remove it. And so, he actedupon that admission.
By the way, I would just point out as a footnote at this point that one of the
greatmarks of this kind of man, one of the truest tests of greatness is humility.
Nobody ever really becomes great, evenon a human level, unless they do
recognize they have weaknesses thatmust be overcome. It is the person who
lives under the illusion of perfection that is the true fool. And Jesus said, the
key to greatness – and He saidthis in many different passages – is humility.
“Whoeverwould be great among you, let him be your” – What? “your
servant.” And John had at leastenough humility to say I don’t know. I don’t
know. And he said it to his subordinates and let them actin his behalf.
But we know he was humble from chapter 3, don’t we? When he was
preaching earlierin Matthew, He said, “There comes one after me who is
mightier than I, whose shoes Iam not worthy to carry.” And then he said, in
verse 14, when Jesus came to baptize him, “I have need to be baptized by

you.” And, “Do You come to be baptized by me?” And in John 3:30 he said, “I
must decrease andHe must” – What? “increase.”He was a man of humility.
He was a man who would recognize weakness;he would see it for what it was.
And once you do that you candeal with it. Pride curses greatness. It is an
illusion. The greatare the ones who see their weakness andwork to overcome,
not the ones who fancy themselves to be without weakness. And as long as you
admit no weakness, you will never grow to your full strength.
By the way, John Wesleypoints out that neither the Romans nor the Greeks
had a word in their vocabulary for humility, because man does not want to
admit his weakness.And so true greatness eludes him. GeneralDouglas
MacArthur, who is about my fifth cousin, believe it or not, or was, said this.
And this was a particularly personalprayer on behalf of his son Arthur.
“Build me a son, 0 Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak
and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid. One who will be proud
and unbending in honestdefeat and humble and gentle in victory.
“Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds, a son who will
know thee and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.
Build me a sonwhose heart will be clear, whose goalwill be high. A son who
will masterhimself when he seeksto master other men. One who will reach
into the future yet never forget the past. And after all these things are his,
add, I pray, enough of a sense ofhumor so that he may always be serious yet
never take himself too seriously. Give him humility so that he may always
remember the simplicity of true greatness. ThenI, his father, will dare to
whisper I have not lived in vain.”
Give me a sonwho knows humility because thatis the path to true greatness.
So, the first element of John’s personalcharacterto mark his greatnesswas
the ability to recognize a weaknessand overcome it. Let me show you a second
one and that’s in verse 7. He not only was a man who was able to overcome
weakness but he was a man who was strong in his conviction. And this is a
secondmark of the personalcharacterofgreatness.
Look at verse 7. “As they departed,” and that is as the multitude that were –
were there were still remaining, but the two disciples left. And the multitude

Jesus was a praiser of john the baptist

Jesus was a praiser of john the baptist

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