Matthew 11:11, commentary and pictures

Among those born of women no greater than John the Baptist has risen, for he was more than a prophet as the appointed messenger to prepare the way before Christ. His greatness lay not in wealth, rank, birth, or intellect but in moral worth, in a spotless life filled with the Spirit, and in his God-given mission to point people to Jesus as the Lamb of God without seeking honor for himself. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he, because the disciples who followed Jesus enjoyed greater privilege and joy in witnessing His miracles and hearing His teaching directly. John saw and presented Christ but understood only dimly, expecting Him to take David's throne and bring temporal judgment, while those after him received a clearer revelation of His character, kingdom, and the way to immortal life. He was the first to herald Christ's kingdom and the first to suffer for it, imprisoned and beheaded for faithful rebuke, showing that highest honor is not escape from death but fellowship with Christ in His sufferings.

Greatness of John Declared

Among those born of women no greater than John the Baptist has risen. Christ Himself honored John as the greatest among those born of women. His greatness was tied to the education God gave him for his work as forerunner of Christ. The Spirit led him into the wilderness away from contaminating influences of the city to qualify him to receive instruction from God rather than from learned scribes. He was not to connect himself with the rabbis, and the less he knew of their teachings, maxims, and traditions the more easily the Lord could impress his mind and heart and give him the pure mold of truth to give the people to prepare the way of the Lord. Living in the wilderness, he was not shaped by the habits of society or of the Jewish church, and strict temperance belonged to his calling, for he was to drink neither wine nor strong drink.

John is more than a prophet, for he is the messenger appointed and sent to prepare the way before Christ. He is identified as God's messenger sent to prepare the way for Christ and as the greatest prophet born of women. His greatness did not keep the rulers from rejecting him and speaking cruelly against him, and their charge that he had a devil was false and arose because he called them to repentance. He was a steadfast prophet whose exceptional greatness stands alongside the greater standing of those in the kingdom, since even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John.

He is the greatest prophet, unsurpassed among those before him. His greatness lay in his God-given mission to prepare people for Christ and direct their attention to the Coming One. It was shown in powerful preaching in the wilderness, in bearing his message unflinchingly, in making no compromise with sin, in rebuking the sins of priests and rulers, in enjoining upon them the works of the kingdom of heaven, in pointing out their sinful disregard of the Father's authority in refusing the work appointed them, and in turning many from unrighteousness. Filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, he was a promised reformer whose life was spotless and marked by practical piety, virtue, and justice, who called people to repentance and prepared them to receive Christ, serving as the connecting link between the two dispensations. He was a lesser light who challenged Jewish traditions and helped clear away superstition and false teaching, and the greater light of Christ followed him. Earlier prophets saw Christ's coming from afar, but he saw and heard Jesus and presented Him to Israel as God's Sent One, while standing between the prophetic and Christian dispensations to show how the law and prophets relate to the Christian dispensation.

His greatness is measured by moral worth, not by worldly measures such as wealth, rank, noble birth, or intellectual ability, for God values love and purity. He was great because he did not seek honor for himself but pointed people to Jesus as the Promised One, and his unselfish joy in Christ's ministry is the highest example of human nobility. He is greater and more honored than Enoch and Elijah. Enoch was translated to heaven and Elijah ascended in a chariot of fire, while John perished alone in the dungeon, yet neither was greater or more honored than John. True greatness and highest honor are not escape from death but fellowship with Christ in His sufferings, which is the most weighty trust heaven can bestow.

Wilderness Training for Mission

John was led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness to be prepared for his work as forerunner of Christ, apart from the contaminating and corrupting influence of the city. There he was kept separate from the habits of society and of the Jewish church, so that those habits did not shape him. He was kept apart from the teachings, maxims, and traditions of the scribes and rabbis, the Pharisees, and the religious schools, and he was not to connect himself with the rabbis or receive instruction from the learned scribes and rulers. The less he knew of their teachings the more easily the Lord could impress his mind and heart, giving him instruction directly from God in the pure mold of unmixed and unadulterated truth.

That education qualified him to receive an unmixed message and to proclaim pure truth to the people to prepare the way of the Lord. What he was to give the people was what the Great Teacher Himself would present, since the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees had turned the people away from that unadulterated truth and their only hope was to open heart and mind to the light sent from heaven through His prophet. His preparation included the strict temperance commanded for him, that he should drink neither wine nor strong drink. As Christ's forerunner he rebuked sinful conduct, including riotous eating and drinking, and condemned those who had turned from right principles.

He did not seek access to influential Jewish people, and he did not study in their schools, but his message came from God. He was removed from the rabbis' schools and worldly surroundings, and even though he had not followed the regular, established course of education, his wilderness education did not prevent him from serving God. His example shows that worldly education and status are not necessary for God's work.

Character of True Greatness

John's greatness lay in the mission given him to prepare people for Christ and to turn their attention to the Coming One. He was chosen to prepare Israel for the Messiah, to proclaim His coming, and to introduce Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He was great because he did not seek honor for himself but pointed people to Jesus as the Promised One. His unselfish joy in Christ's ministry is the highest example of human nobility.

That greatness did not lead him to claim to be the Christ. He called himself unworthy even to untie his Master's sandals and reminded his disciples that he was only the forerunner of the Coming One. He understood himself as the forerunner and the Bridegroom's friend, rejoicing in the Bridegroom's voice, giving Christ the first place as the One from above, and declaring that Christ must increase while he himself decreased. Filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, his life was spotless and marked by practical piety, virtue, and justice.

His greatness was shown in powerful preaching in the wilderness, borne unflinchingly and without compromise with sin. He fearlessly reproved sin, rebuked priests and rulers, enjoined upon them the works of the kingdom of heaven, and pointed out their sinful disregard of the Father's authority in refusing the work appointed them. As a promised reformer he called sinners to repentance, declared even to the king the reform needed, turned many from unrighteousness, and prepared them to receive the Lord. The refusal of the rulers to believe him did not diminish the evidence of his divine mission.

Least Greater Than John

The saying holds both truths together: no one born of women has risen greater than John, and yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. His exceptional greatness stands, and beside it stands the greater standing given to those in the kingdom.

That greater standing belongs even to the least disciple who followed Jesus, who is greater in privilege, standing, honor, exaltation, pleasure, and joy of life. The reason is direct contact with Christ's ministry: such a disciple witnessed His miracles and heard His teaching in varied settings, including His comforting words and His work of healing and reproof. This does not make John's work lesser, for he was denied the opportunity to see that ministry and to understand God's wisdom and mercy through personal knowledge of it.

John lay in prison and could learn of Jesus' works only through reports brought by his own disciples. He proclaimed Christ's coming but did not live to see and enjoy the power shown through Jesus' ministry, dying by beheading before he could witness those miracles or hear those comforting words. He knew his own death was coming, and that Jesus' work would lead to it.

Those who followed Jesus received a clearer revelation of Christ, His character, mission, and kingdom, with fuller light on prophecy and on the way to immortal life through the Saviour. Earlier prophets had seen Christ's coming only from afar, dimly represented in the sacrificial types, while John saw and heard Jesus and presented Him to Israel as God's Sent One, yet still understood only dimly. He did not fully understand the nature of Christ's kingdom and the immortal life offered through Him. He expected Jesus to take David's throne at Jerusalem, to overthrow earthly oppressors and bring temporal judgment, so that Christ's healing and teaching did not match his expectation of how the kingdom would appear.

He stood between the prophetic and Christian dispensations as a lesser light and connecting link, showing how the law and the prophets relate to the Christian dispensation. His testimony was followed by the greater light of Jesus, in whom the fuller light of the first advent illuminated prophecy and revealed the way to immortal life.

Rejection Suffering and Death

John was the first to herald Christ's kingdom and the first to suffer for it, for after he faithfully rebuked Herod over his unlawful marriage he was imprisoned by Herod Antipas. That same faithful work declared to Herod the reform he needed to make, calling sinners to repentance as among the greatest prophets who bore God's message, until execution ended the voice that had warned the king.

For that rebuke he was shut up in prison and then executed and beheaded as a criminal, though his life was spotless. Imprisoned, he could only hear reports of Jesus' works through his disciples before he was soon beheaded, and his execution was the death of one of the greatest of the prophets. His greatness did not keep the rulers from rejecting him and speaking cruelly against him, falsely charging that he had a devil because he called them to repentance. Their refusal to believe did not diminish the evidence of his divine mission, which was shown in powerful, fearless rebuke of sin that turned many from unrighteousness and prepared them for the Lord.

Herod had rejected the truth spoken to him by John, the greatest of the prophets, and after that rejection he received no further message from Christ. John's approaching death was the storm soon to sweep away the greatest prophet God had given to the world. True greatness and highest honor are not escape from death but fellowship with Christ in His sufferings, which is the most weighty trust heaven can bestow, so that though Enoch was translated and Elijah ascended in a chariot of fire while John perished alone in the dungeon, neither was greater or more honored than John. His steadfast, unselfish service and willingness to share in that suffering made his life a lasting source of strength to people enduring persecution and suffering through later generations, and his unselfish service was vindicated before the universe.

Prophecy and Present Application

John came in the spirit and power of Elijah to herald Christ's first advent, and in that same spirit and power he stands as the representative of those who will proclaim the day of wrath and Christ's second advent.

Even though Christ honored him as the greatest among those born of women, his course shows that exceptional spiritual strength does not remove the need to guard against corrupting influences and to avoid needless exposure to temptation. Though filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, he guarded his mission by separating himself from corrupting influences and by avoiding needless temptation and ease in wilderness solitude. There the works of nature taught him God's character and kept reverence for God continually before him. His example teaches the necessity of guarding conscience and senses against influences that make sin appear less sinful.

The greatness given to John rested on the education God provided to fit him for his work as Christ's forerunner. The Spirit of God led him into the wilderness away from the contaminating influences of the city so that he would receive instruction from God rather than from the learned scribes. He was not to connect himself with the rabbis, and the less he knew of their teachings, maxims, and traditions, the more readily the Lord could impress his mind and heart and give him the pure mold of truth to give to the people to prepare the way of the Lord. The teachings of the scribes and Pharisees were turning the people away from the unadulterated truth the Great Teacher would present, so their only hope was to open heart and mind to the light sent from heaven through His prophet. The same lesson calls those who claim to know the truth for this time to consecrate soul, body, and spirit to God and to be separate in heart, dress, language, and every respect from the fashions and practices of the world, as a peculiar and holy people preparing the way of the Lord. His removal from the rabbis' schools and worldly surroundings shows that God's people are to remain distinct, pure, and holy.