Matthew 11:11 Truly 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.
Jesus spoke using many attributes of ordinary language.
Unfortunately, through the ages, many people have misinterpreted the message
Jesus had for the world. Jesus is not speaking about John the Baptist but the
magnitude of our inclusion into the Kingdom of Heaven. The comparison in this
verse about the least or more significant in Heaven is not a passage of
judgment on John himself or whether he qualifies for the Kingdom of Heaven. No
reasons from the Bible would eliminate John from being part of the Kingdom of
Heaven.
This verse of Scripture is
not a thesis on what John lacked or what made any of the other disciples of
Jesus greater or lesser. On the contrary, it is the opposite of that
hypothesis. Success or failure in our lives from an earthly view has absolutely
nothing to do with our status in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The point that Jesus was
trying to make here was that although John played a unique role in history, a
part that itself was foretold by the prophets of old as one who would prepare
the way for the coming of the Messiah, This earthly mission did not make him
unique or distinctive in the Kingdom of Heaven. That placement depends on the
work of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, and not that of any human being, not
even John the Baptist.
It was a great, immense,
and enormous honor to have been the person who introduced the Savior of the
world to all people and to be the herald of the most significant event of all
human history. However, the point that Jesus made here was that specific honor
and distinction are insignificant when being compared alongside any of God’s
children being grafted into the Family of God and becoming co-inheritors with
Christ Jesus into the Kingdom of God (Romans 8:17).
This verse tells us that
the honor and glory of any earthly positions or standings are downright
unrelated and immaterial when it comes to our being included in the Family of
God and our membership in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is all about Jesus, His sacrifice
on the Cross of Calvary, and our acceptance of Him as our Lord and Savior.
Charles Spurgeon wrote:
“As we may say, as a rule, that the darkest day is lighter than the brightest
night; so, John, though first of his order, is behind the last of the new or
Gospel order. The least in the Gospel stands on higher ground than the greatest
under the law.”
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