The Greatest among men yet one who is least in the kingdom of Heaven

Matthew 11:7-15

a. A man who is more than a prophet (11:7-11)

b. A man who has come by God (11:12-15)

1. INTRODUCTION

2. BODY

a. A man who is more than a prophet (11:7-11)

i. Verse 7 starts with John the Baptist’s disciples start to go away from Jesus and return. As these men were leaving, Jesus begins to speak about John the Baptist. Jesus asks questions regarding John and asks some interesting questions. His first question is, what did you go out into the wilderness to see? Did you see a reed shaken by the wind?

ii. Jesus goes back to what He told the disciples of John to do when asked if He was the one who is to come or shall we look for another (11:3). His response was, go and report to John all that you have seen and hear. Therefore, here in verse 7, Jesus now questions the men, what did you see and hear? His question a reed shaken by the wind is significant because it tells us who John is. This statement a reed shaken by the wind signifies that John was not a weak man. John is not a reed blowing in the breeze, a man who is weak and a wavering person. No, Jesus confirms that John’s response in verse 3 is inconsistent with his own character. But what Jesus does is, explain who John the Baptist actually is.

iii. Verse 8 begins with another question. What did you go out and see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing in king’s places? Jesus’s second question now deals with the character of John. Do you think John is a person who thinks highly of how he looks or wears clothing that are appropriate for kings? Jesus was trying to explain and explain that John is more than what is seen in the outside.

iv. This leads to Jesus’s third question found in verse 9 where Jesus asks “What did you go out to see?” A prophet? Yes, he is one who is more than a prophet. Jesus’s statement here is astounding because Jesus’s answer is followed by explaining Jesus is more than that. John is not simply a prophet. He is a super prophet.

v. A prophet was the spokesman of God; among the Jews there could be no higher pedestal on which to place a man. And while there had been many prophets in olden days, the people of that day had never seen one, nor had their ancestors for hundreds of years. We have to remember that the last prophet before John the Baptist was Malachi. After Malachi, God was silent for nearly 400 years until the time that God would speak through John the Baptist. If we are to think from it this way, John the Baptist is the first time that God is speaking to His people after 400 years of silence. From this standpoint, John the Baptist is a great man. He is the voice of God.

vi. This is why in verse 10, He is the one who it is written. God spoke about this man and wrote about this man and quotes Malachi 3:1. In order to understand the significance of John the Baptist, reading Malachi is very informative and helpful. Malachi 1 starts with God’s love for Israel and how God will be magnified beyond Israel. It is followed by speaking about how the priests have sinned and how they have presented defiled food upon the altar of God. Malachi 2 continues to speak about how the priests have defiled God so God will cause them to be despised and shown affliction from the people.

vii. Malachi 3 speaks about a messenger who will come to clear the way for Me. This is quoted here in Matthew 11:10 and we know this to be John the Baptist. What will this man do? He will come and purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness (Malachi 3:3). This is why John the Baptist started his ministry calling people to repentance. This goes back to 3:6-8. I love this passage that hey were confessing their sins and to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. John the Baptist understood the mission of God that his primary purpose was to come to purify the people so they could present righteous offerings.

viii. This is why Jesus says in verse 11 that among those born of women, there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist. John’s greatness arises because he is not only a prophet but himself the fulfilment of prophecy. We can even say that John the Baptist is greater than Abraham or even Moses. This is what Jesus seems to be saying here. But a surprising statement follows this claim. Jesus says that he is great, but the one who is least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. This is not denigrating the greatness of John. John is still an amazing person but Jesus’s focus is how great the wonder of being in the kingdom is.

ix. So what does this statement actually mean? Remember, John’s ministry is before the ministry of Christ. In that sense, John is still part of the old system. He is the last prophet before the Messiah. The fact that John is a forerunner for Christ, the one who would come to prepare the way before Christ, tells us that He is part of the old system. This is not to say that John the Baptist is not in the Kingdom of Heaven. We are not speaking of John the Baptist’s personal salvation. The issue here is in the context of salvation history. Because John the Baptist’s ministry comes before the ministry of the Messiah, a man who comes to saving faith in Jesus Christ is greater than John the Baptist. Again, this is a contrast of two eras. One era was preparing the arrival of the Messiah. The other, stating that the kingdom has begun.

b. A man who has come by God (11:12-15)

i. Jesus now makes the link between John and the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus explains this through explaining the development of salvation history where He says that from the days of John the Baptist, this referring to the old era, the old prophets of the Old Testament, to now the kingdom of Heaven, which speaks of the arrival of Jesus’s ministry, all of these men have suffered violence and violent men take it by force. We see that even John the Baptist was the recipient of this violence, in that he was now imprisoned and will be executed in Matthew 14. Ultimately, Jesus’s statement and His ministry will link the two eras together because both John the Baptist suffered for his ministry and Jesus ultimately will pay with His life for His ministry. We see this statement that Jesus makes regarding these two eras will be linked together.

ii. Through this statement in verse 12, Jesus is making it clear that the kingdom of Heaven will remain a subject to violent opposition. I think we can make the case today too. We might not face the type of violent oppression such as physical harm but we will face cancel culture. But the point here is that those who profess Christ will face oppression. It’s interesting that the word used here for “take it by force” is the same word for the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. They will be violently taken away like the prophets in verse 13. Verse 13 helps us understand that not only the prophets prophesied this, but even the Law. Jesus connects Matthew 5:17 here by stating that He did not come to abolish the Law or the prophets, but rather to fulfill. We can see that even John the Baptist came because of the Law.

iii. Verse 14, and if you understand and are willing to accept it, then you understand that John himself is Elijah who is to come. What does this mean? John the Baptist is like Elijah in the sense that John the Baptist is the forerunner to the Messiah. Malachi 4:5 also gives us a hint how this connects. It says that He will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. In that sense, just as Elijah will come before the terrible day of the Lord, John comes to tell us that the Messiah has come.

iv. Verse 15, He who has ears to hear, let him hear. This statement is interesting because it tells us to believe if we can believe this. So what is the significance of all of this? This whole section goes back to the point of verse 3. John the Baptist through his disciples ask Jesus, are you the expected one or shall we look for another? Jesus’s response in verse 4 tells the disciples, go and report what you hear and see. The reality of this statement tells us that it’s not simply to understand who John the Baptist is. The whole purpose of this section is not about John the Baptist. It’s about the God who sent John the Baptist and how He was working in the time of Jesus and how He is working in our day today.

v. The reality is, we can have the same doubt in God and we can question if God is with us and how can He allow us to go through such difficulty. But the reality of Jesus’s statement is, that you are precious in the sight of God. No matter how great John the Baptist is, if you are a child of God, you are precious in the sight of God and see and hear the things that God is doing. Don’t fret over the circumstances of your time. Don’t look to the world and be discouraged. Be encouraged. Look to Jesus. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

3. CONCLUSION