The Wednesday of the Second Week in Advent

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Gospel text for this second Wednesday in Advent invites us to meditate on greatness. Like last Wednesday, our reading once again focuses on St. John the Baptizer, though this time we hear our Lord speaking about John rather than hearing from John himself. In the first verse of this text, our Lord makes two curious statements concerning greatness. First, He talks about the greatness of John the Baptizer.

“Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11a).

But next, our Lord puzzlingly says:

“but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11b).

This raises a couple of questions about greatness in the kingdom of heaven. What does “greatness” entail? And how is it possible that anyone, let alone the “least in the kingdom of heaven”, could be greater than John? This is a curious statement by our Lord. And so, today we will consider the question that flows from this statement: What is greatness in the kingdom of heaven? I will place before you two possible answers:

1.) Greatness has to do with the deeds which one performs.

2.) Greatness has to do with that which is received.

As we consider these possible answers, we will see that only one of them provides a sufficient answer to this question.

First, we will consider greatness in terms of deeds. This is our normal way of conceiving greatness, isn’t it? We tend to think of greatness in terms of what one accomplishes. Greatness is putting your life on the line for others, such as military service. Greatness is accomplishing something unique, such as leading your team to victory. Greatness is being of important stature as a leader, such as serving in political offices. This is the way in which we tend to conceive of greatness—it’s about what one accomplishes or does. And our Lord has much to say about one’s deeds and actions. For example, just a few verses before today’s Gospel text, our Lord says:

“And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42).

And quite applicably, our Lord also says in Matthew chapter 18, when asked about greatness in the kingdom of heaven:

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me” (Matthew 18:3-6).

Clearly, our Lord has much to say about deeds and the importance of them. He challenges us to think differently about the kind of deeds we are performing. The deeds which please our Lord are not great feats of strength and might. The deeds which please our Lord are acts of faithfulness and love to those who are in need.

But even so, there is a major problem with conceiving of deeds as the primary measure of greatness. That problem is this: By any standards, whether the world’s standards or our Lord’s standards, the deeds of St. John the Baptizer are far greater than any deeds we will ever perform. In the verse immediately preceding our text for today, our Lord explicitly connects John the Baptizer to the prophecy of Malachi, which we heard earlier. John is the one of whom the prophet Malachi wrote:

“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before me…Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” (Malachi 3:1, 4:5).

St. John the Baptizer is the greatest “among those born of women” (Matthew 11:11). The greatness of his deeds in preparing the way for the Messiah will never be matched or surpassed by anyone, save the Christ Himself. John’s deeds are undeniably greater than ours. Of that there can be no dispute. So, what is greatness in the kingdom of heaven, then? Well, when our Lord speaks of the least in the kingdom of heaven being greater than John, He can’t possibly have in mind deeds. If He did, His statement would be blatantly false. So, because our Lord does not lie, we must seek another answer.

If greatness in the kingdom of heaven cannot primarily be concerned with deeds, then we must look outside of ourselves. Greatness in the kingdom of heaven, therefore, must primarily have to with that which is received. In other words, I become great by being made that way, not by causing myself to become great. Greatness is not about the great deeds that one performs. If it was, there’s no way anyone, save Jesus Himself, could be greater than John, as we’ve said. It’s not about great deeds that we have done, rather it’s about what we have which John didn’t. So, what do we have which John the Baptizer did not have? We have the fullness of the revelation of Christ. We’ll hear in Sunday’s Gospel Reading the text immediately preceding ours for today from Matthew 11. In that reading we will see how John the Baptizer was missing the fullness of the revelation of who Christ is. See, we live in a post-Good Friday reality where our sins have been atoned for by the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. Sure, John is saved by the same blood of Christ which was shed there, but he had to anticipate that which has been revealed for us. We live in a post-Easter reality where eternal life has been made a reality through our Lord’s resurrection. Yes, John will also receive new life by virtue of this same resurrection, but he had to anticipate that which has been revealed for us. We live in a post-Pentecost reality where the Holy Spirit has been poured out in full measure on us and on all followers of Jesus. Sure, John did not live apart from the Holy Spirit, but he had to anticipate the fullness of God pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. He never experienced that which has been revealed for us and given to us. From the point of view of God’s people who still lived by the promises in the old covenant, John the Baptizer is the greatest man ever born of a woman. But now that God has begun to reign in Jesus, the fullness of salvation which has been revealed to us is so wondrous that even the least person who now comes under that reign of blessing by faith can be, and indeed, must be regarded as greater than John.

My friends, now that God has come to reign graciously in the world in the person of Jesus, there is no greater identity than to belong to the kingdom of heaven under the blessing of the King. Our Lord’s words are as true today as when He first spoke them. Even the newest, most timid believing disciple is greater than John—not because of anything in himself, but because the forgiveness and power and new life of the reign of God have come to and encompassed him. Our God has come to us in Christ in a way that John the Baptizer could only anticipate and imagine. We receive the Spirit of God to dwell within us through Baptism. Our God comes to us in His Word every time we read it or hear it proclaimed. Our Lord Jesus gives us His very Body and Blood to eat and to drink in His Supper. This is greatness—not that we are great in ourselves by our own deeds. Greatness in the kingdom of heaven is to receive our Lord’s coming to us now in the sure and certain hope of his full and final coming on the last day. This is greatness in the kingdom of heaven. You are greater than St. John the Baptizer because our Lord has chosen to reveal the fullness of His grace to you. Thanks be to God!

In Jesus’ name. Amen.