“Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (v. 11)
John the Baptist was a great prophet. He was the cousin of Jesus and was sent to prepare the way for the Messiah. After he was thrown into prison and faced some difficult days, Jesus sent an encouraging word to him not to lose heart. Then, Jesus turned to the crowd and told them about the character of John. Jesus clarified that John was not a reed shaken by the wind or someone who lived an easy life in soft clothes. On the contrary, John was more than a prophet. He was a wild man, a hellfire and brimstone preacher, fearless and willing to do whatever it took to finish the task. Jesus says of John that he was the greatest person who had ever been born at that time (see 7-9). This statement is pretty amazing, but it is even more impressive when you look at the background.
If you study the timeline of Matthew, you find that the ministry of John the Baptist only lasted about six months. It is remarkable to say, “this man is the greatest who ever lived,” but it is even more significant when you realize that this statement was based on a brief season of ministry. It wasn’t like John the Baptist was looking back on a lifetime of preaching and approaching retirement. Just two chapters later, John will pay the ultimate price when he is beheaded for preaching the truth. Jesus looks at John’s six months of total devotion to the task and says, “that’s the greatest man alive!” Yet, He also says that the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is even greater than him. Imagine what Jesus would say of you if you lived your next 60 years as “the least in the Kingdom,” like John lived his six months. Imagine living every moment devoted to knowing, loving, and serving God regardless of the cost. The world needs more Johns who serve with reckless abandon the entire time God gives them.
