Who Is Greater Than John the Baptist?
All scripture is quoted from The New American Standard Bible,
La Habra, California: The Lockman Foundation, 1977.
Least in the Kingdom of Heaven
"Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen
anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom
of heaven is greater than he... For all the prophets and the Law
prophesied until John."--Jesus (Matthew 11:11 and 13)
"But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to
you, and one who is more than a prophet. This is the one about whom
it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will
prepare Your way before You.’* I say to you, among those born of
women, there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom
of God is greater than he."--Jesus (Luke 7:26-28; *Jesus was quoting Malachi
3:1)
Jesus said that he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than
John the Baptist (in Matthew's gospel, "the kingdom of heaven" is synonymous
with "the kingdom of God" found elsewhere in the New Testament).
Who is least in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus' answer to this question
is found in Matthew 5:17-19, quoted below.
17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I
did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, until
heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass
away from the Law, until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls
one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be
called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches
them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Born of Women
Jesus qualified his statement concerning who is greater than John the
Baptist when Jesus said, "...among those born of women there has
not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11).
John the Baptist and all who preceded him were born only of women, not
of God's Spirit. Being born of women is synonymous with being born
of flesh, or being born of water, in which the human fetus is formed, and
of which the human body primarily consists (humans bodies consist of more
than 90% water). To enter into God's kingdom, one must be born of
Spirit. The passage below from John chapter 3 explains how one becomes
born of Spirit and subsequently enters into God's kingdom:
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of
the Jews; 2 this man came to Him by night, and said to Him, “Rabbi, we
know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these
signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to
him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be
born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb
and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. 6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You
must be born again.’ 8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear
the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going;
so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus answered and said
to Him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are
you the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things? 11 “Truly,
truly, I say to you, we speak that which we know, and bear witness of that
which we have seen; and you do not receive our witness. 12 “If I told you
earthly things and you do not believe, how shall you believe if I tell
you heavenly things? 13 “And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who
descended from heaven, even the Son of Man. 14 “And as Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted
up; 15 that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life. 16 “For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did
not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world
should be saved through Him. 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged;
he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 “And this is the judgment,
that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather
than the light; for their deeds were evil. 20 “For everyone who does evil
hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should
be exposed. 21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that
his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
In summary, the passage above says that to be born of Spirit, we must simply
believe that the Messiah died for our sins. Anyone born of Spirit
has eternal life, is in God's kingdom, and is greater than John the Baptist
(and greater than all those born only of women but not of Spirit).
Conclusion
A person in God's kingdom who teaches others to annul the least of
the commandments in the Law (the first five books of the Old Testament)
will be called "least in the kingdom of heaven", yet that person is greater
than John the Baptist, who in his lifetime did not have the opportunity
to be born of Spirit and enter into God's kingdom, since the Messiah had
not yet died for the sins of mankind and risen from the dead.
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