Mat 11:7-11 | KingComments | STEP | After His words for John, the Lord turns to the crowds to speak about John. For John, the Lord has words that support his weak faith. To the crowds, He speaks of John as a prophet without equal. He presents him before the crowds and asks them what opinion they have formed about him. After his expression of weakness, they could compare him to a reed shaken by the wind, a man without strength. It could also be that John does not meet their expectations in another way, because he is averse to all that is great and ostentatious. Or would there also be in the crowd those who see John as a prophet? These are closest to the truth, but they are also far away. John is not just a prophet. He is a prophet who immediately preceded the coming of the Messiah as a herald to announce Him as the coming Messiah. The Messiah was not only announced by the prophets, but also by John the baptist. Malachi says of him that he is the angel or messenger who “will prepare the way before Me” ( ). By “Me” the LORD, Yahweh , is meant. The Lord Jesus says here in His quotation of this verse: “I send My messenger ahead of You.” It is therefore clear that He is the announced Yahweh . John is the messenger sent out by Yahweh to prepare the way for Yahweh Who came in humility as the Messiah. To prepare the way means to prepare the hearts of the people to receive the Messiah. He did so through his preaching of repentance and conversion. Gabriel already said of him when announcing his birth: “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord” ( ). Now the Lord calls him the greatest born of women because of his direct connection to the Messiah and because he is His forerunner and he has announced Him. Of course that is without taking Himself into account. He does not compare John to Himself, but to all the other people who have been born up to that point. He adds at the same time: “The one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” This means that a new state of affairs begins after John. The difference is not in what someone is in himself, but in the position that someone occupies. It is about the kingdom of heaven. John announced this, but he did not go into it, because it only comes after the Lord Jesus has been rejected and has returned to heaven. The kingdom has its origin in heaven, but its sphere of activity is on earth. This applies both now and in the future when Christ reigns on earth. The fact that the “least” in the kingdom is greater than John the baptist has to do with the rejection of Christ and His completed work. This was unknown to the believers in the Old Testament. The “least” is clothed with privileges that no believer in the Old Testament possessed. This has to do with God’s appreciation of the completed work of His Son. Whoever is connected to it – and that holds true for the members of the church of the living God

‏ Matthew 11:7-11

Testimony About John

After His words for John, the Lord turns to the crowds to speak about John. For John, the Lord has words that support his weak faith. To the crowds, He speaks of John as a prophet without equal. He presents him before the crowds and asks them what opinion they have formed about him. After his expression of weakness, they could compare him to a reed shaken by the wind, a man without strength. It could also be that John does not meet their expectations in another way, because he is averse to all that is great and ostentatious.

Or would there also be in the crowd those who see John as a prophet? These are closest to the truth, but they are also far away. John is not just a prophet. He is a prophet who immediately preceded the coming of the Messiah as a herald to announce Him as the coming Messiah. The Messiah was not only announced by the prophets, but also by John the baptist.

Malachi says of him that he is the angel or messenger who “will prepare the way before Me” (Mal 3:1). By “Me” the LORD, Yahweh, is meant. The Lord Jesus says here in His quotation of this verse: “I send My messenger ahead of You.” It is therefore clear that He is the announced Yahweh. John is the messenger sent out by Yahweh to prepare the way for Yahweh Who came in humility as the Messiah. To prepare the way means to prepare the hearts of the people to receive the Messiah. He did so through his preaching of repentance and conversion.

Gabriel already said of him when announcing his birth: “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord” (Lk 1:15a). Now the Lord calls him the greatest born of women because of his direct connection to the Messiah and because he is His forerunner and he has announced Him. Of course that is without taking Himself into account. He does not compare John to Himself, but to all the other people who have been born up to that point.

He adds at the same time: “The one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” This means that a new state of affairs begins after John. The difference is not in what someone is in himself, but in the position that someone occupies. It is about the kingdom of heaven. John announced this, but he did not go into it, because it only comes after the Lord Jesus has been rejected and has returned to heaven. The kingdom has its origin in heaven, but its sphere of activity is on earth. This applies both now and in the future when Christ reigns on earth.

The fact that the “least” in the kingdom is greater than John the baptist has to do with the rejection of Christ and His completed work. This was unknown to the believers in the Old Testament. The “least” is clothed with privileges that no believer in the Old Testament possessed. This has to do with God’s appreciation of the completed work of His Son. Whoever is connected to it – and that holds true for the members of the church of the living God – receives this fantastic position.