Least in the Kingdom

Matthew 11:11

This statement by Jesus may confuse the casual reader, “Truly, I say to you, among those born of woman 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.”  Reflecting on what the Scriptures tell us about John should bring clarity to this verse in the gospel according to Luke.  Let’s begin with the parents of John, what kind of people were they?  In Luke 1: 5 we are told that the dad was a priest named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth was from the daughters of Aaron.  And in verse six we have this information, “And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” Now that should blow your doors off, that is not Luke’s opinion, that is what the Holy Spirit is telling him to put on paper for you and me.  Do you remember what God said about Job, in Job 1:1, “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.”  The parents of John, as well as Job, fall in a very small group of people that God has spoken of in this way.

So we now understand John had very special parents, but what made John so great?  We find the key in Luke 1:14-15,  ^“And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.” It is important to know who brought this message to John’s dad, none other than the ark angel Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God.  Luke gives us this account of the school that the Holy Spirit sent John to, until his public appearance to Israel, “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. (Luke 1:80)

The last part of that verse should not disturb us, the Holy Spirit knew that John would not live to see the works of Jesus, nor would he be subject to Jesus’ teachings that the disciples and apostles, and even you and I would be exposed to.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice