23 True Greatness (11:7-15)
And as these were going away, Jesus began to speak to the multitudes about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces. But why 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.’ 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. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you care to accept it, he himself is Elijah, who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (11:7-15)
The world has many standards by which it measures greatness. These standards include intellectual achievement, political and military leadership, scientific and medical discoveries, wealth and power, and athletic, dramatic, literary, and musical skill.
Jesus here sets forth God’s measure of greatness, first in the human, historical dimension as seen in the life and ministry of John the Baptist. He then briefly contrasts John’s greatness with the superior greatness of kingdom citizens.
From verses 7-14 three marks of John’s greatness can be discerned: his personal character, his privileged calling, and his powerful culmination.
JOHN’S PERSONAL CHARACTER
And as these were going away, Jesus began to speak to the multitudes about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces.” (11:7-8)
HE OVERCAME WEAKNESS
The first characteristic of John’s personal greatness demands reflection on two preceding verses (2-3) that demonstrate his ability to recognize and overcome his weaknesses.
Many people cannot rise above their difficulties and circumstances. Everyone has problems; it is overcoming them that separates great people from others. Great people fight through, refusing to give in to their ignorance, handicaps, laziness, indifference, or whatever other obstacles may be in their way. John the Baptist had that characteristic of greatness in full measure.
As discussed in the previous chapter of this volume, John was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb and had been set apart by God to announce the Messiah and to prepare Israel for His coming. He had seen the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus at His baptism and had heard God the Father declare Jesus to be His beloved Son. From many sources, including some of his own disciples, he had heard of Jesus’ miraculous powers. Yet—because of difficult circumstances, incomplete revelation, the influence of popular misconceptions, and unfulfilled expectations—John had misgivings about Jesus’ identity as the Messiah. Consequently he sent two of his disciples to Jesus to question what had previously been unquestioned (vv. 2-3; cf. Luke 7:19).
John was deeply perplexed by his lingering doubts and probably felt he was betraying the very One he was sent to announce. But because he could not dispel the doubts, he acknowledged them to his disciples and asked two of them to seek out Jesus and confirm the truth from His own lips.
Above all other considerations, John wanted to know the truth about Jesus. He was not concerned about protecting himself by not admitting his doubts to his own disciples, to Jesus’ disciples, or to the multitudes among whom he had become so popular. John had no desire to play the hypocrite. He had no interest in religious pretense, illusion, or self-deception. His assurance about certain truths had become clouded, but his humility and his underlying faith protected him from skepticism and denial.
John had no resentment of Jesus’ popularity when it began to overshadow his own and had in fact declared of Jesus that “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). He confessed publicly that he was unworthy even to remove Jesus’ sandals; and when Jesus asked to be baptized by John, John replied, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” (Matt. 3:11, 14).
Pride curses true greatness, and the person who proudly refuses to admit and deal with personal weaknesses is doomed to hypocrisy and mediocrity.
General Douglas MacArthur prayed on behalf of his son:
Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. . . .
Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.
And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom and the meekness of true strength.
Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”
STRONG IN CONVICTION
And as these were going away, Jesus began to speak to the multitudes about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? (11:7)
A second characteristic of John’s personal greatness was strong conviction, which made the first characteristic even more remarkable. A person with weak convictions is seldom reluctant to face doubts or change his beliefs. To him, vacillation is no cause for embarrassment or shame. But the very strength of John’s convictions made his admission of doubt all the more admirable.
John’s disciples did not question Jesus privately, which is apparent from the fact that, as these were going away, Jesus began to speak to the multitudes about John. The crowds, as well as Jesus’ own disciples, surely were perplexed when they heard that John, the symbol of boldness and certainty, would publicly admit to misgivings about the very Person he had been proclaiming. John had had a large and loyal following, and many people recognized him as a prophet with a divine message (Matt. 14:5; 21:26). Was John not as trustworthy as they thought, and was his message not reliable?
To answer the questions in the minds of the multitudes, Jesus asked them a question: What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? He appealed to their own experiences, asking, in effect, “Was the man you saw preaching and baptizing in the wilderness uncertain and vacillating, a reed shaken by the wind? Did you ever hear John change his message or compromise his standards?” He asked.
The reed to which Jesus referred was common along Near Eastern river banks, including those of the Jordan where John baptized. They were light and flexible, waving back and forth with every breeze. The people knew that John was not swayed like those reeds. If ever there had been a man with unswerving convictions, it was John. He stood up to the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and even to Herod himself—for which boldness he was now in prison. The people knew John was as far as possible from being spineless or irresolute. As John Bunyan points out in his Pilgrim’s Progress, Mr. Pliable does not go to prison to be martyred for the truth.
John had many opportunities to play the crowd and win approval of the authorities. He was such a powerful and commanding figure that many people thought he might himself be the Messiah (Luke 3:15). By being less direct and honest he could have gained the support of the hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees who came to him for baptism. Instead, he confronted them with their sin and hypocrisy, saying, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you, that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matt. 3:7-10). Then, speaking of Jesus, he continued, “And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (v. 12). Like William Penn, John believed that “right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.”
The following incident is reported about John Chrysostom, the famous fourth-century Christian leader:
When the great Chrysostom was arrested by the Roman Emperor, the latter sought to make the Greek Christian recant, but without success. So the Emperor discussed with his advisors what could be done to the prisoner. “Shall I put him in a dungeon?” the Emperor asked.
“No,” one of his counsellors replied, “for he will be glad to go. He longs for the quietness wherein he can delight in the mercies of his God.”
“Then he shall be executed!” said the Emperor.
“No,” was the answer; “For he will also be glad to die. He declares that in the event of death he will be in the presence of his God.”
“What shall we do then?” the ruler asked.
“There is only one thing that will give Chrysostom pain,” the counsellor said. “To cause him to suffer, make him sin. He is afraid of nothing except sin.”
“A double-minded man [is] unstable in all his ways,” James says (James 1:8). He is the man Paul describes as “tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). Like Chrysostom, however, John the Baptist was far from being double-minded.
But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces. (11:8)
Jesus continues to challenge the crowd by asking them another question about John. In doing so He reminds them of a third characteristic of John’s greatness: his self-denial.
Great generals put their lives on the line with their troops. Great athletes train their bodies mercilessly, denying themselves pleasures most people take for granted. Great scientists often risk their health to make an important discovery. Great inventors sacrifice social life in order to develop and perfect an invention. Great medical researchers risk exposure to deadly disease in order to save thousands of lives. The easy way is never the way of success.
The self-indulgent man dressed in soft clothing does not live in the wilderness as John did. He wore “a garment of camel’s hair, and a leather belt about his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey” (Matt. 3:4). His life-style was a living, visual protest against self-indulgence and self-centeredness.
Historians report that in order to court the king’s favor, some scribes of Jesus’ day forsook the rather drab garments they usually wore and donned the ornate, luxurious robes of the king’s court. Because it served to silence possible criticism from those religious leaders, the king gladly encouraged the practice.
But John the Baptist was not a self-seeker or self-server. Both physically and symbolically he dressed, ate, and lived far apart from the hypocritical and corrupt religious and political systems. He was not interested in the ease or approval of the world. He had no penchant for gaining the favor of those who could advance his carter or promote his welfare. He was so consumed by the cause God gave him that he was not attracted to the world and its standards. His devotion to his ministry completely superceded any personal interests and comforts.
As predicted before his birth, John had taken a life-long Nazirite vow. John “will be great in the sight of the Lord,” the angel told his father, Zacharias, “and he will drink no wine or liquor” (Luke 1:15). Along with not drinking wine or liquor, the vow also involved never cutting the hair or touching anything, such as a dead body, that was ceremonially unclean. Many Jews, both men and women, took a Nazirite vow for a few months or years. But along with Samson (Judg. 13:7; 16:17) and Samuel (1 Sam. 1:11), John the Baptist is one of only three persons mentioned in Scripture who took the vow for life. His was a life-long, voluntary commitment to self-denial as an act of devotion to God.
John did not think his self-denial had meritorious blessing in itself. He was not like the many ascetics throughout church history who have sought to win God’s favor by feats of self-inflicted poverty, pain, and humiliation. Ascepsimas wore heavy chains about his neck that forced him to crawl on his hands and knees. For forty years the monk Besarion slept only while sitting in a chair. Macarius the Younger lived without clothes in a swamp for six months and was so severely bitten by mosquitos that his body looked leprous. Simeon Stylites, the most famous of the ancient ascetics, died at the age of seventy-two, after having spent thirty-seven years sitting atop various pillars, the last of which was 66 feet high.
When in 1403 the father of the beautiful, respected, and wealthy Agnes de Rocher died, she decided to become a religious recluse. From the age of eighteen until the age of eighty, when she died, Agnes spent her life sealed in a small chamber specially built into the wall of a Paris cathedral. A small opening enabled her to hear the mass, receive communion, and accept gifts of food from friends.
John the Baptist knew nothing of such misguided piety. His self-denial was purposeful; it was for the sake of his ministry and it aided his own physical and spiritual discipline.
JOHN’S PRIVILEGED CALLING
But why 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.’ 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. (11:9-11)
John’s second mark of greatness was his privileged calling. Until Christ’s own ministry began, no human being had been called to a task as high and sacred as that of John the Baptist. In many ways his privilege overshadowed that of Mary, who gave Jesus birth. John was chosen to announce and prepare the way for the Messiah, the Son of God, the King of kings.
Jesus now asked the crowd a third question: But why did you go out? To see a prophet? The answer to that question is clearly yes. As already mentioned, John the Baptist had developed a large and dedicated following in addition to his disciples, and most of the people did indeed consider him to be a prophet (Matt. 14:5; 21:26).
The prophetic office began with Moses and extended until the Babylonian captivity, after which for 400 years Israel had no prophet until John the Baptist. He was the valedictorian of the prophets, the most dynamic, articulate, confrontational, and powerful spokesman God had ever called. As the last prophet, he would not only announce that the Messiah was coming but that He had arrived.
In true greatness, the right person is always matched to the right position. A person with much potential will accomplish little if his talents are not channeled into work that takes full advantage of those abilities. No person can fulfill his human potential like a Christian can, because God omnisciently matches our talents, gifts, and calling. In John the Baptist the greatest man and the greatest human mission came together by God’s sovereign and providential direction.
Jesus assured the people that John not only was a prophet but more than a prophet. Quoting Malachi 3:1, He said, This is the one about whom it is written, “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.” The expression before Your face means to be in front of, or to precede. An expanded translation, as interpreted here by Jesus, would read, “Behold, I, Jehovah, send My messenger John the Baptist to be the forerunner of You, the Messiah, and to prepare the people for Your coming.”
John was both prophet and fulfillment of prophecy. He was the Lord’s messenger who was to prepare [the] way for Messiah and who would even baptize Him. He announced the Messiah and ministered to the Messiah with his own hands—as no other prophet had done or would ever again do. After thousands of years of God’s preparation and prediction, John was given the unequalled privilege of being the Messiah’s personal herald.
Continuing His praise of John, Jesus said, Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist. To emphasize the unquestionable truthfulness of what He said, Jesus prefaced His words with verily (am
n), a term of strong affirmation often simply transliterated as “Amen.”
Born of women was a common ancient expression that simply referred to basic humanness, to identification with the human race (see Job 14:1; 15:14). Jesus’ point was that, as far as mankind is concerned, there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist. He was the greatest human being who had lived until that time. From an earthly perspective, John’s character and calling made him the greatest man yet born besides Jesus Himself. In superior qualities as a human being, John was unequalled.
Arisen is from egeir
, which means to rise up or to appear on the stage of history and was often used of prophets, both true and false (see, e.g., Matt. 24:11, 24). Not only as a human being but as a prophet, no one had arisen to equal John, because he was sent on the very threshold of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus.
But lest the people misunderstand the nature of John’s greatness, Jesus added, yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Although he was a spiritual giant among men, John’s unique greatness was in his role in human history, not in his spiritual inheritance, in which he would be equal to every believer. Therefore, the least in the kingdom of heaven, the spiritual dimension, is greater than he, that is, than anyone in the human dimension, including John.
JOHN’S POWERFUL CULMINATION
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you care to accept it, he himself is Elijah, who was to come. (11:12-14)
Even if a man has outstanding character and an outstanding calling, he must also have opportunity in order to reach the potential of his greatness. John the Baptist entered the scene of history at precisely the right time—according to God’s own plan, prediction, and provision. After 400 years with no word from the Lord, Israel was expectant; and until Jesus began His own ministry, John was the focal point of redemptive history. He was the culmination of Old Testament history and prophecy.
But John generated conflict wherever he went, because his message upset the status quo. With his call for repentance, he stirred up a hornet’s nest among the religious leaders and even with the king. Everywhere he moved there was reaction, and often even violence, which eventuated in his being arrested, imprisoned, and finally executed.
From the days of John the Baptist until now (which had been a relatively brief period of time, perhaps eighteen months), the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. Everywhere he went, John evoked strong reaction.
The kingdom of heaven refers to God’s general rule, His will for and His work with mankind, especially His chosen people, the Jews. It represents His purpose, message, principles, laws, and activities relating to mankind—all of which had been associated with some form of violence since John began preaching.
The form of biaz (from which suffers violence comes) can be read as either a Greek passive or middle voice. As a passive, it would carry the idea of being oppressed or treated violently, which would indicate that violence is brought on the kingdom of heaven by those outside of it. The Pharisees and scribes had attacked John verbally, and Herod had attacked him physically. The kingdom was being violently denied and rejected; and because it was being rejected in its spiritual dimension, the kingdom would not come in its earthly, millennial dimension. Soon the enemies of the kingdom would kill not only John but even the Messiah Himself. They would destroy both the herald and the King.
In the middle voice the verb carries the active idea of applying force or of entering forcibly—in which case the translation would be, “The kingdom of heaven is vigorously pressing itself forward, and people are forcefully entering it.” With its focus in John the Baptist, the kingdom moved relentlessly through the godless, sindarkened human system that opposed it.
The first of those two interpretations is negative and the second is positive; but both are true. As already seen, the negative is illustrated by the persecution of John. The positive is illustrated by the many people that John’s preaching led to the Lord, just as the angel predicted: “He will turn back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:16-17).
Although both interpretations are possible and true, the second seems preferable in the context. Jesus had already taught that the few who enter the kingdom do so by first finding and then entering the narrow gate and walking the narrow way (Matt. 7:13-14). He also said that citizenship in His kingdom requires denying self, taking up one’s cross, and following Him (Matt. 16:24; cf. 10:38). Following the Lord demands earnest endeavor, untiring energy, and the utmost exertion. To be a Christian is to swim against the flow of the world, to go against its grain, because the adversary—Satan, his demons, and the world system—are extremely powerful. Those who enter the kingdom of grace through faith in Christ do so with great effort through the sovereign power of the convicting and converting Holy Spirit.
All of God’s previous revelation culminated in John the Baptist, for all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. Everything from Genesis to Malachi to John pointed to and moved toward Christ, the Messiah. Their common theme—sometimes explicit and sometimes implicit—was, “The Messiah is coming!”
And if you care to accept it, Jesus continued, he himself is Elijah, who was to come. Through the last words of the last prophet, God had said, “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse” (Mal. 4:5-6).
This man would not be a reincarnated Elijah but another prophet much like Elijah. That Malachi’s prophecy referred to John the Baptist and not to a literally-returned Elijah is made clear by the angel’s message to Zechariah about John: “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17); and John himself denied that he was actually Elijah (John 1:21). John was like Elijah—internally in “spirit and power” and externally in rugged independence and nonconformity.
Jesus’ point was that if the Jews received John’s message as God’s message and received the Messiah he proclaimed, he would indeed be the Elijah spoken of by Malachi. But if they refused the King and His kingdom, another Elijah-like prophet would be sent in the future.
Because Israel did not accept the message of John the Baptist, John could not be Elijah and the kingdom could not be established. Another prophet like Elijah is therefore still yet to come, perhaps as one of the two witnesses of Revelation 11:1-19.
Because most Jews did not accept John or the Messiah he heralded, Jesus gave a final admonition and warning: He who has ears to hear, let him hear. “John is indeed the forerunner of the Messiah,” Jesus was saying; “and I am indeed the Messiah, as John has testified to you. I am the King, and I am offering you the kingdom—individually as you turn to Me in personal faith and nationally if you come to Me as God’s chosen nation.”
John was the greatest man to live before Christ, but the highest greatness God offers is not like John’s. John was a unique man and greatly used by God in the redemptive scheme before the New Covenant. But his greatness pales, Jesus says, besides those who enter His spiritual kingdom through trust in Him as Lord and Savior in the New Covenant. True greatness is not being like John the Baptist but being like Christ. That is the “one pearl of great value” for which it is worth sacrificing everything else (Matt. 13:46).