I am going to start this morning with a question and I am looking for responses, so you do actually have to answer. Who was the greatest Old Testament prophet according to Scripture? What do you think? Who is the greatest Old Testament prophet?
Now you might argue that this is something of a trick question, but the greatest Old Testament prophet never appeared in the Old Testament because the greatest Old Testament prophet was John the Baptist. Now I know you are thinking, “wait a minute, what about Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel?” Well, according to Jesus the greatest Old Testament prophet was John the Baptist and I am not can argue with him. You see, though we may learn about John in the section of Scripture we call “the New Testament,” Jesus instituted the new covenant at the Last Supper and with his death and resurrection. While Jesus was teaching in Matthew chapter 11, the old covenant was still in effect and we will see in chapter 14 that John did not live to see the new covenant introduced, and so, He is able to be the greatest Old Testament prophet.
Last week, we looked at the doubt that gripped the heart of John the Baptist. An affliction common to all believers at some point in our lives. Common for the people of God in both the Old Testament and the New. We looked at a few of the causes of that doubt as displayed in the situation of John the Baptist. And I am convinced that God inspired Matthew to record this interaction for the comfort and encouragement of all disciples who would come after. But Jesus does not end with the affirmation of his messianic role to John the Baptist, he continues on to speak to the crowds about John and explain how he is the greatest in a long line of great prophets of God. He goes so far as to say in verse 11 “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!” John is the last Old Testament prophet, the ultimate Old Testament prophet, and in the peak of the crescendo ushering in the Messiah and the kingdom of God.
But what made him so great? What made John the Baptist the greatest? There was a series on the History Channel a number of years ago called “Man, Moment, Machine.” Basically, each episode highlighted an amazing accomplishment or outcome that was the harmony of those three important ingredients. They would highlight the individual and the characteristics that made the man extraordinary for his time, the crucial circumstances that they found themselves in whether it be scientific, political, or martial situation, and the machine or invention that proved to be the perfect tool to allow the individual to succeed.
Throughout the Old Testament we see a number of great men of God, great prophets who are called into extraordinary circumstances with extraordinary messages and that is how we are going to look at John the Baptist this morning. What made him the greatest man who ever lived until that point came as a combination of his characteristics, the timing, rather than mechines it is his message that makes him so great. The man, the moment, and the message. Let us read our passage for this morning, Matthew 11:7-15 and see how Jesus lays these categories out to in tribute to John the Baptist.
As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in king’s palaces! But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, 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 the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 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 Joh. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
What made John the Baptist great? For the most important attribute of the man we must start with our passage from last week. What initiated this whole statement by Jesus? John the Baptist sending two of his disciples to Jesus to express his concern and doubt and looking for reassurance from the Messiah. The starting point for John’s greatness is the fact that in everything, especially in a moment of weakness he went to God. He knew who to go to for help in time of need. There is humility in the recognition of his own doubts and wisdom in who he went to for peace. In fact we see quite a bit of humility in the life of John the Baptist. We saw last week and referencing back to chapter 3 his statement of being unworthy even to untie the thong of Jesus’ sandal. In John chapter 3 when questioned about Jesus growing in popularity, John the Baptist told his disciples that he is the best man there to celebrate but never to be the focus for the wedding party and punctuates his statement with “He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease.”
He was humble and he knew where to go to for help. And we see in our Lord statement in verse seven that he was a man of conviction. Jesus asked the crowd of onlookers, “What drew you to John the Baptist? Why would you bother going out into the wilderness?” “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?” Why was he so magnetic? What was it about him that drew the crowds? Was it because he was a vacillating, weak character, blown back and forth with every new wave that came along?
The obvious answer to the question is, no. If you want to find people like that you do not have to go far. They are all over the place. You can find them in the marketplace, you can find them working the fields, you can find them in the religious systems. You certainly do not need to go into the wilderness, out into the desert to find someone with no conviction, no backbone. The read flowing back and forth in the wind symbolizes a man who yields to popular opinion, someone who is shifts with the slightest pressure. It is a man who says what he thinks people want to hear, who virtue signals so as not to catch any flak from the world around him.
John was not compromising in his personality or his message and they knew that. What did he say to the Pharisees and Sadducees that came to him for baptism? What did he call them? “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear 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 from the stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axes are laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” John was no kinder to the religious establishment then Jesus was. He came right out with it and laid on strong.
He was unafraid of men even of kings. He was in prison because he had publicly rebuked the adultery and elicit marriage of King Herod. The whole leadership of Israel had said nothing but John called it what it was; and was imprisoned for it, eventually being executed. We need that kind of conviction. The conviction that puts the truth of God before everything else.
Along with that conviction must come self-control and self-denial. This is something that is true of anyone who seeks greatness. “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces!” Did you go out into the dessert to see someone who chases after comfort and luxury? Someone who wanted Royal favors? A man who lives a life of self-indulgence?
John was not interested in the ease of the world. I do not believe he made life intentionally hard on himself to gain people’s favor but rather to demonstrate the total commitment that was necessary. His lifestyle was a visual protest against self-indulgence and self-centeredness that dominated the Jewish religious system. Think back to the description of his existence out in the desert in Matthew chapter 3. “He had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.” This was not a spectacle to draw people in it was a demonstration of the total commitment required and rejection of the world.
He was not preoccupied with comfort. He was not preoccupied with his own safety. He was not preoccupied with social status. This is not a guy who you want to invite your fancy party. In Luke 1:15 it says, “he will drink no wine or liquor,” this indicates that he likely took a Nazirite vow, a vow of total commitment to God through that self-denial. This was not a self-denial of the ascetics throughout the early church. Men and women who did ridiculous things to demonstrate their piety. Sitting on top of poles for years, isolating themselves in caves, taking vows of silence. Seriously, you have to read some of the things people did.
But the self-denial of John the Baptist was not some mistaken piety but rather a demonstration of one who was dedicated to accomplishing a goal forsaking everything else that may get in the way.That was the man. He was humble, recognizing that he must point to Christ in all things and that he was totally dependent upon God for all things. He was a man of conviction. Unaffected by the fears or comforts of this world.
The next factor of his greatness came by way of the moment in time he occupied. There is the man, and there is the moment. It was a moment, or better said, a period of time that had been anticipated for thousands of years. He was a prophet, and Jesus points out in verse 9, “a prophet. Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet.” How could he be more than a prophet? He was the ultimate prophet, the last in a long line, the final note in a crescendo of Revelation about the coming Messiah. Look at verse 13, “for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.”
All of the prophets in the Old Testament looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. All of them were pointing forward to the coming kingdom of God that would be brought in by the Christ, the Expected One. From Moses to Malachi the prophets look forward, each bringing the Word of God to the people and the warnings and promises of what was to come. John was the last in that line.
And he was a prophesied prophet. Not only was he a prophet himself but his coming was foretold as well. Before John the Baptist there had been 400 years of silence from God. 400 years without a prophet. 400 years of anticipation with nothing to satisfy the questions of the people. The last prophet of the Old Testament was Malachi. He had begun his message with a condemnation of the religious leaders of Israel; condemning the priests for despising the name of God and rebuking their self-righteousness. After that rebuke, the message turns to a promise of a purifier who would come.
In verse 10 Jesus quotes from Malachi 3:1 applying that prophecy to John the Baptist. John is the one promised by God who would prepare the way of God himself coming to his people. John is not only one who prophesies, he is the fulfillment of prophecy. He is more than a prophet. He not only harled the coming of the Messiah, he baptized the Messiah. He was preparing the way for God to come to his people. That is what that quotation really means. If you look at Malachi 3:1 God, Yahweh, says “I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me.”
For 400 years the people had been waiting for that messenger because he would be the forerunner of God himself entering in the world. And in chapter 4 of Malachi, the last verses of the Old Testament say “behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” The people were waiting for Elijah to come again because he would herald the day of the Lord, the kingdom of heaven entering the earth ruled over by the Messiah. In fact, it was common practice in the time of Jesus, and you can even find it in some Orthodox Jewish families today, that at the Passover meal they would set an extra place at the table complete with an empty chair. No one was allowed to sit there because it was reserved for Elijah if he should come. That was the level of anticipation that they had for this prophet, and in verse 14 Jesus says, “John himself is Elijah who was to come.”
“The day you have been waiting for is here; the prophet you have been waiting for is here. John the Baptist is Elijah “if you are willing to accept it.” He is not actually Elijah, but we see in Luke chapter 1 that as his birth is being foretold the angel tells Zacharias his father concerning John, “it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah.”
That is a level of expectation, the moment, the time that John the Baptist was living in. He was the turning point, the sign just before the coming of the King. And his message was, “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It was a divisive message. The message of warning and a message of hope in the same breath. A warning against the self-righteous and the sinful. A message that divided and caused forceful reactions.
In verse 12 Jesus says “from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” This is a difficult verse. One in which you will read 5 different authors and get 6 different interpretations for. I am not to tell you 100% what this means is I do not think anyone can; but I am convinced it could be either of two interpretations here, either of which could be correct. It comes down to the way you interpret both the verb and the adjective translated in most Bibles as “suffers violence” and “violent.”
The first understanding sees the verb in the passive sense as it is most often translated, in that the kingdom of heaven “suffers violence,” or has violence done against it with violent men attempting to take it by force. This understanding fits with the warnings in chapter 10 and the current situation of both the religious leaders and John the Baptist. Kingdom of heaven suffering violence would then refer to the persecution that comes with the preaching of the gospel and those who are seeking to bring in the kingdom. John being imprisoned, Jesus being maligned by the religious leaders and the like. The violent men taking it by force would then refer to the rejection of the Messiah by the religious leaders who were trying to bring in the kingdom how they wanted it.
The root word of both the verb and the adjective is biazo, which can mean violence but can also refer to something that is forceful. With that in mind, the other way of interpreting this verse sees the verb in a reflexive voice, and so with a slightly different connotation. Instead of violence being done against the kingdom of heaven, which would be the passive voice, it would be translated, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” With this understanding it is the kingdom of heaven that is vigorously pressing itself forward and forceful people, people of conviction like John the Baptist; like those who go out in boldness without the fear of man and without being distracted by the comforts of this world; forceful people taking hold of the kingdom.
Again, either could be correct. The message John the Baptist preached, the message that Jesus preached, the message of the gospel is defined by both of these interpretations. It brings violence upon those who preach it faithfully. And yet it can only be grasped by those who are fully committed to its truth and have the conviction necessary to force it forward into a world that rejects God.
We see Jesus presenting John the Baptist as the greatest Old Testament prophet. The perfect combination of Man, Moment, and Message. A man of conviction and single-minded devotion appearing at the changing of dispensations heralding the coming of the Messiah and the inauguration of his kingdom. When the message is preached faithfully, things are going to happen.
Jesus ends His tribute to John with the question “he who has ears to hear, let him hear.” If you are willing to accept the message, if you are willing to accept Jesus as the Messiah as John has been pointing to, if you are willing to accept membership in his kingdom, then John is the one who has come in the spirit of Elijah. Then John the Baptist is Elijah who was to come. The promised forerunner. The greatest man ever born. If you are going to take up his message, if you are going to accept it then you are going to have to accept the cost of the comes with it. Because the kingdom of heaven is forcefully advancing and only people of force, people of conviction take hold of the kingdom.
That is what Jesus has been saying this whole time. You must enter through the narrow gate, a gate that is hard to get through, a gate that requires you to leave all of your worldly baggage behind. “He who loves father or mother… He who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”
Entering into the kingdom requires conviction, untiring devotion, forsaking anything that would hold you back because the demonic forces that are active in this world are working to do violence against the kingdom. Because sin in our own lives will hold us back. The kingdom is not for the weak, not for those who waiver, shaken by the wind. The kingdom is not for those who are preoccupied with comfort and ease.
The kingdom is for men and women who are willing to affirm the Lordship of Christ, for those who are willing to take up their cross and carry it throughout every moment of the rest of their lives, willing to lay down upon it as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God as a spiritual service of worship.
And what do we get out of it? Why would anyone choose to pay this cost? Why would anyone forsake everything in this world? Because when you receive the message of John, when you receive him as Elijah who was to come, when you receive the Messiah he heralded, when you take up his banner, he receives you into his kingdom.
In the midst of this tribute to the greatest prophet Jesus adds one line for everyone else. “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Of all of the greatness of John, in his character, his humility, his conviction, his self-denial; of all of the importance of his moment and his calling, the culmination of the Old Testament prophecy pointing to the Messiah; none of that matters at all if you are not part of the kingdom of heaven.
This is not to say that John the Baptist is not part of the kingdom of heaven. This is hyperbole, Jesus does this all the time, he is saying that John is the greatest man who ever lived on this earth, the greatest man born of woman, but that matters nothing if you are not part of the kingdom of heaven. There is an infinite gap between the most noble sinner and the person who made it into the kingdom by the skin of their teeth.
So, which is it? Are you in or out? What do you think of John and his message? He who has ears to hear, let him hear.