The Least

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

THE LEAST

 

Matt 11:11-15

11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 He who has ears, let him hear.

NIV

Jesus is speaking about John the Baptist being someone very special. We do know that both Isaiah and Malachi prophesied about John being the one sent ahead to prepare the way for the Lord. Certainly, John had a privilege no other had in not only being sent to prepare the way for the Lord but to also have baptized Jesus and witnessed the Spirit descending upon Jesus and hearing the voice of God declaring Jesus to be His Son. How is it that we, who are one of the least in the kingdom of heaven will ever be able to be greater than John the Baptist? The only way in which this might be is that John did not see the fulfillment of his work, in that he died, or rather was behead, killed, before Jesus’s death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. John did not see the whole of the gospel as we have. John was not able to speak of the wholeness of the gospel as we can. So in that sense even though we could never rise to the statue of John the Baptist, and although he was prophesied about, and was the result of a miracle spoken by an angel of the Lord to Zechariah, John’s father, he was not able to preach the good news about the kingdom of heaven as we can. At best, according to Luke, John was able to say the kingdom of heaven is near, or approaches and Matthew records that Jesus used this term, the kingdom of heaven. It is used thirty-two times in the gospel of Matthew. Yet, during that time, the fulness of the kingdom had not yet happened. Some might suppose that Jesus was the fullness of this kingdom and so as he arrived and began His work on earth, the kingdom of Heaven was on earth, it had come near, or had approached. But we have that task because, although we are now citizens of heaven or of the kingdom of heaven, and we have the complete story of the kingdom, therefore having more knowledge than John the Baptist. He was filled with the Spirit, even in his mother’s womb, but we too, although among the least in the kingdom have been filled with the Spirit, who first, led us to repentance, and second, leads us into all truth. It is almost overwhelming to think, being the least in the kingdom of heaven, that we are considered by Jesus to be greater than John. What do we do with that knowledge? What do we do, knowing how Jesus speaks about us? It seems we have a great privilege and responsibility to be a voice in the wilderness of the world, preaching the good news that the Kingdom of Heaven is real and available to anyone who accepts it, to anyone who has an ear to hear. Let us, the least, raise our voices so some can hear.