Jesus said: “Among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11)
There are two parts in this statement. The first part is: among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist. Many people are puzzled by this statement, because wasn’t Jesus born of a woman? Wasn’t Mary born of a woman? Wasn’t Joseph born of a woman? It couldn’t be possible that John the Baptist is greater than Jesus or Mary or Joseph!
These words of our Lord Jesus Christ have been interpreted in many ways. When we try to find out the meaning of scripture verses, it is always good practice to first determine the context of what was said, or the situation in which the person said it.
When Jesus said this, he was talking to the people about John the Baptist in relation to the prophets; He said: “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.” (Matthew 11:7-10) Therefore, when Jesus said that “among those born of women, there has been none greater than John the Baptist,” it is quite reasonable to think that Jesus was praising John above all the other prophets.
John the Baptist was chosen by God to be the forerunner to Christ; his mission was to prepare the way of the Lord in such a way that no other prophet did. John’s ministry was prophesied in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1. When Jesus came to the Jordan River, John proclaimed Him to the world as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world (John 1:35–36). In 430 years since the prophet Malachi, there was no prophet until John the Baptist; he was the last in the long line of prophets who predicted Christ, but he was the only one who actually saw Christ in the flesh. No other prophet had that privilege.
The second part is: the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. The problem with taking this statement literally is that it could be interpreted that in the hierarchy of the saints in heaven today, John the Baptist is the least. But that is highly improbable because didn’t Jesus just say that there is no prophet greater than John? Then how could John be the least in heaven? One commentary explained that those who belong to the New Covenant are greater than those who belong to the Old Covenant. Therefore, if you get to heaven, you will be greater than John the Baptist, Abraham, Moses or David because you belong to the New Covenant, while those patriarchs belonged to the Old Covenant. Well, that explanation just doesn’t make any sense.
After searching through dozens and dozens of commentaries, the best interpretation I found was that Jesus wasn’t talking about John’s position in the hierarchy of saints in heaven at all. Rather, Jesus was making the point that even the very least who are currently in heaven, are greater than the greatest who are currently on earth. Therefore, while John was still alive on earth, even if he is the greatest prophet of all time, he cannot be greater than those who are already in heaven. Of course, after John was beheaded by Herod and after he gained the martyr’s crown, he would then take his rightful place in the hierarchy of the saints in heaven.
The scripture verse in Matthew 11:11 teaches us to look beyond worldly things. No matter how tempting, attractive and pleasurable are the things of this world, our ultimate goal is to get to heaven. The things of this world are but temporary, but the joy of heaven lasts forever. The least ones in heaven are greater than the greatest ones on earth because they have reached the ultimate goal; they delight in the presence of God forever.