Yesterday we saw Jesus answer John’s question in a way that John did not expect. Today I want to look at the commendation that Jesus gives to John after his disciples had left.
Luke 7:24-28
24 When the
messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John,
"What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed
shaken by the wind? (John
remained strong, even in prison)
25 "But what did
you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly
clothed and live in luxury are found in royal palaces!
26 "But what did
you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and
one who is more than a prophet.
27 "This is the
one about whom it is written,
'BEHOLD, I SEND MY
MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR
WAY BEFORE YOU.'
This is Jesus confirming exactly who John is, and at the same time confirming exactly who He is. It’s a quote from Malachi.
Malachi 3:1
1 "Behold, I am
going to send My messenger, and he will
clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His
temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is
coming," says the LORD of hosts.
So Jesus acknowledges John as the messenger who was to come
ahead of the promised Messiah, and Himself as the
promised Messiah. We’ll see the people’s
reaction next time, but first I want to focus on what Jesus said next about
John the Baptist:
28 "I say to
you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is
least in the
That’s a bold statement. Think of all the people who had been born of women up to this point (of course, that’s everybody!). Abraham was called a “friend of God” in James 2:23. David was “a man after God’s own heart” in Acts 13:22. But still Jesus says John was greater!
What did John do that made Jesus say this? He simply did exactly what God had prepared him to do. The Malachi passage above says that His messenger would go before Him, and prepare the way for the Messiah. That’s all John did!
Don’t you want Jesus to have a similar proclamation to make about you?! Make no mistake about it: God has prepared you for something just as He prepared John for something. He has a perfect plan and purpose for YOUR life, just like He did for John’s life.
Ephesians 2:10
10 For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
He has intricately made us; He has prepared us for good works; He has even prepared the good works for us beforehand! All we have to do is walk in them.
To live the life that God has for us, and accomplish His plan for our lives, does not mean that we have to wear a hair shirt and eat grasshoppers like John the Baptist did. We simply have to be willing to do whatever it is that God has designed us to do.
That’s the road to having Jesus make this same kind of announcement about our life that He did about John’s.