Matthew 3:1-3 “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, [2] And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. [3] For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
Matthew 11:7-11 “And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? [8] But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. [9] But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. [10] For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. [11] Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist…”
An Exclusive Accolade
In Matthew chapter eleven, the Lord Jesus makes a statement that is found nowhere else in the Word of God and one that He would attribute to only a single individual during the course of His earthly ministry. Christ said of John in verse eleven, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than [he]…”
This is an incredible statement made by none other than Jesus, the Son of God – the only true Authority on judging a man’s character and worth (as He alone can see and know the heart). Never before and never again would the Lord verbally express such a high appraisal of any man. With this fact in mind, we as Believers would be wise to learn just what it was that made John the Baptist such a “great” man in the estimation of the Lord.
However, we must first ask ourselves the question, “What is true greatness? How can it be measured? How can it be identified in the life of an individual, and how does it set that individual apart from the billions of other human beings who have called planet Earth their home throughout the centuries of human history?”
An Illusive Achievement
William Shakespeare is attributed with having written that “some are born great, others achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” The English playwright’s famous quotation simply mirrors the fascination that mankind has always had with greatness and with those whom society deems to have achieved it during their lifetime.
Throughout the ages, there have always been certain individuals who have been considered to be great in the estimation of their fellow men.
Some of these individuals would include men of great words and learning like Socrates, the famous Greek philosopher, and Plato, his equally famous pupil.
Other men of stature would include individuals of great renown and influence such as Julius Caesar, who was perhaps the most influential of all the Roman rulers, and Charlemagne, the Frankish king who reigned over the majority of mainland Europe during his lifetime.
Powerful orators and statesmen such as William Pitt, who helped to expand the British Empire until it became the realm upon which “the sun never set,” and Thomas Jefferson, the penman of the Declaration of Independence and third president of the United States, could also be listed among the names of the great in history.
Other men are remembered today because they possessed great courage and conviction in the face of overwhelming obstacles like Martin Luther, whose opposition to the Catholic pope sparked the flames of the Reformation, and Abraham Lincoln, whose unwavering belief in the Union held our country together during the trying days of the American Civil War.
Some men have been considered to be great because of their immense wealth and holdings such as John D. Rockefeller, the business magnate who controlled the Standard Oil monopoly, and Andrew Carnegie, whose U.S. Steel corporation made him one of the wealthiest men in American history.
Still others were considered great because of their ability to command men on the chaotic fields of battle like Alexander of Macedon, who conquered the known world by the age of 30, and Hannibal, the Carthaginian general who waged a continuous campaign against the Romans on the Italian peninsula for fifteen years. The names of Napoleon, whose Grande Armee of France marched victoriously across the battlefields of Europe during the 19th century, and Robert E. Lee, the skillful commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia who won repeated victories over the much larger and better provisioned northern armies, could also be included among those whose ability to lead and inspire men is unquestioned.
In more recent times, there have also been many who were called great due to their athletic abilities and prowess in the sporting arena such as Babe Ruth, the “Homerun King,” Jessie Owens, who won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics, Jack Nicklaus, the “Golden Bear” who won 117 professional golf tournaments during his career, Joe Montana, the “Comeback Kid” who is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and Muhammad Ali, who held the title of undisputed “heavyweight champion of the world” for more consecutive years than any other challenger.
A Diverse Assembly
The host of those who have been called great or claimed to be great over the centuries comprises a very diverse assembly of individuals from all manner of backgrounds and walks of life.
Some were born into wealth and luxury in well-connected homes, like Theodore Roosevelt, while others were raised in obscurity and abject poverty, like Abraham Lincoln. Others were given the benefit of a classical education in the finest schools and universities, like Woodrow Wilson, while others, such as Harry Truman, were largely self-educated men who rose to the challenges before them by applying the lessons that life taught them along with what they could learn from reading the books available in their day. Some great men were born free, while others, such as Booker T. Washington, were born into slavery; however, no matter what the challenge was that lay before them, these great men are remembered today for what they overcame as much as for what they accomplished.
When we observe their lives as a whole, it must be noted that they each had different strengths and weaknesses that caused them to succeed and fail in different areas of life; and while they are remembered for achieving unparalleled success in some areas of their lives, it is also true that they each experienced unbelievable setbacks and failures along the way.
Human history records that some of these men used their skills and abilities to accomplish great good for the benefit of mankind like Joseph Lister, Dwight Eisenhower, and Albert Sweitzer.
Sadly, others misused their genius and ability to accomplish great harm to the detriment of mankind such as Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Ze Dong.
Others still were selfish with their gifts and sought to be the greatest, simply for personal gain and self-gratification like Muhammad Ali, who was known for often boasting confidently, “I am the Greatest.”
An Inaccurate Assessment
As we look back and remember these larger-than-life individuals to whom men have ascribed the epitaph of great, we have the tendency to try and categorize the degree of success these men attained by comparing and contrasting their lives in order to see which one of these great men was, in fact, the greatest.
Publications such as Time Magazine and others have repeatedly published articles about who the man of the year, the decade, or the century may have been, in their opinion. Often newspapers, magazines, and news outlets will produce “Top Ten” lists of individuals for any given career, sport, or avenue of achievement. For instance, there are numerous lists that come out each year of the “Top Ten” greatest golfers, ballplayers, singers, artists, politicians, or authors of all time that can easily be found either in print or online.
However, it must be pointed out that in every case, the honors awarded are assigned by a group of men and women who, by looking at past statistics, achievements, and rankings, seek to honor another individual’s greatness in that particular area; and the individual chosen as the greatest on any list or in any category - whether that would be sports, education, politics, or business - can be (and often is) contested or debated by someone else who disagrees with the assessment of the news source or panel of judges that produced the list. This is true because the lists that are contrived are simply the opinion of the author (or authors) based upon the facts and statistics that were available to them at the time.
An Unbiased Acknowledgement
Over the centuries human beings have been quite proficient in the practice of ascribing honor to one another and in the work of heaping accolades upon those who have achieved great things in the eyes of their fellow man. From the early laurel crowns awarded to Greek and Roman athletes in ancient times to the modern practice of awarding degrees, trophies, and honorary titles to those whose achievements merit them, the human race has always been obsessed with both giving and receiving awards and recognition.
On a lighter note, it was reported that an unnamed Ivy League school recently awarded an honorary doctorate to a scarecrow. When the faculty was later asked the reason why this honor was bestowed on such an unlikely candidate, they responded by stating that the scarecrow had been awarded his degree because he was “out standing in his field.”
All humor aside, it must be pointed out that there is certainly nothing wrong with mankind attempting to “giving honor to whom honor is due…” (Romans 13:7) when a notable achievement has been made by an individual. However, we must recognize that only the Lord Jesus Christ can accurately judge what true greatness looks like in the life of an individual, for He alone can see past the exterior deep into the heart of mankind to discern whether or not a person’s actions or behaviors in life are truly honorable and merit recognition.
Simply stated, only the Lord (Who is called “the righteous judge” in II Timothy 4:8) is able to accurately discern an individual’s true character, for He alone both sees and knows the heart. I Samuel 16:7 “…the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
With this in mind, we should recognize that Christ’s definition of what true greatness is all about and His evaluation of the man who, in His estimation, best fit this category is quite different from the qualities and traits that society often looks for when choosing an individual to place upon a pedestal.
When the Lord made His pronouncement of who the greatest man to ever live was, He did so first with authority – for He, as the Son of God, has both the wisdom and power to make such a pronouncement. Colossians 1:16b “…all things were created by him, and for him.”
Secondly, the Lord made his pronouncement with clarity – for in Matthew 11:11 He stipulates that His choice was the greatest man “among them that are born of women” (which includes every person who has ever lived with the exception of Adam and Eve who were created by God in Genesis 2).
An Unlikely Choice
In Matthew 11:11 the Lord states clearly that John the Baptist was the greatest man ever to live. However, we must ask ourselves, why this was so?
What characteristic or quality did John possess that caused the Lord to declare him the greatest man to have ever lived? Was it John’s physique or personal appearance? Could it have been his looks or his abilities? Perhaps it was John’s intelligence, his level of education, or his personality?
What was it about John that set him apart from the crowd and caused the Lord to publicly recognize him as He did in Matthew 11? I believe the answer to this question can be found – not by seeking to understand John as a person – but rather by seeking to understand the purpose for which he had been born and the manner in which he sought to fulfill that purpose throughout his lifetime.
A Profound Purpose
The first chapter of the fourth gospel informs us that John the Baptist’s purpose in life was to “bear witness” for Jesus Christ, and John faithfully lived his life to accomplish that end.
John 1:6-9 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. [7] The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. [8] He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. [9] That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
John the Baptist was great because he lived his life telling those around him about the great salvation that is offered to all mankind through the great sacrifice of our great Savior – Jesus Christ!
Although, as we have seen, many men have sought greatness in life, and some have even achieved a level of it through their own efforts; the Scriptures make it perfectly clear that true greatness is not obtained by seeking it. Instead, true greatness is found by seeking the One Who is the greatest – Jesus Christ - and then by seeking to serve Him in the greatest of ways throughout the course of one’s life.
In the subsequent pages, we will study the life of John the Baptist in order to learn from his example how that we too may serve our Master in a great way in the days ahead.
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