As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. 9 Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 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.’
11 Amen, I say to you, 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. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. 13 All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. 15 Whoever has ears ought to hear.
Jesus speaks about John the Baptist as John’s disciples are leaving. They had come to Jesus because John was in prison and had heard about “the works of the Christ,” so he sent them to ask whether Jesus is the one who is to come (Mt. 11:2-3). Jesus answered by pointing to the signs of God’s saving action now visible in his ministry—the blind see, the lame walk, and the poor hear good news—echoing Israel’s prophetic hopes (Mt. 11:4-6). The scene matters because Jesus is not praising John to flatter him. He is teaching the crowd how to understand who John is within God’s long plan of salvation—a plan that is not an afterthought, but is woven into God’s act of Creation from the beginning, as the Creator’s purpose to restore and bring His people into the life He intended for them.
Jesus begins by asking what the people went out to the desert to see. They did not go to see a weak man who bends with opinion like “a reed swayed by the wind,” nor someone dressed for luxury and influence in a royal palace. John’s clothing and place in the wilderness already showed the opposite. The desert setting signals seriousness and repentance, echoing Israel’s long history of meeting God in places of testing and renewal. Jesus frames John as a man whose life matches his message.
Jesus then confirms that John is a prophet, and “more than a prophet.” John is not only someone who speaks God’s word. He is the one appointed to stand at the threshold of the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel—the moment when the long-awaited saving action of God begins to arrive in Jesus. Jesus quotes the promise that God will send a “messenger” to prepare the way (v. 10). This recalls the prophetic expectation that God would act again for His people, not merely through new teaching but through a decisive act of salvation. John’s role is to prepare hearts for that intervention by calling Israel to repentance and readiness.
When Jesus says that “among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist,” he highlights John’s unique place in salvation history (v. 11). John is the last and greatest prophet before Jesus. He marks the culmination of the prophetic line, pointing forward to the Lord’s arrival. Jesus adds a striking contrast: “the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” This does not lessen John’s greatness; it shows that a new era has begun, and even the least in the kingdom of heaven shares in gifts John could only announce. The kingdom, long promised to Israel, is arriving in Jesus. To belong to this kingdom is to be drawn into the new life that comes through Christ’s saving mission. John stands at the door pointing the way to this new age, but Jesus is the one who brings people into it.
Jesus’ words about the kingdom “suffering violence” and “the violent…taking it by force” are difficult, but the general sense is that God’s reign is being strongly resisted, and people must choose how they will respond (v. 12). John’s ministry sparked strong reactions, and so does Jesus’. The kingdom is not a passive idea. It confronts resistance, provokes opposition, and demands a real response. People cannot remain neutral when God’s reign draws near in the preaching and works of Jesus.
Jesus then sums up John’s place in the whole sweep of Scripture: “All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John” (v. 13). The story of Israel has been moving toward this moment. The law formed God’s people. The prophets called them back when they strayed and kept alive the hope that God would finally restore and renew His covenant people. John is the last and greatest of that preparatory line because he points not only to a future promise but to a present person: Jesus.
Jesus also says, “if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come” (v. 14). This connects John to the prophetic hope that Elijah would return before the day of the Lord. John is not literally Elijah returned as the same person. Rather, he comes in Elijah’s prophetic mission and spirit, calling Israel to conversion and preparing the way for God’s decisive saving work. In this sense, John fulfills the expectation that a final prophetic messenger would arrive before the Lord’s action reaches its climax.
Jesus ends with a call to discernment: “Whoever has ears ought to hear” (v. 15). The crowd must not think of John as a standalone preacher. He is the messenger sent by God to lead people to Jesus. John’s entire mission only makes full sense when read alongside the One he announces. John prepares the way so people can recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
Lord Jesus, help us to hear Your words clearly. Give us the humility to receive the witness of John the Baptist and the faith to recognize Your kingdom drawing near. Shape our hearts for repentance, trust, and steadfast hope. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Bernard Orchard et al., A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (1953).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: Matthew (Four Courts/Scepter).
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018).
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990).
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