As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? A reed shaken by the wind? Why then did you go out? To see a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, those who wear soft raiment are in kings’ houses. Why then did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, `Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.’
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come (Matt. 11:7 – 14).
Among those born of women, no man is greater than St John the Baptist. Such words can easily lead one to confusion. Is not Jesus, because of the incarnation, a man born of a woman? Should not Jesus therefore be greater than John? Is he now to be seen as John’s inferior? St. Jerome clarifies these words and all the confusion we could have about them; he lets us know that this way of thinking is neither the intent nor the real implication of Jesus’ words. To say that no one is born greater than John does not mean no one is his equal. Pious tradition suggests that John was born in grace, purified from original sin in the womb of his mother. If there is to be none greater than John, Jesus must be his equal. If so, then pious tradition must be correct. Otherwise we would have to believe in something blasphemous, that John was born in sin, indicating that Jesus would be born in sin as well. The equality of their births is the equality of their human nature, but not of their mission. Because John was born, through the work of the Holy Spirit as a pure man, he was capable of becoming the friend of the bridegroom (John 3:29). As that friend, he knew his mission was to be the last of the Mosaic prophets, and to point out the coming of the messiah. “O Prophet and Forerunner of the coming of Christ, we honor thee lovingly but cannot extol thee worthily. For by thy birth thy mother’s barrenness and thy father’s dumbness were unloosed, and the Incarnation of the Son of God is proclaimed to the world” (Troparion of the Forerunner).
John’s mission must always be seen in the light of the Mosaic prophets, in the light of the “law and the prophets” which ends with him. He is the last, because he is able to give the mantle of the prophets and the authority of the law back to the bridegroom, back to Jesus. “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29 – 30). The mantle of Elijah rested upon John. It was the mantle of the desert prophet who judged the wickedness of the world and demanded for the conversion of sinners back to God. It had, in the end, to be released to Jesus so that it can be brought to its fulfillment.
The prophets of old were the critics of society, the ones who proclaimed truth to those in power (see, for example, Isaiah 1:17, 1:21-27; Ezek. 17:11- 2, 2, 22:1-31; Jer. 22:1 -10, et. al.).They certainly were not well loved for their message. More often than not, they were persecuted, treated as the lowest of the low, but their message was remembered. When it was proven true, the people of God had to humble themselves and realize their error. John, living under the mantle of the prophets, continued with their pattern of activity and condemned the elite in his day. It was this which explains why he was hated by them just like they had hated the prophets of ages past.
Yet the work of a prophet does not end with judgment. They must bring with their judgment a message of hope. They gave to Israel the hope of messiah. He would come and bring God’s righteousness to the earth. Judgment was proclaimed for the sake of conversion. Sin, especially those sins which hurt others, called out to God for vengeance. Those who had such a change of heart accepted such judgment without knowing the response of God; they were left in hope, because they knew God was merciful and loving, but they also knew they could make no demands against the justice of God.
John, like prophets before him, called forth with a two-fold message of repentance and the coming of the messiah. But he was greater than the rest because he was able to point to and even proclaim the messiah in person. He knew the time of Moses was over, and the kingdom of God was at hand. Human as he was, he did not know what the kingdom would be like or how it would be established. It seems that he thought it would come quicker, and easier, than it did (his trials and temptations in prison demonstrate this well enough). He knew God’s will was done in the birth and activity of Jesus, but he didn’t really know what Jesus was meant to do. The kingdom of God with its implications was beyond him during his earthly activity, which is why those in the kingdom of God, those who know exactly what Jesus did, are greater than John. Yet he received a high place in that kingdom because he knew his role and lived it out properly to the end. He knew, more than the rest of the prophets, his life must be one of personal kenosis, one of self-giving back to God. He gave himself to the task without asking. Yet despite his greatness, he didn’t even think he was worthy of baptizing Jesus. He had to be told it was necessary before he dared such an act. Afterwards, he gave all that he had to Jesus. He handed off the power and the authority of the prophets to the messiah himself. He knew it was his time to decrease, and to wait for what Jesus would do. The prophets, unlike the priests and Pharisees, would not place themselves as rivals to the messiah.
Through the messiah, through Jesus, the power and authority of the prophets continues. The Church shares in this messianic mission and must be prophetic, she must proclaim her judgment upon the earth. But now prophecy is united with grace in the new law of love. Repentance no longer lives merely in hope, but has its assurance of grace through the work of Christ. Judgment must always precede grace, just as the prophets preceded Christ. This is why the Church’s judgment on the world must not be neglected. For it is only in those judgments the path of grace continues to be manifest. It is through the humble acceptance of the judgment of truth and all of its dictates upon us that we can find our life in Christ. But the one who rejects these judgments will never be capable of grace, because grace is a purifying flame of love and brings out a real reformation through those judgments. And that is why, even though the kingdom of God was established in the cross, the message of John, while fulfilled, was not brought to an end. Even today, the people of the world are called to repent, for the kingdom of God continues to be at hand.
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