As many emphasis will be on valentines celebration, I really want to get clear understanding of what Jesus meant when He said that John the Baptist is the greatest of all prophets and that the the least person in His kingdom is greater than John. Actually referring to Luke 7:28.

Attend Sunday school pls.... I don't know it too

ayourbamie:
Attend Sunday school pls.... I don't know it too

Sure, I will sort it this morning in the Church. Does it mean we don't have good interpreters of the Bible in NL?

Anwonspee:
As many emphasis will be on valentines celebration, I really want to get clear understanding of what Jesus meant when He said that John the Baptist is the greatest of all prophets and that the the least person in His kingdom is greater than John. Actually referring to Luke 7:28.

Now, Jesus recognised john the baptist as the greatest of all prophet because of the role he played for the coming of grace(christ) which is the vital plan of God for man.

Truly, what jesus said about the least in his kingdom being greater than john is true because the grace that will enjoy now, john didn't enjoy it.


Our generation of grace in christ has made us to be holier, more righteous, more powerful that Moses, Elijah, Jeremaih, Joel e.t.c, before God.

" Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into." (1Peter 10-12).

The prophets of the old prophesied about the time of grace, the time of the new covenant. The wanted to be a part of it, even angels desire to see this time. The least person in the new covenant is greater than the greatest in the old covenant. John the Baptist was far greater than other prophets because he helped usher in the new covenant.

In a discourse about John the Baptist,
Jesus honored the prophet with these words:
“Truly I tell you, among those born of women
there has not risen anyone greater than John
the Baptist” ( Matthew 11:11a ). John certainly
did not see himself as “great”—he did not see
himself as worthy enough to baptize Jesus
( Matthew 3:13–14 ) or even to carry His sandals
( Matthew 3:11 ).
The “greatness” that Jesus refers to concerning
John has to do with John’s unique position in
history, not with any special talent, holiness, or
personal merit. In fact, immediately after stating
that John is the greatest “among those born of
women,” Jesus says, “Yet whoever is least in
the kingdom of heaven is greater than
he” ( Matthew 11:11b ). More on this paradox
later.
One reason that Jesus called John Baptist the
“greatest” was that John held the honor of
being chosen by God as the forerunner to the
Messiah. John’s mission was to personally
prepare the world for Christ’s arrival. John’s
ministry was predicted in Isaiah 40:3 and
Malachi 3:1 . After Jesus came, John introduced
Him to the world as the Lamb of God who
would take away the sin of the world ( John
1:35–36 ). John was the herald who introduced
to the world the Hero of all history. It was this
introduction that accredited Jesus before the
Jewish crowds and leaders, some of whom
believed on Jesus, and many of whom did not.
John was also the “greatest” in that he
preached with the power of Elijah ( Luke 1:17 ;
3:7–18 ). John shared many qualities with Elijah ,
including calling a nation to repentance,
rebuking the king, and persevering in the face of
public misunderstanding and malicious
persecution ( Matthew 11:16–18 ; Mark 6:14–
19).
John was also the “greatest” in that God had
chosen him to break the 430 years of divine
silence that had existed since the prophet
Malachi. John was the Spirit-anointed bridge
from the Old Testament to the New. John was
the last of the Old Testament prophets and
stood on the cusp of a new dispensation. His
preaching was the end of the Law and the
beginning of the Promise. He was the last in
the long line of prophets who predicted Christ,
yet he was the only one who could actually see
Christ in the flesh. Moses, Isaiah, and the rest
of the prophets had pointed to a far-distant
personage they could see only faintly. John
pointed at an actual human being who stood
directly in front of him. No other prophet had
that privilege.
Jesus’ full statement in Matthew 11:11 is
paradoxical: “Truly I tell you, among those born
of women there has not risen anyone greater
than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in
the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” How
can John be the greatest, if even the “least in
the kingdom” is greater than John? Again, the
answer has to do with the Christian’s unique
position in history, not with his personal merit.
John died without seeing the fullness of God’s
plan in Christ (see Mark 6:17–29 ). John never
saw the crucifixion of Christ or His glorious
resurrection. Yet even the “least in the kingdom
of heaven” knows of these events and
understands their meaning.
The baptism of John was insufficient to save
(see Acts 18:24–26 ; 19:1–7 ). The disciples of
John in Ephesus needed to hear the whole
gospel, not just what John had taught. They
needed to be baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus, the one John had predicted. They
needed the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John was
truly the greatest prophet of his era—the Old
Testament time—yet all Christians today have a
fuller perspective on the work of Christ.(got question. org)

Great insights above.

Anwonspee:
As many emphasis will be on valentines celebration, I really want to get clear understanding of what Jesus meant when He said that John the Baptist is the greatest of all prophets and that the the least person in His kingdom is greater than John. Actually referring to Luke 7:28.

Wow. Just got a light.


For I say unto you, Among those that are born of
women there is not a greater prophet than John the
Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is
greater than he.


John the Baptist ushers the coming of Christ. He prepared the way for the opening of Christ glorious destiny. It was after an encounter with John was the encounter with the spirit of God and his destiny opened after 30years. He was born of woman. Jesus was born of the spirit.

Whatever is from above is above all . (The kingdom of God).