Jesus and John the Baptist: Christ and His Forerunner – Thursday of Second Week of Advent

Because we hear the voice of John the Baptist preaching and baptizing Israelites on the banks of Jordan River in Judea both on Second Sunday (Luke 3:1-6) and Third Sunday (Luke 3:10-18) of Advent on Cycle, it is fitting to listen to Jesus speaking of John the Baptist in the Gospel Reading (Matthew 11:11-15) of Thursday of Second Week of Advent. The Gospel narrative (Matthew 11:11-15) is taken from Jesus making his testimony to John the Baptist (Matthew 11:7-19).

The testimony of Jesus to John the Baptist (Matthew 11:7-19) was a response to John the Baptist, who was imprisoned by Herod Antipas, sending two of his disciples to inquire about Jesus with this question (Matthew 11:2-6):

Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another? (Matthew 11:3)

You may wonder why John the Baptist would have to ask such a question to Jesus since he had already known of Jesus’ coming (i.e. Matthew 3:11-12) and recognized him as the Messiah when he came to be baptized by him (Matthew 3:13-15). Actually, the inquiring question about Jesus – if he is the Christ, whose coming that John the Baptist was preparing for in his ministry, was for his disciples to figure out by themselves directly from Jesus. John the Baptist did not have to ask such a question since he already knew that Christ has already arrive and appeared in public, as he himself baptized him.

So, the two disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and inquired if he was the one. And to their inquiry if he was the one to come, whose coming that John the Baptist had been preparing, or not, Jesus did not answer in a “yes-or-no” manner but figuratively:

Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me (Matthew 11:4-6).

In the above words, Jesus was indicating to the disciples of John the Baptist that he is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s salvific prophecies of Christ to come (Isaiah 26:19; 29:18–19; 35:5–6; 61:1). And this is reflected in the Gospel Reading of Friday of the Frist Week of Advent (Isaiah29:17-24) and the Gospel Reading of Monday of the Second Week of Advent (Isaiah 35:1-10).

Then, Jesus began his testimony to John the Baptist, addressing how John the Baptist is related to him in his salvific mission, for which he was sent by God the Father and made his public appearance at his baptism.

And Jesus testified that John the Baptist was more than a prophet but the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1, the forerunner of Christ to announce and prepare for his imminent coming as he will end the period of the old covenant and to start the period of the new covenant and will bring the final age upon his return (Matthew 11:9-10). The Gospel Reading of Thursday of Second Week of Advent (Matthew 11:11-15) follows this. And it is Jesus’ continuing testimony to John the Baptist.

On John the Baptist, thus said Jesus:

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 (Matthew 11:11).

This seems to be Jesus’ response to John the Baptist’s testimony to Jesus:

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:11-12).

What did Jesus mean by his statement on John the Baptist in Matthew 11:11?

It means that John the Baptist was the greatest among those who were under the old covenant of his time. However, under the new covenant, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  Basically, Jesus was speaking of John the Baptist in regard to the old covenant and the new covenant.

In his statement in Matthew 3:11-12, John the Baptist was aware that his ministry was to give the old covenant way to the new covenant brought by Christ in Jesus. And John the Baptist knew that things under the new covenant will be greater than these under the old covenant as the new covenant brought by the incarnated Christ renews things under the old covenant. Therefore, John the Baptist would no longer the greatest under the new covenant. Thus, he would be less than the least in the kingdom of heaven, which represents the new covenant.

Jesus continued on with his testimony to John the Baptist:

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force (Matthew 11:12).

The kingdom suffers violence?

This can be a surprise to hear from Jesus, as we believe that the kingdom is invincible and victorious and peaceful. 

What Jesus meant by this expression is that his kingdom is coming with strong force, making its way no matter what – filling valleys and making mountains flat (cf. Isaiah 40:4-5). It is not that there is violent attack inflicting suffering to the kingdom, which is coming. And, this reflects the increasing enthusiasm, which is comparable to forcible power or violence, among those who heard John the Baptist’s preaching on the imminence of the public appearance of the prophesized Christ. The Greek word used for "suffers violence" in Matthew 11:12 is βίαζομαι (biazo) , and it means not only "suffers violence" but also "force the way forward". In regard to mighty connotation to the kingdom,  these excited crowds for the nearness of the arrival of Christ were also so zealously hopeful for the imminent establishment of the kingdom to fulfill these prophetic words of Daniel:

In the lifetime of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people; rather, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever (Daniel 2:44).

When Peter said, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Act 1:6) before Ascension, he could have been thinking of the above prophesy of Daniel.

Then, Jesus made it clear that John the Baptist is the last prophet under the old covenant, which is also represented by the law (Matthew 11:13). All the prophets under the old covenant prophesized for the coming of Christ (Messiah). However, John the Baptist had the privilege to meet the prophesized Christ in person, while preaching and baptizing the crowd in Judea to be prepared for the coming of Christ.  In regard to the law under the old covenant, which John the Baptist was the last representative, Christ’s arrival does not necessarily abolish it but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:16-17).

Jesus knew that many people at that time had thought John the Baptist as Elijah – though he was not. In fact, the way John the Baptist was shared many similarities with that of Elijah. And these were people at that time believing that Elijah would return, based on this prophesy of Malachi.

Now I am sending my messenger— he will prepare the way before me; and the lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple; The messenger of the covenant whom you desire—see, he is coming! says the Lord of hosts (Malachi 3:1 (in Protestant version, 4:5-6).

From the time of Malachi until John the Baptist, for about 400 years, which make up the intertestament period, the Israelites had no prophet to guide. Given this, it is not strange that many people at the time of John the Baptist thought of him as the returned Elijah. Therefore, Jesus said, “if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come”(Matthew 11:14). And, Jesus emphasized:

Whoever has ears ought to hear (Matthew 11:15).

To put this Gospel Reading (Matthew 11:11-15) with its preceding narratives (Matthew 11:2-10) in our Advent context, we need listen to the prophet who is sent before the arrival of Christ to prepare the way of his coming, the one who is like John the Baptist, who was thought as Elijah. And, do we feel powerful zeal welling up from deep within us for the forceful coming of the Kingdom?

In the First Reading (Isaiah 41:13-20), which is a part of the Book of Comfort (Consolation)(Isaiah 40-55), we see an image how Christ will renew and refresh God’s Creation upon his arrival and in his Kingdom, for which John the Baptist, the precursor to Christ, was busy preparing the Israelites. And, the reading tells us that the salvation brought by Christ is renewal and giving new life. In fact, God loves to make something new out of the old (i.e. Isaiah 43:19).