(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?
(Christ wanted everyone to know exactly who John the Baptist was, solidifying who Christ was and is through prophecy. Wilderness here means out in the desert near the Jordan River. Reed shaken with the wind = back and forth, back and forth (double-minded), not solid in doctrine/God's Word.)
Why is Christ doing this? We find the answer by recalling the talk of John the Baptist from the previous post. John was in prison and wanted reassurance. We can gather people must have been asking questions, and because of such, Christ wants all to know exactly who John is. Please note, there was not any back and forth in doctrine from John the Baptist.
8But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
Christ is referring to the toughness/mental toughness of John the Baptist. You did not see him living it up in the lap of luxury. This gives us a clear picture of the humility in and of John's ministry, and it also points out the way Christ came in (lowly and humble).
Soft clothing in the kings' houses refers to the kings around them as well as those rich with ill-gotten gains--lovers of money--pharisees and sadducees.
John the Baptist wore:
(Matthew 3:4-6) "And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
5Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
6And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins."
Back to Matthew 11:9,
9But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
10For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
(Prophecy is fulfilled here from Malachi, Chapter 3.)
Here we can draw the distinctions as mentioned above. John was no more special than anyone else but was high in rank in that he played a very special role in announcing the coming of the Messiah. This is why Christ gave us the reference in verse 8 for kings. John the Baptist was paving the way for THE KING!
In the next verse, Christ shows us that rank and clarifies what it means:
11"Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
(Christ always gives that humbling statement when dealing with importance. For the sake of staying a servant with a servant mentality and attitude, don't let it get to your head.)
Very important: I also want to point why Christ said "born of women"? He made that distinction because satan and the fallen angels (and the Lord's angels) were not and never will be born of women. Also note that Christ is referencing heaven here. Angels are always known as servants (which includes the Lord's messengers). This is why Christ made the point that John the Baptist was a messenger for the Lord that was born of woman (umbilical cord).
Amen. †
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