Luke 7:24 And when the
messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning
John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the
wind? 25 But what went ye out for to
see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously
apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts. 26 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet?
Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27 This is he, of whom it is written,
Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before
thee. 28 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. 29 And all the people that heard him, and
the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the
counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. 31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I
liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? 32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you,
and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33 For
John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He
hath a devil. 34 The Son of man is come
eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a
friend of publicans and sinners! 35 But
wisdom is justified of all her children.
In proclaiming who John
the Baptist is Jesus quotes Old Testament prophecy in verse 27.
Malachi 3:1 ¶ Behold, I
will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me…
Verse 28 leads us to a
controversial point. First, though, Christ says that the least person in the
kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist although John the Baptist was
the greatest prophet to that time. The logical conclusion and interpretation of
that in context is that each Christian has a greater revelation of Christ than
John had, based on the previous exchange with John’s disciples. From a
prophetic standpoint each Christian has a greater advantage and a greater
access to the truth than John did.
The controversy for us
comes from interpreting the meaning of phrases in the New Testament. If we
compare 28 with;
Matthew 11:11 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.
The question then begs
itself, what is the relationship between the kingdom of God and the kingdom
of Heaven, which is mentioned only in Matthew? Let’s compare verse with
verse, the most reliable way to interpret scripture.
Matthew 19:23 ¶ Then said
Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly
enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to
enter into the kingdom of God.
Then, starting with the
verses we just mentioned.
Matthew 11:11 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. 12 And from the days of
John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent take it by force.
With;
Luke 7:28 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.
…then…
Matthew 13:10 And the
disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them,
Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,
but to them it is not given.
With;
Mark 4:10 And when he was
alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is
given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are
without, all these things are
done in parables:
And…
Matthew 13:31 Another
parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a
grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but
when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that
the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
With…
Mark 4:30 And he said,
Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we
compare it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in
the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: 32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and
becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the
fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
Luke 13:18 ¶ Then said he,
Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it?
19 It is like a grain of mustard seed,
which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great
tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.
And…
Matthew 13:33 Another
parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a
woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
With…
Luke 13:20 And again he
said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid
in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
And…
Matthew 18:3 And said,
Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as
this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
With…
Mark 10:14 But when Jesus
saw it, he was much displeased,
and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them
not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as
a little child, he shall not enter therein.
Luke 18:16 But Jesus called
them unto him, and said, Suffer
little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the
kingdom of God. 17 Verily I say unto
you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in
no wise enter therein.
And…
Matthew 4:17 From that time
Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand.
With…
Mark 1:14 ¶ Now after that
John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the
gospel.
And…
Matthew 5:3 ¶ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
With…
Luke 6:20 ¶ And he lifted
up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Honestly, without
relying on what you’ve been taught outside of the Bible text, would you say that
the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Heaven are synonymous or are they two
different things like some evangelicals and fundamentalists insist upon by
stating that a difference must exist between them to prove the millennial reign
of Christ. I would say that there are plenty of verses to prove that without
twisting the text to make distinctions and divisions where there are none.
Verse 29 tells us there
were two distinct parties; the common people having submitted to John’s baptism
and the elite who had not. One accepts Jesus’ testimony about John the Baptist
and one rejects. But wisdom is justified
of all her children it says.
Those who are wise in
that generation accepted the baptism of John and the testimony of Christ. Jesus
states that some will simply not respond to joyful or mournful music and they
will either accuse John of being too severe and strict or Christ of being too
inclusive and open-armed. Those people will neither dance for joy nor weep for
sorrow. They will hear neither John the Baptist nor will they receive the
testimony of Christ.
This reminds me of Old
Testament words of Jeremiah…
Jeremiah 5:3 O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth?
thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive
correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to
return.
God visits people and chastises
them but they will not receive rebuke from God or even act as if they are aware
it is from Him. He visits them and blesses them but they will not acknowledge
His hand in it. It is so with many Christians today, sadly.
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