John The Baptist: True Greatness in the Eyes of God
The sixth expository work of Rev. Sang Ho Bae on the gospel of Matthew is focused on the personality of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist was the one who came beforehand, like a person who goes ahead of the king’s procession to prepare the way, just before Jesus officially appeared at the age of thirty as the King of the Kingdom of God. His mission was simple, yet great. He proclaimed:
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near (Matt. 3:2).
He cried out that people should prepare to welcome the King of Heaven who was about to come. Here, “the kingdom of heaven” is not merely a place but refers to Jesus Himself, the Lord of the kingdom. The statement “the kingdom of heaven is near” means that the Messiah is coming, so turn your heart.
John urged repentance and gave baptism as the sign of repentance; therefore, he is called “John the Baptist” to distinguish him from other Johns. He was one specially chosen. He was conceived through the announcement of an angel and was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. Although he was born into a priestly family and could have enjoyed a comfortable life, he laid everything down for his mission. His possessions were only a camel-hair garment and a leather belt, and his food was locusts and wild honey. This was the food of the poor in those days. John chose a thoroughly austere life so that his message would not become a stumbling block.
John knew his position exactly. Fearing that people might misunderstand him as the Christ, he clearly said, “I am not the Christ.” He also confessed, “I am not worthy to carry His sandals” (Matt. 3:11), making it clear that he was only the herald who announced the coming of the Lord.
John is the last prophet standing at the boundary between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Just as the law of the Old Testament makes one aware of sin and leads to Christ, he knocked on the hearts of the people so that they might realize their need for the Messiah. He warned that judgment would come if they did not repent.
The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Matt. 3:10).
He who comes after me has His winnowing fork in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn, but burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matt. 3:12).
John proclaimed the judgment and urged people to bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
Today, Christians also have a mission like John. The Lord came two thousand years ago, but in the last days He will come again. At that time He will not come as the Redeemer who saves sinners but as the Judge who judges those who reject the gospel and as the One who will take with Him the saints washed by the blood of Christ. As John proclaimed ‘Repent’ before the first coming of Jesus, so also must we, before His second coming, lead people to repent and believe the gospel.
John’s public ministry lasted only about six months, yet he accomplished a great work. Jesus said of him:
Among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist (Matt. 11:11).
Scripture says that a person’s greatness is not determined by his achievements but by his relationship with the Lord. John became a great one not because of poverty, justice, humility, or martyrdom, but because he testified of the most exalted Lord more closely than anyone else. The prophet Micah said that although Bethlehem was a small town, it was not insignificant because the Messiah would come from there. At that time Bethlehem was not a city but a small rural village, a humble place where shepherds tended their sheep in the fields. But it became honored because Jesus was born there. This shows that a person or even a small town that is related to the Lord one way or another becomes honorable regardless of social status. Scripture says that believers will receive crowns in the future; receiving a crown means becoming a person of honor.
Christians must judge who is truly blessed not by the world’s perspective but by the perspective of Scripture. From a human viewpoint, John the Baptist appears to be the most pitiful person—living on locusts and wild honey, crying out in the wilderness, and being beheaded only six months after beginning his ministry. But the Lord called him “a great one.” Believers who are insulted, beaten, imprisoned, and even killed for their faith may look unfortunate from the world’s perspective, but from the biblical perspective it is the opposite. John the Baptist lived a short life, yet he lived the most valuable life. A blessed life does not lie in longevity or status. He suffered the tragic fate of having his head brought on a platter, yet before God he lived a truly blessed life. A blessed person is not one who is recognized by the world, but one who, like John, is approved by the Lord.