Matthew 11:11 "Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater..."

"Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11).

Question:

Why is anyone greater than another?

Comment:

The comparison here is not between two individuals, but between two sources of spiritual Truth. Jesus had been a follower of John the Baptist, had been baptized by him in the Jordan, and had then undertaken a wilderness experience that left him fully aware of his true spiritual identity as the Christ, and the spiritual work of teaching and healing that was his to do. Now John is in prison, and people are confused as to who they should be following, or what the difference is between the two.

  Jesus is suggesting, I think, that John the Baptist represents the highest dimension of spiritual understanding that can be achieved by following a traditional religious path. It is a high dimension indeed—“among those born of women”—that is, among those working from their humanity—“no one has arisen greater.” So the difference between John and Jesus is not that Jesus is smarter or more religious or a better speaker. It is that the spiritual consciousness from which Jesus speaks—the spiritual consciousness he asks all of us to find within ourselves—does not depend on human learning or behavior. It simply requires an awareness of the Christ Presence of God as our true identity. Taking that step lifts us above the human level of religious struggle, and centers us in a new awareness of God—and of ourselves. It's not about learning, but about knowing—and expressing that inner knowing at every opportunity. It's significant, I think, that John was largely known for what he said—for his dismissal of traditional religious belief and his insistence that salvation was a personal matter. Jesus was known largely for what he did—for healing and empowering people in ways that had little to do with religious tradition. So Jesus here is not comparing himself to John. He's comparing human consciousness to Christ consciousness—and suggesting that Christ consciousness is not a goal to be obtained, but a Truth to be embraced.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed