As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8 Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. 9 Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you.’ 11 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. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. 13 All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come. 15 Whoever has ears ought to hear. 16 “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, 17 ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
As John the Baptist’s (JBap) disciples were leaving, Jesus told the crowd that they did not go into the desert to seek a man who was easily influenced or a man of great dignity living in luxury. Rather, John lived an ascetic lifestyle wearing clothing made of camel’s hair and eating locusts and wild honey (Mt. 3:4). Jesus affirmed that they went to see a prophet but JBap was much more than a prophet. He was the last of the prophets, the culmination of the prophetic tradition—the line of individuals called by God to serve as His messengers. JBap was God’s messenger sent to prepare the way for the Lord (Mal. 3:1; Mt. 3:3; Is. 40:3). He called all who came to him to turn from rebellion against God to obedience, proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. As the forerunner of Christ, the herald of the Messiah, John was the bridge between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant.
Although John the Baptist was the greatest of all those born of women, meaning he held the highest place in salvation history under the Old Covenant, even the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than him. This statement underscores the transformative power of the New Covenant established by Jesus. Members of the Kingdom of Heaven, though still be imperfect on earth, are exalted through their participation in the new order of salvation inaugurated by Christ. Their greatness surpasses that of John because they experience the fullness of the redemptive grace made possible by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
John’s preaching about the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven was met with struggle and opposition by those who resisted his message and tried to prevent others from hearing the message of the Kingdom of Heaven. The prophets and the Scriptures foretold the promised Messiah and John, the final prophet of the Old Covenant, bridged the gap between the Old Testament prophets and the Messianic age. Jesus identified John with the prophet Elijah who was expected to return before the coming of the Messiah. The Jewish people were awaiting Elijah’s return as a sign that the Messiah was near. John’s call to repentance and his baptism of the people in the Jordan River fulfilled the prophecy in Malachi; “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers (Mal. 4:5-6).” John was not physically Elijah but came “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Lk. 1:17). Jesus advised the crowd to pay close attention to the spiritual truth he was revealing to them.
Jesus used a parable to describe the generation's stubbornness and refusal to respond appropriately to God’s messengers. He compared their response to the behavior of children in the marketplace who were dissatisfied with each other's games. The children’s complaints symbolized the people's dissatisfaction with both John the Baptist and Jesus, who came with different approaches. John came with a message of repentance and asceticism (a “dirge”), and the people rejected him. Jesus came with a message of joy and the Good News (playing the “flute”), but they rejected him as well. John was rejected because his austere lifestyle seemed too extreme and they accused him of being demon-possessed. In contrast, Jesus lived a more social lifestyle eating and drinking with others including tax collectors and sinners, and was accused of being a glutton and a drunkard.
Heavenly Father, grant us the wisdom to recognize Your messengers and the humility to heed their call. Help us to embrace the repentance and joy You offer, and to follow the path that leads to Your Kingdom. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
- McKenzie, John. Dictionary of the Bible. Collier Books, 1965.
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