Great

“Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11).

2016. Remember. Old. Past. Reflect on what we’ve done.

2017. Promise. Future. New. Dream of what we will do.

There are thousands who are charting out New Year’s Resolutions. Who are planning on ways to make 2017 better. Fitness and self-help programs having their heyday. Wishing it is a better year. The wee hours of January 1 is the time the American Dream visits all.

The Jews—a people of remembering. The call to remember is echoed from Deuteronomy to the Psalms to the prophets. “You shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh… how he led you… how you provoked the LORD (Deut. 7:18; 8:2; 9:7). Remember.

Remember Moses and David and great men and the great things of the past.  Remember the glory days, the golden days of long ago that still cast a glow of hope on the horizon in their current dim, grey oppression.

Remember. Old. Past. Reflect on what God has done.

The Jews—a people of promise. God would do something new, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isa. 43:18). A new exodus, greater than the one from under Pharaoh. A new king like David. A messiah. A new temple with a greater glory. Promise.

Promise. Future. New. Dream of what God will do.

Now—Jesus. John the Baptist. Remembering and promise swirl together, the Jewish Dream visits all. Hope is high.

Miracles.

Is this the one greater than David? A great warrior? A great king? End of Romans?

Is this the one greater than Elijah? Miracles? Vindication against the pagan gentiles?

Is this the one greater than Moses? New revelation? New tabernacle/temple? New Jewish glory?

New.

Jesus turns it upside down. No wonder he says just minutes earlier, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Mat. 11:6).

Jesus breaks our boxes. Derails our expectations. Deflates the American Dream.

“Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:11).

No one greater than John the Baptist—the expectations of Moses and Elijah and David. Our ideas of greatness, what we can and will do. For those outside Christ, the greatness of this life, of money, career, self-actualization, trips, family, a two-car garage with a Mercedes in it, etc. For those in Christ, we too can find our own ways of defining greatness based on our service, our faithfulness, our moral upstanding, etc.

Yet.

The one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater.

Least in the kingdom.

St. John the Baptist by Leonardo Da Vinci

Past achievements are counted as dung and nothing (Phil. 3:9-10).

Present power is nothing.

Future power-glory-dream is not promised.

Not what you accomplished in 2016.

Not what you can accomplish in 2017.

What matters is the kingdom. Jesus. You are great because of Christ in you.

Great because Jesus loves you.

And greater than Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist only and solely because you know and see and have Christ. You are his and he is yours.

Maybe you are not in a good position to enter 2017, weak, ill, not able to do as much as you want, financial constraints, a difficult marriage, tied to an ailing parent, grieving a loss, etc.

Maybe you are super-excited for 2017 with great dreams.

That doesn’t matter. What matters is being at Jesus’ feet.

I know that, but I don’t know it. We know that, but we don’t know that.

Jesus, make it real to me. May you be my all in all. May I rest content in you, before you, lay down all before you, worship you alone, abide in you, find my greatness and identity and privilege and joy and delight in you.

Jesus, my heart cries for you alone.

May I be least for you, so that you shine greater.

“So often Christians want to establish their ‘greatness’ with reference to their work, their giving, their intelligence, their preaching, their gifts, their courage, their discernment. But Jesus unhesitatingly affirmed that even the least believer is greater than Moses or John the Baptist, simply because of his or her ability, living on this side of the coming of Jesus the Messiah, to point him out with greater clarity and understanding than all his forerunners ever could. If we really believe this truth, it will dissipate all cheap vying for position and force us to recognize that our true significance lies in our witness to the Lord Jesus Christ.” (D. A. Carson, God With Us, p. 65)