The Precursor ~ reflex on John the Baptist and Matt. 11:11-15

Jesus came into the world to save us from sin and lead us to the Father. He alone is the holy One, He alone is the Lord. From Him and through Him and for Him all things are (Rom 11:36). No one goes to the Father except through Him (Jn 14:6). He is the way, and the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6). Ultimately, He will be “all in all” (1 Cor 15:28).

Yet Jesus praises John the Baptist, saying that among those born of women, there is none greater than John. High praise from the King of Heaven!

John is the last prophet of the Old Testament and the first prophet of the New; from his mother’s womb, he rejoiced at the presence of the Savior in the world. Later, he would explain his true joy by saying, “The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete” (Jn 1:29-30).

His whole life was a mission to announce the coming of the Savior of the World, and he emptied himself completely in order to fulfill this mission, proclaimed before his conception and confirmed by the words of his father, Zechariah: “You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare his way” (Lk 1:76-79). John the Baptist summarized his position and his mission by saying, “He must increase, I must decrease” (Jn 1:30).

While Jesus praises John, he says that “the least in the Kingdom of Heaven” are greater than he is, reminding us of the glory to which each of us is called. We are reminded that in order to become great in the Kingdom, we must decrease so that we are better able to proclaim the One Who IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life! It is not about me, but about HIM. I cannot save anyone from anything. He can save everyone from everything that obstructs the way or the light. I am small and weak, but if I allow what is not of Him to decrease and fade away, His power and strength increase in and through me.

During Advent, we are called to look to the Gift that is given and prepare ourselves to receive the One Who can do all things, Who makes all things new. Let us pray for the grace to let go of our selfward selves so that our spiritual arms are free to fully embrace Him.