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NASB | Matthew 11:11 "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 11:11 "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater [in privilege] than he. |
Bible Question: Please clarify above scripture. |
Bible Answer: skymystartingpoint, In Matt 11;11 Jesus is comparing the Old Covenant and the new Covenant and saying John the Baptist is the greatest of the Old Covenant saints. But those prophets and saints of old looked forward to the New Covenant and did not participate fully in its blessings (Matt 13:17; 1 peter 1:10-12). So even the least in the Kingdom of the new Covenant is greater than the greatest of the Old covenant, not because of themselves but because of Jesus whose blood is the blood(life)of the New Covenant (Matt 26:27)and those in the New Covenant partake in that life (John 6:53). Yet still the saints of the Old Covenant were saved by faith in the coming of the Messiah and the New Covenant. Look at John 1:12-13 in this context of being born of a woman or born of the Spirit. It is the the Spirit that give birth to eternal life in the New Covenant. Yes, the OT saints were saved by faith, but that was only realized after the crucifixion of Christ when the New Covenant in his blood was established. His Kingdom was established with the Ascension and all the references to his dominion are mentioned in Daniel 7:13,26-27; 22:69 Acts 7:56. It is the least in the Kingdom that are identified with Christ because they are in Christ and rule with Him as we see in Daniel 7:26-27, Matt 25:45 and various places in the book of Revelation. Matt 11:11 He is referring to his disciples in the Kingdom (Church) who are identified with Him and so greater than those of the OT who were identified with Moses (Romans 10:20). The Pharises were unwilling to stop identifying with Moses and start identifying with Jesus. That is a lot of what Romans and Hebrews is all about. John the Baptizer was the greatest of the OT saints becasue he share more fully than any of them in the Messiah's mission even though he died before its consumation on the cross. He was filled with the Holy Spirit even in his mother's womb in order to prepare him for his mission as the forerunner (Luke 1:15,41. Jesus contrasts the Old and New Covenants in various places such as the anaology of the Old and New Wineskins. He inaugurates His mission by changing water into wine. It is He who called it the New Covenant in Matt 26:28. Emmaus |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Matt 11:11 | Author | ||
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TommyS | ||
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Zsuzsi | ||
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Zsuzsi | ||
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skymystartingpoint | ||
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EdB | ||
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Emmaus | ||
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france13 |