The Second Thursday of Advent -- December 8, 2011

Matthew 11:11 - 15

Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear.


Jesus confuses our notions of who is "great" and who is "least." And he seems to do that intentionally, because the kingdom of heaven knows no rank, no hierarchy of greatness.

In his daily life, Jesus repeatedly confused the social stratum. Those who thought they were "much" were shown to be "not-so-much," and those who were considered by society and religion to be "little and least" were considered the most receptive and most open to the in-breaking of God into the world.

Those who come to an expression of religion or spirituality hoping to become "somebody" are fishing in the wrong lake. You already are "somebody," and going to church or taking on some religious practice is not going to make you more of "somebody."

There is too much ladder-climbing in the contemporary Church, as if certain belief systems or affiliation with religious groups could get a person ahead. In fact, the contemporary Church has played on that "onward-and-upward" mentality, promising in different ways that those who believe certain things or participate in certain congregations will be more successful in business or will have a better family life or will win more football games.

Christianity is not a road-map for getting ahead in life. It does not contain a hidden code for becoming "great."

Jesus does not exist to make your life "better" (whatever that means!) or to make you more "successful" (whatever that means!).

I'm thinking that Jesus used the terms "greatest" and "least" in this discourse about John the Baptist just to confuse the categories a bit, as if to say, "You know, the categories of 'greatest' and 'least' don't matter nearly as much as you think they do. You thought John was great? In a sense he was, but he was also the least. And these people you think are little and least? Yeah, they're the ones who are great.

"So why don't you just ditch the categories? Why don't you just treat all people like people, and not treat some like they were "somebodies" and others like they were "nobodies. That's how it is in the kingdom of God. If you're going to live in it, you might as well get used to it now."