Nougat 5

How do we understand greatness, and do we treat great persons any differently from others? Consider Today’s Holy Nougat

““I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Standard of Greatness

I admit, there’s a part of me that desires to be great. I would like to be known for having made an indelible mark on global history. Because in some way it suggests that I made a powerful impact on other people’s lives. Of course the post-life fame provides some motivation for that desire. Thus, reading Jesus comment about John the Baptist often gives me hope.

Today, however, I invite us to think differently about greatness, especially when we consider that John the Baptist was the one named as the greatest. When the import of Jesus’ words hits us, I suspect you also will have a different thought about greatness.

Do you remember who John the Baptist was? Luke 1 offers our first glimpse. He was the only child of a priest named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. Zechariah was not the High Priest, nor was he an exceptional priest. One could argue that his claim to fame (some might say shame) prior to John’s birth was that he was the one who prepared the incense in the temple on his roster. Elizabeth was probably known for her barrenness, as they had no children. In terms of his parents, John had no cause to be great, definitely not the greatest.

At the time leading up to his birth, however, his life took some interesting turns: his birth was prophesied by one of Heaven’s chief angels to Zechariah while he was on duty in the temple. The announcement seemed so preposterous that Zachariah questioned the angel’s integrity. This cost him his speech for almost a year. We also discover that Elizabeth is cousin to Mary, Jesus’s mother. Possibly a distant cousin, but family none the less. Now that may be cause for greatness, but it’s really shared glory, not his own.

After his birth, we see John fulfilling the angel’s prophecy, as John lived in the wilderness, and only ate locusts and honey. Again, not really grounds for greatness. But one day, while at work by the Jordan, John saw Jesus. His declaration of Jesus as the Messiah changed the world. I suspect that his acts of obedience – living in the wilderness, eating special food, and later affirming Jesus’s identity – were what made him great in God’s sight.

You see siblings, in God’s sight, greatness is measured by our obedience and openness to God’s Spirit, and not our lineage or economic status. It may not be recorded by Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN, etc., and might not be included in the annals of world history. But those are some attributes that mean a lot to God.

By Whose Standard do we measure greatness? Selah

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May all we seek be found in Christ