Luke 7:24-30 – Least in the Kingdom

As soon as the disciples of John the Baptist leave, Jesus begins defending the reputation of John. He sees that the people around him are inclined to think lightly of John. To the crowds of the day he is old news. He used to be very popular, but now in prison and deserted by most, the crowds have moved on to Jesus. But Jesus reminds them that John is a great prophet, boldly declaring the truth of God, and not one to be dismissed so easily. As Christians we can take great comfort in this. There may be times when people admire us, when they listen to what we have to say, when they take our advice, and then all too quickly it changes, and we become unpopular, ignored, and scorned. But our Lord Jesus Christ does not fail or desert those who are His. At the times when they are most friendless, He is their friend as He is to John.

When Christ says that “the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he”, what does He mean? He has just got done saying how great John is – has He just contradicted Himself? No, He’s pointing out the great privileges of the New Testament believer as opposed to the Old Testament believer. Those believers who live after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ understand so much more than John who died before these things happened. The weakest Christian today has such a greater understanding of God’s plan of salvation than Noah, Abraham, and Moses. We should continually be thanking God for the great privilege of His complete Word.

Questions
1. Why was John no longer popular?
2. What great privileges do we have that Moses didn’t?

Prayer Points
1. Give thanks for God’s Word.
2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
3. Pray for family matters.