On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame
for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters.
Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill.
But I will leave within you the meek and humble.
The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD.
(Zephaniah 3:11-12, NIV)

The previous chapter concluded with Paul declaring he came to the Corinthians “in weakness with great fear and trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3), but despite his weakness, God mightily used him to demonstrate the Spirit’s power.
There is something quite contradictory or paradoxical about Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 2:3-5, but this paradox of strength in weakness follows a consistent pattern in Paul’s epistles. He begins his first letter to the Corinthians by highlighting one of these apparent contradictions.

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (1 Corinthians 1:26-29, NIV).

Paul is telling us that God and his Kingdom operate on entirely different principles than the values and philosophies of this world. God uses and shows favor to those who are weak, foolish, and of low status in the eyes of the world. God’s Kingdom is a totally upside-down Kingdom according to the world’s perspective.

Paul elaborates further on the contradictory, paradoxical nature of God’s Kingdom in his second letter to the Corinthians when he states, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
This call for humility and submission is not confined to Paul’s letters. Peter explicitly calls for the same.

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. (1 Peter 5:5b-6).

James repeats this call for humility in his epistle. In fact, in their appeal James and Peter quote the same verse, Proverbs 3:34. (See James 4:6-7.)

The apostles’ teaching and lived experience simply reflected the teaching of their Lord and master Jesus Christ. Jesus’ life was a continual paradox. He was born in a stable, yet his birth was heralded by angels, the appearance of a star, and the arrival of magi from foreign lands. Then, he began his ministry with a manifesto that sets the operating principles of our world on its head.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.                                        
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.                                         
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.                                       
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.                                                
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.                                             
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.                                                
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3-10)

Jesus’ ministry centered on the poor, the sick, the oppressed and afflicted. Peter described Jesus’ life work with these words, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

Jesus was the eternal Creator of all things, yet through the miracle of incarnation he willingly subjected himself to the frailties and limitations of humanity. That included the humiliation of suffering the death of a criminal on a cruel Roman cross.

This upside-down perspective is at the heart of the Elisha code as revealed in the eleventh chapter of Matthew. In the previous chapters of this book, we recounted how the miracles of Jesus run parallel to the miracles of the prophet Elisha. In fact, there is a striking similarity in the content, style, and tenor of the ministries of Jesus and Elisha.
Furthermore, in Matthew eleven, Jesus definitively states that John the Baptist “is the Elijah who is to come” (Matthew 11:14). Again, there is a remarkable similarity in the intent, tone, and scope of the ministries of John and Elijah. So then, chapter eleven of Matthew establishes the link between the Old Testament prophetic duo of Elijah and Elisha and the New Testament duo of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.

But in his description of John, Jesus goes on to make a statement that is rather puzzling and frequently misunderstood or misinterpreted.

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 (Matthew 11:11, NIV).

The first part of this statement is very straight forward though quite startling. Clearly, Jesus held John in the highest regard—higher than any human past or present. Higher than Abraham. Higher than Moses. Higher than David. Higher than any of the Old Testament prophets. Jesus places John the Baptist at the head of the list, above all who ever lived. That is quite the honor!

But then Jesus goes on to say, “yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
So, who then is greater than John?

Evangelicals have puzzled over the meaning of this statement. Some have come up with a rather elaborate interpretation that relies heavily on dispensational theology. They reason that John was not born again; therefore, he is not included in the kingdom of heaven. Hence, anyone who is born again under the New Testament dispensation is greater than John.

However, this dispensational interpretation runs into several obstacles when we compare it with the whole of Scripture.

First, let’s be unequivocally clear. Spiritual rebirth is essential to anyone’s entrance into the kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). We must come into relationship with God—be born into his kingdom to be citizens of the kingdom.

Monarch Butterfly — photo by David Kitz

Jesus’ statement in John 3:3 raises other questions concerning the believers of the Old Testament era. Will we see them in heaven? Are they citizens of the kingdom?

There is ample biblical evidence that John the Baptist and all the great saints of the Old Testament are citizens of the Kingdom. In fact, in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus said just that.

“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last” (Luke 13:28-30).

Moreover, in Matthew 11, Jesus identifies John as being greater than all the prophets.

Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you’” (Matthew 11:9-10).

If the patriarchs and prophets of the old covenant are included in the kingdom of God, then surely John who Jesus identifies as being greater than them all is included as well.

Furthermore, Hebrews 11 makes it abundantly clear that great Old Testament heroes of the faith will be present with us in glory. In fact, they are part of a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on (Hebrews 12:1-3).

So from these scriptures it is clear that the Old Testament heroes of the faith are all citizens of the kingdom. But Jesus said they cannot be citizens of the kingdom unless they are born again (John 3:3). How can they be born again when that teaching had not been introduced yet? In John 3, Jesus provides the answer to that conundrum.

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

Rebirth happens by the Spirit, and it has been happening from the very beginning. The day may come when we will meet with Enoch, Moses, and David in the kingdom.

The wind of the Spirit was blowing in the hearts of John the Baptist and the Old Testament citizens of the spiritual kingdom, and they were born again by the Spirit. This must be so, or Jesus could not say what he said in Luke 13:28-30 where he identifies them as sitting down in the kingdom of God. (They could not be sitting down in the kingdom of God unless they were born again.)

Moreover, there are not two kingdoms of God, one for the Old Testament believers and one for the New Testament born-again believers. There is only one eternal, spiritual kingdom of God, and we will all sit together in it.

Jesus is after all the great unifier of Jews and Gentiles just as Paul states.

 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 3:4-6)

Jesus introduced us to the teaching and the understanding of being born again, but that does not mean spiritual rebirth was not happening before he introduced that teaching. Isaac Newton introduced us to the concept of gravity, but that does not mean the laws of gravity were not working until he introduced them.

Similarly, Dr. Frederick Banting and Dr. Charles Best discovered insulin in 1921, and in January 1922 they injected insulin into a dying fourteen-year-old, type one diabetic named Leonard Thompson. The transformation in Leonard’s body was nothing short of miraculous. Until that time a diagnosis of type one diabetes was viewed as a death sentence. Most patients died within weeks or months.

Where land ends, Bruce Peninsula National Park — photo by Karen Kitz

We too like Leonard Thompson are under a death sentence. We suffer from a deadly condition called a sinful nature. The cure for this condition is spiritual rebirth at the hands of the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.

Insulin was doing its life-sustaining work in human bodies long before Banting and Best discovered it. In the same way, the Spirit was at work drawing people like Moses and David into relationship with the heavenly Father long before Jesus had his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. And Old Testament people like Deborah, Ruth, Esther, and Jeremiah responded in faith as the Spirit of God touched their lives. They too came into a life altering relationship with God—a relationship that we now call being born again.

Logic dictates that these Old Testament saints must have experienced rebirth, or they could not sit down in the kingdom of God as Jesus declares they will in Luke 13:28-30.

Consequently, Jesus’ statement in Matthew 11:11 about “he who is least in the kingdom of God” is not about setting up a distinction between those who are born again, and those who are not born again, or drawing a distinction between the Old Testament and New Testament dispensations. Rather, it’s a passage about humility, where Jesus takes on the identity of being the one who is least in the Kingdom of God.

Now let’s again look at Matthew 11:11 with fresh eyes.

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 (Matthew 11:11, NIV).

After stating that John is the greatest man who ever lived, Jesus asserts that the one who is least in the kingdom is greater than John. So, who then is greater than John?

Surely, we can all agree that Jesus is greater than John. He is after all the king of the kingdom. But in true contradictory, paradoxical fashion Jesus casts himself as being least in the kingdom of God. Jesus takes on that identity because he came to serve, suffer, and die.

So then, Matthew 11:11 is a passage that portrays Jesus humbling himself and taking the lowest position though he is King of all. This is the ultimate paradox expressed in a brilliant turn of phrase—so brilliant its meaning has eluded more than a few theologians.

Paul beautifully describes Christ’s humiliation and subsequent exaltation with these familiar words:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:6-11, NIV).

With his statement in Matthew 11:11, Jesus is making himself nothing and taking on the very nature of a servant just as Paul describes.

Furthermore, this self-deprecation follows a pattern that we see repeated in Matthews Gospel. Jesus repeatedly tells reverse stories, paradoxical parables where the first will be last. See Matthew 18:1-5, Matthew 19:30, Matthew 20:16, Matthew 20:28. These passages assert that Jesus and his kingdom work on principles and values that are the opposite of those found in the world. The poor have true wealth. The weak are strong. The despised are honored. Matthew 11:11 fits into this pattern of reversal with Jesus taking the lowest or least position.

But why is this emphasis on humility significant? What is the application for us today? Humility is at the core of the Elisha Code. We too need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We too need to humble ourselves and serve as he did.

The world will not be won to Christ by millionaire evangelists and pastors crisscrossing the globe in their private jets and preaching a gospel of prosperity and self-fulfillment. The world will be won by the meek—those who know how to humble themselves and serve—serve at the cost of their lives as the first century apostles did. That is the Jesus way—the way of the cross.

This is the nineth weekly excerpt from the award-winning book 
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