Gospel of Matthew 11:11-19
Christ Teaches About John the Baptist [2]
"Among those who are born of women, none is greater than John the Baptist: but anyone who 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 suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force. For all the prophets and the law gave prophesy prior to John. If you are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, that is to come. He that has ears to hear, let him hear."
"But what can I say about this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplace, who call unto their fellows and say, 'We piped for you, but you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.' For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, 'He is possessed by a demon.' But the Son of man came eating and drinking, they said, 'Look, a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners!' "
"Wisdom is justified by her works."Commentary on the Scripture
This is a difficult passage to follow, and so it is not often quoted. Jesus is clearly unhappy at the conduct of the Hebrews towards John and himself. They do not follow the teachings of the prophets, especially Elijah, or else they would understand that John's coming was foretold specifically in Elijah's prophecy. Nevertheless, although John is a great man and an important step in the fulfillment of the prophets, he does not hold the key to the kingdom of heaven. (That is reserved for Christ and his disciples, a point that John would fully agree with.)
The Hebrews (who generally followed one of the two prominent sects, the Pharisees and the Sadducees) reject John because of his fasting, and reject Christ because he does not fast. Instead of hearing and obeying the law, they try to make themselves the givers of law; like bossy children, if they play music they expect others to dance, and so they reject John the Baptist, who is so prone to fasting. On the other hand, if they wail they expect others to mourn, and so they reject Christ, who eats and drinks when they say it is time to fast.
The last line is an eternal truth in all aspects of life. It is repeatedly echoed by secular sayings, e.g.: "You can't tell a book by its cover", "The proof of the pudding is in the tasting", "Beauty is only skin deep". It is especially important in Christ's teachings, as religious figures sought to attract followers by their appearance or the outward form of behavior: fasting and praying in public was a common method. This was unusually effective because worship of the time, including Judaism, involved a great deal of public ritual.
