John the Baptizer was a great man. He was a prophet, a messenger and a one who strived for goodness in his life. He was held in high regard by Jesus. Matthew’s Gospel reports that Jesus said this about John.

₇While John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus spoke about him to the crowds: “When you went out to John in the desert, what did you expect to see? A blade of grass bending in the wind? ₈What did you go out to see? A man dressed up in fancy clothes? People who dress like that live in palaces! ₉Tell me, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes indeed, but you saw much more than a prophet. ₁₀For John is the one of whom the scripture says: ‘God said, I will send my messenger ahead of you to open the way for you.’ ₁₁I assure you that John the Baptist is greater than anyone who has ever lived. But the one who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than John.

What was Jesus saying? On one hand, he seems to be saying that there had never been anyone as great as John. Yet on the other hand, Jesus seems to be saying that those who are the least important in the Kingdom of Heaven are greater than John ever was. This seems confusing. Yet, it’s really not.

We could talk about how Jesus spoke to the people and said that their righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, but when we look at history we can see that the Scribes and Pharisees weren’t all that great. We Christians like to pride ourselves and believe that we are better than the Pharisees. In many ways that may be true. But, when we compare ourselves to John, whom Jesus said was greater than anyone who ever lived, can we say that Jesus would view us in the same way that he viewed John?

I think Jesus would say about me that I am a good man, but I don’t think he would put me in the same league as the historical John the Baptizer. Each one of us have done some good in life, and maybe even some great things, for the Lord. We’ve made improvements in ourselves and the way we do things and we’ve even assisted others who desired our help to make improvements in themselves and how they relate to the world. However, if we ask ourselves if our lives and accomplishments are such that God would consider us to be “finished products”, I believe we would have to answer that there’s always room for improvement in who we are, what we do, and how we do it. Even within the corporate setting of the Valley Baptist Health System, all employees are challenged to keep striving for excellence in all that we do on behalf of patients and their families. Jesus tells us through the Gospel of Matthew to not be like the man who built his house on the sand and sat back satisfied with himself. God invites us to made a conscious choice to keep moving onward toward excellence in all that we do.

Jesus said that his friend John was a great man among many, but still Jesus indicated that there was a lot of room for improvement. That’s also true for us. No matter what we’ve done or how well we’ve done it, we all need to continue to strive for excellence. I want to leave you with a thought, which is also my prayer for you today.

“Don’t let the best you have done thus far be the Standard for the rest of your life.”

	Chaplain John F. Teer, Ph.D., BCC, DAPA john.teer@valleybaptist.net
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