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
Made Great by Jesus
John the Baptist was no ordinary man. He was courageous, faithful, and unwavering in his mission. He spoke God’s truth without fear, even when it landed him in prison. He received a beautiful compliment from Jesus: “among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” That’s an incredible commendation!
And yet, Jesus adds something surprising: “whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” How can that be? John was a prophet chosen by God. He baptized Jesus. He prepared the way for the Messiah. How could anyone be greater than that?
The answer is that John looked forward to what we now live in. John pointed ahead to the Savior who was to come. We get to see what John only glimpsed from a distance. We know the full story. We see how Jesus carried our sins to the cross, rose from the dead, and opened heaven’s door to all who believe.
Greatness in God’s kingdom isn’t about status, reputation, or how much you do for God. It’s about what Jesus has done for you. The least person who trusts in Christ, clinging to his forgiveness and grace, will live in eternal glory in heaven. That person stands on the finished work of Jesus.
So, if you ever feel small or unimportant, remember who you are in God’s eyes. You are part of something infinitely greater. You belong to the kingdom John was waiting for, the kingdom Jesus won for you.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for bringing me into your kingdom. When I feel small or unworthy, remind me that my worth comes from you. Help me live with the confidence that I am yours, now and forever. Amen.
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Matthew 11:4-6
Good News Proclaimed to You
The disciples of John the Baptist brought a question of doubt to Jesus. Was Jesus really the Messiah, or should they expect someone else? John the Baptist sat in prison, and it didn’t look like God’s kingdom was advancing.
Jesus’ answer was both gentle and firm. He pointed to the Bible and quoted prophecies about the coming Savior from the book of Isaiah. Jesus told them to report what they saw and heard. The blind see, the lame walk. People are cleansed; the deaf hear. God’s promises about the Savior were being fulfilled even if it wasn’t the way or the timeline John or his disciples expected.
We can relate to John. We see others receiving their miracles and their answers to prayers. We wonder, “When will God act for me? When will he answer my prayer?” It’s easy to stumble when God seems silent or slow to respond.
But notice what Jesus includes last: “the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” That’s us. We are poor in spirit, weary, doubting at times, and unable to fix ourselves or earn our way to heaven. The good news is that Jesus came for us. Jesus brings us forgiveness for our sins. Jesus doesn’t turn us away because of our doubts. God has accomplished everything for our salvation.
We are blessed, not because life always goes as planned, but because Jesus did not stumble in his mission. He lived perfectly where we have failed, and through his cross and resurrection, he gives us faith that can withstand the brokenness of this world.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for meeting me in my doubt and disappointment. Help me to trust your Word and your work, even when I can’t see what you’re doing. Remind me that your good news is for me too. Amen.
Matthew 11:2-3
When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” Matthew 11:2-3
Carry Your Doubt to Jesus
Christmas is almost here! That means expectations are sky high. Children expect every toy on their wish list to be under the tree. Parents expect children to be happy and thankful for the gifts they’ve received, even if not every gift is crossed off their list. Employees expect a fat bonus from their employers. Employers expect their workers to meet every end-of-the-year deadline and quota. This time of year, we expect celebrations, cookies, and core family memories.
Yet rarely does the season called “the most wonderful time of the year” live up to the name. The calendar is packed, the to-do list never ends, and it feels like you’re barely getting by. “The most stressful time of the year” might be a more accurate name. Beneath the glittery decorations and bright lights is the realization that most of these expectations will not be met.
John the Baptist knew that feeling. Once a fiery preacher in the wilderness, John now sat in a dark dungeon prison. It was the last place his disciples expected him to be. John preached about repentance and judgment. He spoke about axes being at the root of trees and wheat being separated from chaff. In other words, he foretold the coming judgment of God on the wicked. Yet now John was in the prison cell of one of the most wicked rulers of that time. It seemed like things had gotten twisted.
So, John told his followers to carry the question to Jesus, “Are you the one… or should we expect someone else?”
Even from prison, John was teaching his disciples and us what to do with our questions of doubt when expectations are not met. Take them to Jesus. Bring your unmet expectations to Jesus. Bring your doubt to Jesus. He won’t shoo you away or dismiss you or utter some pious platitudes. Jesus will not condemn you; he will answer your doubts.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are gracious and forgiving. Forgive me for my doubts and give me a faith that trusts in you through all things and above all things. Amen.
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The Messenger Reveals Future Battles [1]
Xerxes of Persia [2]
2 Now I will tell you the truth: Look, three more kings will arise for Persia. Then the fourth one will gain great riches, more than anyone else. As he becomes strong through his riches, he will stir everyone up against the kingdom of Greece.
Alexander the Great [3]
3 A warrior king will arise. He will rule a great dominion and will do as he pleases. 4 But as he rises, his kingdom will be broken and be divided to the four winds of heaven, but it will not be passed on to his descendants. It will not be ruled with the same ruling power with which he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and given to others besides these.
The Ptolemies Versus the Seleucids [4]
5 The King of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become stronger than he and rule a dominion greater than his. [5]
6 After some years, they will make an alliance. The daughter of the King of the South will come to the King of the North and make a fair agreement. However, she will not keep the strength of her arm, and he and his arm [6] will not endure. She will be given up—she and those who brought her, the one who fathered her, [7] and the one who strengthened her during these times. [8]
7 But one who is a branch from her root will arise in his place. [9] He will come against the army and come into the fortress of the King of the North. He will make war with them and win. 8 He will also take their gods captive to Egypt with their cast images and with their valuable silver and gold vessels. For some years he will leave the King of the North alone. 9 But the King of the North will come into the kingdom of the King of the South. Then he will return to his own land.
10 His sons [10] will stir themselves up and will gather a huge force of many armies, which will keep coming like an overflowing flood. They will stir themselves up again as far as his fortress. [11]
11 The King of the South will be enraged. He will go out and fight with the King of the North. The King of the North will raise up a great army, but the army will be handed over to the King of the South. 12 When the King of the North’s army is swept away, and the King of the South becomes arrogant, though he will cause tens of thousands to fall, he will not win. [12]
Antiochus the Great
13 The King of the North will again raise an army, which will be greater than the first army, and after some years he will keep coming with a great army and many supplies. 14 In those times, many will rise up against the King of the South. Violent men from your own people will lift themselves up in fulfillment of this vision, but they will fail. 15 The King of the North will come and build siege works and capture a fortified city. The forces of the south will not stand, not even its best troops, because they will have no strength to stand. 16 The one who comes against him [13] will do as he pleases, and no one will stand in his way. He will stand in the beautiful land, [14] and it will be completely in his power. 17 He will be determined to come with the power of his entire kingdom and to bring a treaty with him, which he will enforce. He will give his daughter to the King of the South in marriage in order to destroy the southern kingdom. But his plan will not succeed or turn out to his advantage. 18 He will focus his attack on the coastlands and capture many. However, a commander will put an end to his insolence. Moreover, he will make him pay for his insolence. 19 Then the King of the North will turn his face toward the fortresses of his land. He will stumble and fall and not be found. [15]
20 Then one will arise in his place who will send an oppressive tax collector for the glory of his kingdom. However, in a few days he will be broken, but not in anger or battle.
Footnotes
Daniel 11:2 This prophecy, which continues into chapter 12, extends from Daniel’s time till the end of the world. Understanding this chapter requires considerable knowledge of history, so the EHV includes more footnotes here than it usually does. For more information, consult commentaries and study Bibles.
Daniel 11:2 Esther’s husband Xerxes led a huge expedition against Greece that ended in failure in 480 bc.
Daniel 11:3 Alexander of Macedon very quickly built up a great empire that stretched from Greece to India, about 330 years before Christ.
Daniel 11:5 This is both one of the most amazing prophecies and one of the most difficult. Daniel, who lived in the 6th century bc, foretells in great detail events that happen from about 330 bc to 150 bc. The Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria were two of the dynasties that succeeded Alexander. The Jews got caught in the middle of the conflict between them, and this led to a great persecution of the Jews. Consult commentaries and study Bibles for more details on this very complicated history.
Daniel 11:5 The King of the South is Ptolemy of Egypt and his successors. The King of the North is Seleucus, a subordinate of Ptolemy who gained power in Syria, and his successors.
Daniel 11:6 Variant seed, that is, descendant. The words for arm and seed look very much alike in Hebrew.
Daniel 11:6 Variant her child
Daniel 11:6 The kings are Ptolemy II and Antiochus II. The daughter of Ptolemy is Bernice, who was married to Antiochus. Antiochus eventually divorced Bernice and remarried his former wife Laodice, who then poisoned Antiochus, killed Bernice, and installed her own son as Seleucus II.
Daniel 11:7 Bernice’s brother, Ptolemy III, warred against Seleucus II.
Daniel 11:10 The sons of Seleucus II were Seleucus III and Antiochus III the Great. They fought against the Ptolemies.
Daniel 11:10 The line of thought in this verse is difficult to follow.
Daniel 11:12 This King of the South is Ptolemy IV.
Daniel 11:16 That is, the King of the North, who comes against the King of the South
Daniel 11:16 That is, Israel
Daniel 11:19 Antiochus the Great had success against both Egypt and Greece, but his plans were frustrated by the intervention of the Romans. It was at this time that Israel, which was between Syria and Egypt, got caught up in the conflict.
1 In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, [1] a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar. Now the message was true. It was about a great war. He understood the message, and understanding came to him through the vision.
2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three whole weeks. 3 I ate no expensive food, and no meat or wine entered my mouth. I did not anoint myself at all until the completion of three whole weeks.
4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, I was beside the Great River, that is, the Tigris. 5 I looked up, and there, right in front of me, I saw a man dressed in linen. Around his waist he was wearing a belt made from gold of Uphaz. 6 His body was like topaz, and his face looked like lightning. His eyes were like burning torches, and his arms and feet were like polished bronze. The sound of his words was like the sound of an army.
7 Only I, Daniel, saw the vision. The men who were with me did not see the vision, but they were overwhelmed by fear and trembling, so they ran away to hide. 8 I was left alone, and I saw this great vision. No strength was left in me. My appearance changed for the worse. I became very pale, [2] and I had no strength. 9 I heard the sound of his words, but as I heard the sound of his words, I was in a deep sleep, facedown, with my face to the ground.
10 Then a hand touched me and pulled me up, trembling, to my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “Daniel, you are a highly valued man. Understand the words that I am speaking to you. Stand up where you are, because now I have been sent to you.” When he spoke this word to me, I stood up, shaking.
12 He said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, because from the first day that you began to commit your heart to gaining understanding and to humbling yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 However, an officer of the kingdom of Persia was standing against me for twenty-one days. Yet Michael, one of the chief officers, came to help me, for I had been left there against the kings of Persia. 14 I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the latter days, because the vision concerns days still to come.”
15 As he spoke these words to me, I pressed my face to the ground and was silent. 16 Then someone whose form was like a son of man was touching my lips. So I opened my mouth and spoke and said to the one standing in front of me, “My lord, pain has come upon me in the vision, and I have no strength left in me. 17 How can this servant of my lord speak with my lord? And I, from now on—no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.”
18 The one whose appearance was like a man touched me again and strengthened me. 19 He said to me, “Do not be afraid, you highly valued man. Peace to you. Be strong! Be strong!”
As he spoke with me I was strengthened, and I said, “Keep speaking, my lord, because you strengthen me.”
20 He said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight against the official of Persia. But after I leave that battle, the prince of Greece will come. 21 Nevertheless, I will tell you what is inscribed in the Book of Truth. No one is supporting me against these enemies except Michael, your prince. 11 1 In the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to strengthen and protect him.” [3]
Footnotes
Daniel 10:1 About 536 bc
Daniel 10:8 Literally my splendor was changed upon me to destruction
Daniel 11:1 A debated issue is whether the last angel is Christ. This angel both helps Michael, the archangel, and is helped by Michael.
20 While I was still speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, I was casting my prayer for grace, concerning the holy mountain of my God, before the Lord my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the first vision, touched me. I was completely exhausted. [1] It was about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me, “Daniel, now I have come to give you insight with understanding. 23 At the beginning of your plea for grace, a word went out, and I came to declare it to you, because you are very treasured. So pay attention to the word and understand the vision.”
The Vision of Seventy Sevens
24 Seventy sevens [2] are determined concerning your people and your holy city:
to end rebellion, to finish sin, and to atone for guilt, to bring everlasting righteousness, to seal up prophetic vision, and to anoint a most holy one. [3]
25 You should know and have insight. From the going out of a word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, [4] a ruler, comes, there will be seven sevens and sixty-two sevens. [5] Jerusalem will be rebuilt with public squares and a moat, but during troubled times.
26 Then after the sixty-two sevens, the anointed one will be cut off and have nothing. Both the city and the holy place will be destroyed by the people of a ruler who is coming, [6] and its end will be with a flood. There will be war until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
27 He [7] will confirm a covenant for the many during one seven. In the middle of the seven, he will cause sacrifice and offering to cease.
On the wing of abominations is one who causes desolation, until the decreed end is poured out on the one who causes desolation.
Footnotes
Daniel 9:21 Or he came to me in swift flight
Daniel 9:24 A form of the word seven is used, but it is not the term Daniel uses for an ordinary week of seven days. The “weeks” in this prophecy probably represent periods of seven years.
Daniel 9:24 The Hebrew phrase is not the usual expression for the Holy of Holies. Here it may refer to a holy person, the Messiah.
Daniel 9:25 The Hebrew word used here is the source of the English term Messiah and the Greek term Christ.
Daniel 9:25 The seven sevens extend from Daniel to Nehemiah and the sixty-two sevens from Nehemiah to Christ.
Daniel 9:26 Titus, the Roman general who destroyed Jerusalem in 70 ad
1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, [1] who was a Mede by descent and who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, [2] I, Daniel, understood from the scrolls that, according to the word of the Lord given to the prophet Jeremiah, the number of years it would take to complete the devastation of Jerusalem was seventy years.
3 With fasting, sackcloth, and ashes I turned my face to the Lord God to seek him in prayer and to plead for grace. 4 I prayed to the Lord, my God, and I made confession.
Please, Lord, you are the great God, who is to be feared, [3] who keeps the covenant, and who shows mercy to those who love him and keep his commands. 5 We have sinned. We have been guilty. We have acted wickedly. We have rebelled and turned aside from your commands and standards. 6 We did not listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, officials, and fathers and to all the people of the land.
7 Righteousness is yours, Lord, but we are filled with shame this day—we the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, both near and far, in all the lands where you have banished them because of the treachery with which they betrayed you. 8 Lord, we are filled with shame—our kings, our officials, and our fathers, who sinned against you. 9 Acts of compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, even though we have rebelled against him. 10 We did not listen to the voice of the Lord our God by walking according to his laws that he set before us through the hand of his servants, the prophets. 11 All Israel violated your law and turned away by not listening to your voice. So you poured out the curse on us and fulfilled the oath that is written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, because we sinned against him.
12 God has fulfilled the words that he spoke against us and against our judges by bringing such a great disaster upon us. What was done in Jerusalem has never been done under all of heaven. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster came upon us, but we did not seek the favor of the Lord our God to turn from our guilt and to gain insight into your truth. 14 Therefore, the Lord watched over the disaster and brought it upon us, because the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does, but we did not listen to his voice.
15 And now, Lord our God, you who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made a name for yourself to this very day, we have sinned, we have acted wickedly. 16 Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain, although, because of our sins and the guilt of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people are viewed with contempt by everyone around us.
17 Now listen, our God, to the prayer of your servant and to his plea for grace, and let your face shine upon your desolate sanctuary for your sake, my Lord. 18 My God, turn your ear toward us and listen. Open your eyes and see the desolation that is upon us and the city that is called by your name. No, it is not because of our righteous acts that we are casting our plea for grace before you, but because of your great acts of compassion. 19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, pay attention! Act, and do not delay—for your sake, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.
Footnotes
Daniel 9:1 Hebrew Ahasuerus. The later Persian king who had this name is called Xerxes in Esther. Xerxes is the Greek form of this name. The Darius referred to here is either Cyrus the Persian or one of his deputies.
1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar, [1] a vision appeared to me—I, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me previously.
2 I saw the vision, and as I watched, I was in the citadel [2] of Susa, which is in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 I looked up and right there in front of me I saw a ram standing beside the canal. He had two horns. The two horns were large. One, however, was larger than the other, but the larger one had grown up later. 4 I saw the ram pushing toward the west, north, and south, and no beast was able to stand in his way. Nothing could rescue anyone from his power. So he did as he pleased and made himself great.
5 As I was thinking about this, I saw a male goat coming from the west, moving across the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground. The goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came up to the ram with the two horns that I saw standing beside the canal, and he ran at him with fierce anger. 7 I saw him coming up to the ram, and he was enraged against him. He struck the ram and broke his two horns. The ram had no power to stand up against him, so the goat threw the ram to the ground and trampled him. There was no one who could rescue the ram from his power.
8 The male goat made himself very great. But as he became strong, his large horn was broken, and four conspicuous horns grew up in its place toward the four winds of heaven.
9 Then from one of these horns a single horn came up. It began small, but it became very large toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land. 10 It exalted itself against the army of heaven. It made some of that army and some of the stars fall to earth, and it trampled them. 11 It exalted itself against the Prince of the Army. It deprived him of the continual sacrifice, and the place of his sanctuary was thrown down. 12 The army and the continual sacrifice will be handed over to the horn during the rebellion, and it will throw truth to the ground. It will succeed in doing this.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one speaking, “How long is the vision about the continual sacrifice and the rebellion that causes desolation going to last—this handing over of both the Holy Place and the army to be trampled?”
14 He said to him, “Until two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings, and then the Holy Place will be consecrated.”
Gabriel Explains the Vision of the Ram and the Goat
15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried to understand it. Then suddenly there was someone standing in front of me who had the appearance of a man. 16 I heard a human voice coming from between the banks of the Ulai. It called out and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”
17 So he came beside the spot where I stood, and when he came, I was terrified and fell facedown. He said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision concerns the time of the end.” 18 When he had spoken with me, I fell into a deep sleep, facedown on the ground. He touched me and made me stand up.
19 He said, “Listen, I am about to make known to you what will happen during the last part of the furious anger, because this concerns the appointed time of the end.
20 “The ram that you saw had two horns, the kings of Media and Persia. 21 The male goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. [3]22 He is the one who was broken, and four others arose in his place. Four kingdoms will arise from his nation, but not with the same power he had.
23 “In the latter part of their kingdom, when the rebels have reached their full measure, a merciless king who understands intrigue will arise. [4]24 His power will be very great, but not from his own power. He will destroy wonderful things, and he will succeed in doing this. He will destroy mighty men [5] and the people of the saints. 25 Through his cunning, he will deceive in order to succeed by his power and will also exalt himself in his heart. He will destroy many who are at ease, [6] and he will rise up against the Prince of Princes. However, he will be broken, but not by human power. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that was spoken is true. But you—seal the vision, because it concerns a time many days in the future.”
27 I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up and carried out the king’s business. I was stunned by the vision, but I did not understand it.
Footnotes
Daniel 8:1 About 551 bc, after Daniel had been in exile more than 50 years
Daniel 8:2 The term citadel or fortress-city identifies a city as one of the capital cities of the Persian Empire. Persia and Elam are located in present-day Iran.
Daniel 8:21 Alexander the Great of Macedon, around 330 bc
Daniel 8:23 This section predicts the persecution of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes in about 168 bc. See chapter 11.
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Tornadoes, hurricanes, heavy rainfall, forest fires—it’s been a busy fall for WELS Christian Aid and Relief, which responds on behalf of WELS members to reflect Christ’s love to people facing […]
Julie K. Wietzke Different histories, one future When we talk about reaching out to other cultures in the United States, we can’t ignore the amazing opportunities God is providing for […]
The synod’s new long-range plan, entitled “Christ through us,” has four main priorities. One of those four involves bringing Christ to the nations through our world mission efforts. Rev. Larry […]
Leaders from The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) gathered last week near Jacksonville, Fla., for two days of theological […]
During 2025, WELS has commemorated the 175th anniversary of its founding, 175 years of God’s work among us and through us. Resources have been produced and presentations given. This year […]
The Synodical Council met Nov. 7–8 for its fall meeting at the Center for Mission and Ministry, Waukesha, Wis. The Synodical Council (SC) is the group of lay leaders and […]