“Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he 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 prophesied until John; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” - St. Matthew 11:11-15
Jesus has high words of praise for someone who is especially present for us during the Advent season; namely, St. John the Baptist.
John had a unique role which sets him apart: he was the one to announce the long-awaited arrival of the Messiah. John is the last in the line of the great Old Testament prophets, he forms a kind of bridge between the Old and the New. He died – in fact, was executed – before the mission of Jesus was completed.
The New Covenant was sealed with Christ’s blood on the cross but John did not live long enough to see that. And so, Jesus says, even the very least in the Kingdom of God is in a more privileged position than John. John was not able to share in the abundance of life in this world that was released through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and so did not have what we have.
John is also described as "Elijah who is to come.”
Why does Christ speak of Elijah here? The prophet Elijah did not die a natural death. He was carried off to heaven in a chariot. However, it was a Jewish belief that one day Elijah would return to die as all men must die. But the important point was that his return would be the immediate prelude to the arrival of the Messiah. In referring to John as Elijah, our Lord is clearly pointing to Himself as the Messiah. That is why Jesus says: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."