Matthew 11:11 (ASV)

Passage

Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Nearby Context

Matthew 11:9 But wherefore went ye out? to see a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.

Matthew 11:10 This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, Who shall prepare thy way before thee.

Matthew 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.

Matthew 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "verily", "born", "women", "hath", "arisen", "greater", "than", and "john". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "verily" and "born", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "This is he of whom it is..." into verse 12's "And from the days of John the...", so "verily" and "born" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "verily" and "born" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.