“I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (Luke 7:28 ESV)
After John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod, he realized that his ministry had reached its conclusion. He wanted his disciples and others to follow Jesus. He wanted them to see that the miracles Jesus was performing demonstrated that He was the promised Messiah, the one for whom John had prepared. The signs, the healings and miracles were, as Jesus pointed out, fulfillments of the prophecies of Isaiah 35:4-6 and 61:1-11, passages which refer to the Messiah and the Kingdom of God. Jesus had demonstrated that he had power even over death. To the Jews, the works Jesus performed were signs that He was a great prophet on a par with Elijah and Elisha. But He was greater than both of them and greater even than John the Baptist. John led people to repent of their sins, but Jesus would actually cleanse and forgive them by His death on the cross.
John, unfortunately, was executed by Herod before he could see the completed work of Christ, though by faith he saw and believed it. As such he is ranked with the Old Testament prophets and saints such as those that are mentioned in Hebrews 11. Thus, as great as John was, as dynamic as was his ministry, Jesus points out that those in God’s Kingdom, those under the New Covenant are far greater for they have seen and experienced things John never did. We have seen the redemption of the cross, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all who believe, not just prophets, priests or patriarchs, but on every single one who puts their faith in Christ for salvation from sin, from the greatest to the least. Our ministry is to help others to realize the same mercy and forgiveness that has been granted to us.