In light of Matthew 11:11, who is greater — Mary or John the Baptist?
The short answer
Read in context, Matthew 11:11 is not a ranking of John above Mary. Just before it, Jesus calls John a prophet and more than a prophet (Matthew 11:9): he is proclaiming John the greatest of the prophets — the Precursor.
Context matters
A literal, uninformed reading of the verse is problematic; Jesus had a specific context in mind.
The preceding verses
Jesus asked what the crowds went out to see — a prophet? — and answered that John is more than a prophet (Matthew 11:9).
The meaning
Jesus was proclaiming John the greatest of all the prophets, indeed something greater than a prophet: the Precursor.
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