John the Baptist

In Matthew 11:1-9 John the Baptist sent disciples to Christ to see if he was the one John had been waiting for. Can you imagine the kind of news they had to share with John the Baptist. If I had been one of those disciples I would have been jumping with joy to tell John a) that Christ has come and that He is who we have waited for b) that I had witnessed Christ perform many miracles and c) that he is waiting for John and praises him as a great prophet!
In Matthew 11:2-3, as we discussed, John send disciples to Christ to see if it really is the Savior of the world. Some wonder if this was John's lack of faith in Christ. But after reading the institute manuel on the subject you find that John was simply trying to get his followers to recognize who Jesus was and to believe in and follow Him. It was not for John's benefit, but for those who followed him.
In Matthew 11:11 Jesus says, "there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist". So why was John the baptist considered greater than ALL other prophets and disciples of Christ? Joseph Smith says that "First, he was entrusted with a divine mission of preparing the way before the Lord... Second, he was entrusted with the important mission... to baptize the Son of Man... Thirdly, he was the only legal administrator in the affairs of the kingdom there was then on earth, and holding the keys of power." John the baptist was the most trustworthy, and the most committed to do the sacred works that needed to be done for Christ to come.
John 3:3 says, "He must increase, but I must decrease." John knew that Christ was perfect and therefore, increasing in knowledge and perfectness. John was of the earth- a mortal- and therefore can only hope to become somewhat like Him. We need to remember that the goal is be like Christ and "increase".