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Cousins? Competition? Collaborators?


The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
         Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” (John 1:29-34)

  One day, more than a month before this passage took place, as John was doing his hair-shirt, fire-and-brimstone preaching bit and seeing lots of people repenting and being baptized, he saw a familiar face. As Jesus stood before him, waiting to be baptized, John knew that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus had convinced him to cooperate. He had baptized Him and watched as the Spirit came down from heaven as a dove. Jesus walked out of the river and disappeared into the wilderness for more than a month.
       Can you imagine having grown up with Jesus? John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin. There’s a possibility that at least two of the disciples were also cousins. I’ve heard speculation about how frustrating it would be to live near the perfect kid. I’m not sure his family would really have seen Him as quite so perfect. He may have wandered off on His own, to spend time with the Father. He might not have had the same priorities as His family. Yes, He was sinless, good, loving, compassionate, but that doesn’t mean that He would have been understood, and with the misunderstandings could have led to a belief that He was less than perfect.
         How often did the cousins visit? How well did John know Jesus? Did he know all the stories about his own conception and birth? I’d bet he did. Did he know the stories about Jesus’? How widespread was the belief in his area that Joseph was not Jesus’ real father? How big a surprise was it when God told him that Jesus was His Chosen One? It seems to have come as a shock.
         If I’d been in John’s sandals, would I have been jealous? Maybe. Or, maybe I’d be relieved. “Oh, good, now I can stop preaching and be His disciple.” Less responsibility, no one trailing along after me asking stupid questions and expecting me to have good answers. Time to retire from the limelight. Time to tell all those people to go away and leave me alone! But that’s not what happened. He kept baptizing. He kept preaching. It doesn’t make sense to me, but often God doesn’t make sense to me. (He’s God, I’m not.) It seems that John didn’t see his work as being completed just because Jesus had been officially announced.  

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