Jesus and John the Baptist

My sister and I have sons who are about the same age difference as Jesus and John. These boys LOVE each other. If they could be together 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, they would. They don't remember a time they weren't in each other's lives. They have never lived in the same town but when the families are in town, they are together. It would be a cardinal sin to keep them apart.

I wonder if Jesus and John were like that. Think about the things we know about their relationship. When Mary visited Elizabeth at the beginning of Mary's pregnancy and the end of Elizabeth's, John leapt in Elizabeth's womb as he recognized Jesus in Mary's womb. They were aware of each other in a profound way even before their births. John's entire life purpose was to "prepare the way of" his cousin, Jesus. This was very serious I'm sure, but they were also boys and teenagers together. Can't you just picture them chasing each other and wrestling, making messes and discovering things together? As they grew up, what did they talk about?

In Matthew 4:12 we read some words that we could skip over pretty easily. It says "when (Jesus) heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee." And then we see Jesus moving from Nazareth to Capernaum "so that" a messianic prophecy would be fulfilled. Then at the end of this passage in verse 17 it says, "From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Remember who was saying that in chapter 3, verse 2? This was John's message as he prepared the way for Jesus and this is now Jesus' message as he begins his ministry, the ministry that John prepared the way for.

This is very poignant to me as I think about Nelson and Mitch. Their love for each other has woven their lives into a fabric in ways that will never be completely separated. They are a part of each other. This is what I see in Matthew 4:12-17. Our Lord had a close friend and cousin who was arrested for preparing the way for His ministry. It affected him. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize . . . "