Wait Again! John Didn't Know Jesus Personally? I Taught They Were Relatives
The Angel said to Mary in Luke 1:36 "And your cousin Elizabeth conceived of a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God."
The above portion categorically tells us that Mary and Elizabeth were cousins.
Fast-rewind to one of the synoptic gospel writers Mathew.
Mathew 11:2-4 "John, meanwhile, had been locked up in prison. When he got wind of what Jesus was doing, he sent his own disciples to ask, "Are you the One we've been expecting, or are we still waiting? Jesus told them, Go back and tell John what's going on."
Interestingly, it wasn't recorded that John got to set a glimpse at Jesus thereafter because he was imprisoned and eventually beheaded by Herod after Herodias' daughter's wish came to play which was masterminded by Herodias.
Now the question is why did John ask if Jesus was the Messiah? I taught he, John, personally baptized Jesus.
-Mathew 3:13-15 "Jesus then appeared, arriving at the Jordan River from Galilee. He wanted John to baptize him. John objected, 'I'm the one who needs to be baptized not you! But Jesus insisted, Do it. God's work putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in baptism, so John did it."
Well, Jesus knew John so well and loved him unconditionally. He acknowledged his noble work of mentoring and preparing the people for the kingdom of heaven.
Peep Mathew 11:11;
Jesus said, "No one in history surpasses John the baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared for you, the lowliest person is ahead of him."
My Concern: *Jesus knew so much about John the baptist but John the baptist doubted if he were the messiah while at prison by instructing his disciples for re-investigation.
*How come none of John's disciples were able to recognize Jesus even as at their presence during Jesus' baptism by John the baptist. *Even if John the baptist had new set of disciples, how come the former ones weren't able to bear witness.
*John did not display an existing bond or familiarity between himself and Jesus even with the fact that their mothers Elizabeth and Mary were (intimate) cousins which automatically made Jesus and John relatives. *Remember that Mary knew where Elizabeth resided and even holidayed with her for three months when Elizabeth was six months gone in her pregnancy.
Mystery right?
Side note: This post is open to to constructive criticism and directives.
Anchor Scripture: Mathew 11:25
"You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people."
Have an Enriching day!
No Blogging Without You, Thank You For Visiting.
Mystery! Nice one Ellahillz.
ReplyDeleteThe Bible didn't give clear indicators as to whether John knew Jesus personally or not, and so we can only make assumptions which may be flawed.
ReplyDeleteJohn could have been a loner and, apart from the divine revelation he had that Jesus is the Christ, may have been too busy, Martha style, carrying out his divine mandate to establish any intimate relationship with Jesus.
On the other hand, John's doubt in prison was natural human (emotional) response. He naturally expected Jesus, Son of God, Whom he has been diligently serving, to come to his rescue. Don't we behave the same way when, in spite of our commitment to God and His work, the sickness persists, the financial lack persists, the answer to prayer isn't forthcoming, the disaster still happens? We are guilty of this sometimes in our own trials! We feel God has abandoned us. This doesn't prove that we, like in the case of John, don't have a relationship with Jesus.
@KC SAMM, do you doubt who you know? He baptized Jesus remember (peep Mathew 3:13-15 in post). In this case, John was born to fulfill one mission: Prepare the way for the Messiah. I'll still term it MYSTERY. Thanks for your contribution, you have a point.
ReplyDeleteElla let me help here. It seems we are quickly dying away- and more rapidly than the days turned years-the mystery of touch. In the Visitation account,Elizabeth was "drunk" with the original spouse of Mary:The Holy Spirit" that spurred her to complete the end of the first part of the Hail Mary prayer. Anyone who had a child leap in the womb knows it is an automatic "MISCARRIAGE". I will leave that to those who have experienced it. Again is the fact that Mary staying three months there to witness the birth of John the baptist- and also the miracle of Zechariah's return of speech- is quickly forgotten or interpreted as 3 days. Indeed John knew Jesus personally. Your post have proven that.
ReplyDeleteWhat is Mystery is that the same point I have raised can be easily defeated because our intelligence no matter how perfect or heavenly cannot accept and comprehend it.
Now my comment on this is that, One should learn how to use the mystery and power of touch for that is the only means of tapping faith like current. Too much of it can destroy a transformer and render you a hypocritical over-righteous perfectionist. And sorry, KC SAMM that's where you're heading!
The Bible has not mentioned any childhood interactions between Jesus and John the Baptist. Jesus’ baptism by John shows that this might possibility be their first meeting which could then explain John’s question about the identity of Jesus, (Lk7:18-23). One basic explanation for this lack of relationship of the two during their boyhood years could be seem in Luke’s detail that John “Was in the Wilderness until the day he publicly first appeared to Israel” (Lk1:80). The question is, what took him to the wilderness? The Massacre of the innocent babies by Herod could best explain this. It dispelled mothers and their babies from their homes. The apocryphal “Infancy Gospel of James/Protoevangelium of James,” mentions that Elizabeth fled with her baby, John to the Hill country to avoid Herod’s slaughter of the innocent boys born around the time of Jesus. Likewise, Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus to Egypt. For John, Fear did not allow them to return to their initial town. And such led to the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, “A voice of one that cries in the desert: prepare a way for the Lord…” (Is.40:3)
ReplyDelete@Abims,Thank you for this powerful insight! I'm enlightened! one last question. Why did he doubt Jesus even after he had baptized him?
ReplyDeleteBros James giving us a dose of the apocryphal gospel there. I thought it would be too much a dose for consumption. But that too also helps narrowing the focus of the identity between them.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to your question: John didn't doubt, he was expecting Jesus to assume position. This was according to the trend that when a higher prophet comes, you confer or relieve your position or mantle of leadership to him. Unknown to John, he had already done so as the bible quietly bows him out of the public, but wanted Jesus to baptize him