B6 - E3 Jesus and John
Unlike Elizabeth and Zechariah, Mary and Joseph had said very little to Jesus about the full story of his birth. After much prayer and discussion, they had decided to tell him only the bare details. He knew that, due to the demands of the Roman census, he had been born in a stable in Bethlehem and that the family had had to journey to Egypt shortly after his birth to escape the evil that Herod had inflicted by ordering the killing of all the male children under two years of age who had been born in that area.
He had grown up oblivious to the full implications of his conception and destiny but had always had a great love for the things of God and his beloved religion and scriptures. The story of his three-day adventure in Jerusalem, when he was only twelve years old, was regularly recounted within the family circle, especially around the time of their annual pilgrimage to the Holy City to celebrate the Passover. These visits gave them the opportunity to visit John and his parents who lived near Jerusalem, so as boys, Jesus and John knew each other well.
In deference to the decision of Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah had held back from telling John that it was his own cousin who was to be the Messiah, whose coming he himself would announce. After the death of his parents, John was rarely at home so, in their adult years, he and Jesus had lost touch to a large extent. As Jesus journeyed with his friends towards the place where John was preaching, he felt pleasure at the prospect of seeing his cousin. Would they recognise each other in the melee of people surrounding the prophet?
By this time, a group of followers had gathered around John; men who had changed their lives and wished to assist him in his ministry. They would hold the staffs and cloaks of the people as they came forward for baptism, leading them down to the water’s edge and reaching out to assist them as they came up out of the water.
As Jesus and his friends came over the brow of the last hill and began to descend into the valley of the Jordan, they could see crowds of people before them. John’s eyes were drawn up and there, coming towards him, was the man he knew he was waiting for. The people around John at the time seemed to realise that someone of special note was approaching and fell back to allow Jesus to come forward.
He went towards John slowly, pleased to see the recognition on his face. When Jesus indicated his intention to be baptised, John protested. “No, I shouldn’t be the one to baptise you. It should be you who baptises me!” but Jesus quietly persisted so John led him to the river himself, taking the cloak and staff of his cousin in his own hands. He watched and waited as Jesus strode into the river and submerged himself.
As Jesus came up from the water and waded towards the bank, his mind and heart were lifted up in prayer. Reaching out to take John’s hand, he saw a vision of heaven open before his very eyes and God’s Spirit coming down like a dove which came and rested on him. At that moment, a voice from heaven was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”.
Jesus was immediately enwrapped in the presence of His Heavenly Father and in the Spirit of Holiness. He moved through the crowds towards the hill and found a place where he could sink to the ground to absorb the meaning of all that had just happened. His friends watched him go, realising that he needed to be alone for the time being. They went forward themselves then to be baptised and gathered together afterwards to share their experience.
As the afternoon grew towards evening, Jesus rejoined them and they sat together as he spoke to them about what had occurred. He realised that this was a turning point in his life and that he needed to take time to meditate on the future and all that it held for him. He had decided that he would go into the wilderness of Judea to pray and to discern God’s will. He entrusted them with the task of telling his mother what had happened, knowing that she would understand and accept his decision implicitly.
The next forty days were spent by Jesus in prayer and fasting, by which time, he was hungry and weary. He experienced many temptations in the extreme conditions of the desert but with the help of God’s loving care, he found the strength to resist them. During this time of intense meditation, he came to understand that it was he who was to lead his people back to God. His life would be radically changed; he would no longer be the carpenter of Nazareth.
He knew that he would have to leave the comfort of the home he shared with his mother, living among the people he knew and loved, carrying out the tasks of everyday life, to tread another path. Carrying all these thoughts within him, he set off to visit John before travelling home, his mind and heart at peace, trusting in God and in the knowledge that he was fulfilling the will of his Father in heaven.
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