Reading 12
The Love between Cousins—Matthew 11
My grandparents had nine children, eight of whom survived to adulthood, so I have many first cousins. My cousin Tom introduced me to my husband Jim, so we’re close. Sometimes cousins are close to one another because they are close in age. Tom and I are only a year apart. Sometimes cousins are close because they live near one another. Since I have married and moved to Raleigh, Tom and I live close to one another. With Jesus and John the Baptist, both reasons may also be true.
It’s traditionally understood that Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins. The ministries of Jesus and John barely overlap, yet Jesus spends time in this chapter praising John the Baptist.
We can assume they are close. In fact, John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River at the beginning of Mark. That’s a significant moment in Jesus’ life, and the beginning of his ministry. Jesus tells the crowds in Matthew 11:10 that John is more than a prophet:
“This is one about whom it is written,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’”
That was indeed what John did. As Jesus said, he did not wear “soft robes.” Rather, he wore camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. To me, he’s a wild man. But people definitely took notice of John.
Their relationship was pre-ordained: when Mary was pregnant, she went to see her relative Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John. He leapt for joy when Mary drew near.
The Bible does not tell us how Jesus reacts to the death of John the Baptist in Chapter 14, only that he withdraws to a deserted place by himself. Even then the crowds do not allow him to mourn—this is when he performs one of his greatest miracles, the feeding of the Five Thousand. Even at such a joyous time, he is surely missing his cousin.
Jesus could not have begun his ministry without John. Repent, John said, and believe in the Good News.
To Consider:
- In what ways can you prepare the way for Jesus today?
Father God, thank you for people who lead us to Jesus. Help me to be one of those people. Amen.
Susan Shinn Turner lives in Raleigh with her husband, Jim. She is a staff writer for St. John’s Lutheran Church, Salisbury.
