John knew him from the time he could walk.

They were cousins, for heaven’s sake!

His mom had told him that his cousin was special. He was “the one.” John knew his aunt Mary was a no nonsense person; all the controversy that had surrounded her and uncle Joe’s marriage was responsible for that, he assumed. His aunt had often told him that he, too, was special and would fondly call him her “little prophet,” which had always bothered him.

Now, here was his cousin asking the ridiculous.

John knew. He’d always known.

As they’d aged, both of their unique roles began to be obvious. They’d lost touch with each other over the last few years. He’d wondered how his cousin was doing, especially in light of what he’d heard from that wedding over in Cana.

And now, here he was…

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 this baptism.” So John did it.

(and they say that reading the Bible is boring…)