It struck me when I got to this verse that these must have been some of the best days in the lives of Jesus and his cousin John. Yes, now they are prophet and preacher, but they are still family, full of memories of simpler days growing up in Galilee and Judea.
Can you imagine
the conversations these two had had growing up?
John would tell his younger cousin of the events surrounding his birth. It must have been quite a story to
retell—about an angel appearing to his aged father Zechariah, the priest. Jesus would tell his tale of an angel speaking
to his mother and the host of angels singing and wise men from the East. Perhaps they dreamed of becoming preachers
even then, knowing that God had chosen them for great things. Did they ever imagine this day would
come? Two cousins spending time
together, preaching and reaching people for the Kingdom of God! They are living their dream! Sharing Good News all day and sealing lives
for heaven; what more could they ask for?
These are days they would treasure for as long as they lived.
But the text
adds, “This was before John was put in prison.”
The NIV even puts these words in parenthesis. In the midst of the best days of their lives,
neither knew that storm clouds were forming in the not-so-distant future. John’s days of tribulation would come first,
but Jesus’ days would bring on him the sorrows of the whole world. As is my lot as long as I live on this orb, I
will have those special moments in my life.
I need to soak them in and thank God for them, because I do not know
when the sunshine will be replaced by the floods of tragedy and trial. The good times give me a taste of heaven.
Thank you, Lord. But the dark days
remind me that this world is flawed—sin and death still have a say. Those days remind me I ought to long more for
heaven. Thank you, Jesus!
No comments:
Post a Comment