The day that Mary was dreading somewhat came soon enough. One morning before Jesus went to work, he simply said to his mother, “I think the time has come for me to go and pay a visit to John. I want to see what he has to say to me, about me. I believe his words will make it clear to me what I should do and when.”
“Jesus,” Mary responded, sighing inwardly with a heartache only a mother can have, especially one having some foreboding sense of what lay before them, “When the angel told me about your birth, I said I was in the hands of The Highest One as his servant. That is still true. Therefore, I must let you go and, indeed, give you my full blessing, love and support as you do.”
“And, for my part,” Jesus replied, “I will do what I can over the next week or two to see what James and Joseph can do to carry on in my absence. They will now not only have to earn and bring home money but help a little more around home at times. I will also have to bring to a good end my own employment.”
True to his word, Jesus discussed and arranged this with his brothers and his employers. So it was that, some ten days later, Jesus bade his family farewell, “I can’t promise when I will see you again,” he said truthfully. “You know I will keep you all in my prayers, as I have all these years when we have been together, especially since father died. But you know, I must fulfil my heavenly father’s calling, and I know he will look after you too.”
This reference to The Highest One as his heavenly father was something Jesus had begun to use ever since that time he had stayed behind in the temple in Jerusalem years before. Mary still wondered what he had learned there that had brought this conviction to him. She knew too though that he only spoke like this in front of the family. No one else ever referred to Jehovah that way, and although the family had gotten used to Jesus doing so, it still seemed strange sometimes.
So it was that Jesus left Nazareth and began the trek down to the Jordan Valley and along it in pursuit of his increasingly renowned relative. The days went by and Mary waited and yearned for her beloved son’s return. Finally, one day, some 6 weeks later, to her great joy, Jesus was at the door. Mary left her chores and ran to greet him. Then she insisted he stay with them and have something to eat and tell them what had happened.
Jesus was pleased to do so. He too loved to be with his family, especially as he knew the times for this were fast disappearing.
“I found John,” Jesus began, “and I persuaded him that I too needed to be baptized by him. “And you know, mother,” he continued, leaning towards her and looking at her, “When I came out of the water, my heavenly father spoke to me in a clearer way than I have ever heard before. He said, ‘This is my Jesus Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:1-170.’ Oh, I tell you, that was wonderful. You have no idea how reassuring it was. That was just the sign I was looking for, the identification I needed. But you won’t believe what happened next,’ he said, pausing for effect, “It was as if something came over me and before I knew it I was somewhere - I have no clue where – in the wilds of Judea. I can only believe it was The Spirit of Jehovah took me there. In fact, I know it was. It is the gift of baptism.”
“I did not know where I was and I had this strong conviction there was a purpose to be there – to fast and pray and prepare for my mission. I began to do that, but then, the strangest thing happened. The evil one appeared. That was a trying time, let me tell you. He tried to tempt me in different directions than what I knew Jehovah was calling me. It was only with His help and the use of passages from his word, the Law and the other writings, that I remembered and used in my defense that I could fend the evil one off. When it was all over, I was starved and – mother you know about these things – angels came and fed me! The next thing I knew, I was on my way home (Matthew 4:1-11).”
Mary marveled at all of this. She still did not grasp what it all meant. “Well,” she said finally, “I’m just glad you’re home safe and sound.”
“But you know, I can’t stay, mother,” Jesus answered, “I have to be about my father’s business.”
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