John the Baptist said something interesting in the Gospel reading from Sunday: “I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:33-34)
John and Jesus were cousins, and so even if they didn’t spend time together growing up, they would have known of each other’s existence. Elizabeth’s response to Mary’s visit while they were both pregnant means that, at the very least, John would have grown up hearing that he had a cousin who was his “lord” (Luke 1:39-45). Elizabeth likely told him stories of the time he “danced in the womb” because Jesus was in the room! And when Jesus arrived to be baptized, John knew that Jesus was his superior and believed that it should be Jesus baptizing him. So, he obviously knew Jesus, at least in some sense.
And yet he boldly testified, “I did not know him—that he was the Messiah, the one baptizing with the Holy Spirit, the Son of God—at least until I saw the Spirit descend, because God gave me that sign.” It is intriguing to think that John went into the wilderness and began a ministry of preparing the way for the coming Messiah without knowing who that coming Messiah would be. Did he speculate that it might be Jesus? Did he have other candidates in mind? Did he have any idea how long he would have to wait for whomever he was waiting for in the wilderness?
It is difficult to say “yes” to what God calls us to do without knowing how it will work out. I like to do home renovation projects, and one of the adages of home renovation is “know the end before you begin.” In other words, plan the whole job up to the conclusion, and then start, so that you know what you are trying to accomplish and actually reach the end. But John wasn’t given that luxury, and we aren’t always given it either. God often calls us simply to do what he has given us to do today, without knowing where things will lead.
He calls us to forgive, not knowing how the other will respond or where the relationship will go. He calls us to love those who are hurting, not knowing if they will notice. He calls us to humble ourselves, not knowing whether anyone else but God will appreciate our self-sacrifice. He calls us to pray, not knowing the response we will receive. He calls us to tell our friends and neighbors about him, not knowing if they will thank us or mock us.
Most of us would likely rather walk by sight, but the Lord calls us to walk in faith, and faith means doing what is right even when we can’t see where it will go.
Steven+