John the Baptist is one of the most important figures in the New Testament, as he was the forerunner of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He preached repentance and baptized people in the Jordan River, preparing them for the coming of the kingdom of God. He also recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God and testified to his divine identity and mission.
But how is John the Baptist related to Jesus? Were they cousins, distant relatives, or something else? The Bible gives us some clues, but not a definitive answer. In this article, we will explore the biblical evidence and some possible scenarios for their relationship.
Contents
The Angelic Announcements
The first clue we have is from the angelic announcements of their births. In Luke 1, we read that an angel appeared to Zechariah, a priest of the tribe of Levi, and told him that his wife Elizabeth, who was barren and advanced in years, would conceive a son and name him John. The angel said that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb and would turn many people to the Lord. He also said that John would go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to make ready a people prepared for him (Luke 1:5-17).
Six months later, another angel appeared to Mary, a young virgin betrothed to Joseph, a descendant of David, and told her that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit and name him Jesus. The angel said that Jesus would be great and would be called the Son of the Most High. He also said that God would give him the throne of his father David and that he would reign over the house of Jacob forever (Luke 1:26-33).
The angel also told Mary that her relative Elizabeth was also pregnant in her old age and that nothing was impossible with God (Luke 1:36). Mary then hurried to visit Elizabeth in a town in the hill country of Judea (Luke 1:39).
The Maternal Connection
The second clue we have is from the maternal connection between Mary and Elizabeth. Luke tells us that they were relatives (Luke 1:36), but he does not specify how close or distant they were. The Greek word used for relative is συγγενής (syngenēs), which can mean anything from a cousin to a more remote kinship.
Some scholars have suggested that Mary and Elizabeth were cousins, based on a tradition that their mothers were sisters. However, this tradition is not found in the Bible or in any early Christian writings. It is based on an apocryphal gospel called the Protoevangelium of James, which was written in the second century AD and contains many legendary details about the childhood of Mary.
Other scholars have suggested that Mary and Elizabeth were more distant relatives, perhaps through their fathers or grandmothers. This is possible, since intermarriage between different tribes was common in Israel. For example, Caleb, a leader of Judah, married a woman from Levi (1 Chronicles 2:18-19). Therefore, it is conceivable that Mary’s father or grandfather married a Levite woman, or that Elizabeth’s father or grandfather married a Judahite woman.
In any case, Mary and Elizabeth shared some common ancestry, either through Levi or Judah or both. This means that John and Jesus were also related through their mothers, but not very closely. They were probably not first cousins, but more likely second or third cousins or even more distant.
The Paternal Connection
The third clue we have is from the paternal connection between John and Jesus. Luke gives us two genealogies of Jesus, one through his legal father Joseph (Luke 3:23-38) and one through his biological mother Mary (Luke 1:32-33). Both genealogies trace Jesus’ lineage back to David, the king of Israel, through different branches.
Joseph’s genealogy follows the line of Solomon, David’s son who succeeded him as king (Luke 3:31). This line was cursed by God because of the sins of Jeconiah (also called Coniah), one of Solomon’s descendants who was taken into exile by Babylon (Jeremiah 22:24-30). However, God promised to raise up a righteous branch from David who would reign as king forever (Jeremiah 23:5-6). This promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who inherited the legal right to David’s throne through Joseph’s adoption.
Mary’s genealogy follows the line of Nathan, another son of David who was not a king (Luke 3:31). This line was blessed by God because of the faithfulness of Zerubbabel, one of Nathan’s descendants who led the return from exile and rebuilt the temple (Haggai 2:20-23). God also promised to make Zerubbabel his signet ring, a symbol of authority and protection (Haggai 2:23). This promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who inherited the biological right to David’s throne through Mary’s conception.
Therefore, Jesus was a descendant of David through both his legal father and his biological mother, fulfilling the prophecies about the Messiah (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 89:3-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33).
John’s genealogy, on the other hand, is not given in the Bible. However, we know that his father Zechariah was a priest of the tribe of Levi (Luke 1:5). This means that John was also a Levite by birth, and that he belonged to the priestly order of Abijah (Luke 1:5). The priests were divided into 24 orders, each serving in the temple for one week twice a year (1 Chronicles 24:1-19). The order of Abijah was the eighth in the list (1 Chronicles 24:10).
The tribe of Levi was set apart by God to serve him and his people as priests and assistants. They did not inherit any land in Israel, but received their portion from the offerings and tithes of the other tribes (Numbers 18:20-32). They also had some cities assigned to them throughout the land (Joshua 21:1-45).
The tribe of Levi was descended from Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (also called Israel), who was the grandson of Abraham, the father of faith (Genesis 29:34; 35:23-26; 49:5-7). Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari (Exodus 6:16). Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel (Exodus 6:18). Amram married his aunt Jochebed and had two sons: Aaron and Moses (Exodus 6:20).
Aaron was the first high priest of Israel and the ancestor of all the priests. He had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar (Exodus 6:23). Nadab and Abihu died without children because they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2). Eleazar succeeded Aaron as high priest and had many descendants. Ithamar also had many descendants, but they were not as prominent as Eleazar’s.
One of Eleazar’s descendants was Zadok, who was faithful to David when his son Absalom rebelled against him. Zadok became the high priest under David and Solomon and established a line of priests that served in Jerusalem until the exile (2 Samuel 15:24-29; 1 Kings 1:32-40; 2:35; Ezekiel 44:15).
One of Ithamar’s descendants was Eli, who was also a high priest but not very faithful to God. He did not restrain his sons Hophni and Phinehas from sinning in their priestly duties. God judged Eli and his house and promised to raise up a faithful priest who would do according to his will (1 Samuel 2:12-36; 3:11-14).
One of Eli’s descendants was Abiathar, who was loyal to David when Saul persecuted him. Abiathar became a co-priest with Zadok under David, but later sided with Adonijah when he tried to usurp Solomon’s throne. Solomon deposed Abiathar from his office and fulfilled God’s judgment on Eli’s house (1 Samuel 22:20-23; 23:6-9; 2 Samuel 8:17; 15:24-29; 20:25; 1 Kings 1:7-8; 2:26-27).
The order of Abijah, to which John’s father Zechariah belonged, was probably descended from Ithamar’s line through Abiathar. This means that John was also a descendant of Eli, but not of Zadok.
Therefore, John was a descendant of Levi through both his father and his mother, fulfilling his role as a priest and a prophet.
The Spiritual Connection
The fourth clue we have is from the spiritual connection between John and Jesus. John was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb and prophesied about Jesus’ coming as the Messiah. He said that he was not worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals and that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. He also pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Luke 1:15-17; Matthew 3:11-12; John.
