Jesus and John the Baptist were cousins, and closely related by the circumstances of their birth; yet they had had no direct acquaintance with each other. The life of Jesus had been spent at Nazareth in Galilee; that of John, in the wilderness of Judea. Amid widely different surroundings they had lived in seclusion, and had had no communication with each other. Providence had ordered this. No occasion was to be given for the charge that they had conspired together to support each other's claims.

Jesus og Johannes Døber var fætre og var knyttet til hinanden ved stærke bånd på grund af omstændighederne ved deres fødsel; men dog havde de ikke noget direkte kendskab til hinanden. Jesus havde tilbragt sit liv i Nazaret i Galilæa, og Johannes sit i Judæas ørken. De havde levet i afsondrethed i vidt forskellige omgivelser og havde ikke haft nogen forbindelse med hinanden. Dette var sket efter forsynets vilje. Der måtte ikke kunne gives anledning til beskyldninger for, at de havde lagt råd op sammen for at støtte hinanden.