John the Baptist: At the close of chapter 2, Joseph, Mary, and the child Jesus returned from Egypt and took up residence in the Galilean town of Nazareth. The time would have been shortly after the death of Herod in 4 B.C. Chapter 3 begins with the prophetic ministry of John the Baptist some twenty-five to thirty years later. What had been going on in the life of Jesus during this time? Except for one incident, the Gospels remain silent. They were never intended to be taken as biographies. The only thing we know for sure is that at age twelve Jesus was taken to Jerusalem for the Passover. There he talked with the religious leaders about the things of God (Luke 2:41–50). Luke then notes that Jesus returned with his parents to Nazareth and “was obedient to them” and “grew in wisdom and statu…