John the Baptist is a part of the Advent/Christmas/Epiphany narratives with the news of his birth part of the annunciation to Mary! This is an amazing inclusion. Imagine that! The story of Jesus and his beginnings is mixed up with John. But it isn't mixed up, it is a distinct effort to separate the two, to show the difference. I mentioned in church yesterday that most of us would not have liked John. He wasn't like Jesus, that's for sure. 

What the deal is with John is he stands as a bridge figure, connecting us to the Hebrew prophets and law, and paving the way in a sense for Jesus The lectionary text for the gospel yesterday came from Matthew 11, when John from prison scopes out Jesus. The Lord speaks of John's greatness, but it all is as if it is a past thing, which it was. Jesus was doing something --is something different, as the gospels point out early on.