Reading through the scriptures I like to notice the peculiar and special relationships of certain figures. The relationships between Moses and Aaron, Abraham and Issac, Jacob and Joseph, Peter, James and John, Nephi and Sam, Mormon and Moroni, Joseph and Hyrum Smith and many others show the human interactions of prophets with particular people, often a family member. I often wonder what the relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ was like. In Luke chapter 1 we see an interesting account of the first "earthly" interaction of these remarkable cousins. When Mary comes to visit her cousin Elisabeth both women were pregnant. As Mary saluted Elisabeth the account reads, "...that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost." John knew who Jesus was before even entering the world, and he was filled with joy that the Savior was coming.
Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, later prophesied at the birth of John concerning the newborn's ministry and mission. "And thou child [speaking of John], shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unt his people by the remission of their sins...To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." And then, the last verse of chapter 1 reads, "And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel."
I wonder if Jesus and John ever met before the account of Jesus' baptism. John knew what his mission in life was to be, and from what we have in the account, dedicated his entire life to the preparing of the way for the Lord. He had a testimony that his cousin, someone who was relatively close to his own age, was the literal Son of God and Savior of the world.
In Luke 3:10-18 John teaches principles that I believe were very different from what people were used to. He was preparing the ground for the radical changes that Jesus was to shortly bring about.
Unfortunately, none of the accounts give much detail on the interactions between Jesus and John the Baptist, except for the brief account of Jesus' baptism in the river Jordan. Although not selected as an Apostle, and although he was shut up in prison for an extended period of time until his execution, John was never envious or bitter about his circumstances. Of John, Jesus remarked, "But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea I say unto you, and more than a prophet...Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:9-11). The two must have been remarkably close and it is certain that the bond they shared was special, different than any other relationship Christ had with anyone.