. >> the science does matter, even if a relic is 1,000 years old or 1500 years old, vennerating a relicntains that tradition with our past. >> we hear from the gospels when jesus heard john died he actually with drew into the wilderness and spent some time on his own. it was obviously a traumatic event in jesus' life. >> the idea of someone dear to you that had been beheaded struck his heart but didn't change anything about the mission impact. it must have emboldened him. >> jesus saw john as the catalyst for change, as the person who signaled that now was the hinge, now was the turning point in the story. >> john the baptist was in a sense, the model for jesus, in that he never compromise. >> we see jesus the same way, even unto death. >> mobilizing this is followers to repent and turn toward god, john the baptist dared to speak truth to power. for this he pays the ultimate price. >> i think he understood hes with a martyr. a martyr in the cause of something greater, a martyr in the cause of the beautiful kingdom of god on earth, which is what he preached all his life. >> i see jesus a