Mark 6:14 And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.
16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.
17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her.
18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.
19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.
21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;
22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.
26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Hatred for God is nothing new. The Bible records many efforts by people to get rid of God. Many nations had a pagan religious system with idols of many types. When Jesus Christ came to earth, king Herod tried to have Him killed as a young boy.
In our text we read of king Herod’s concern about Jesus Christ and His teaching. We read that Jesus’ fame was spread abroad. This was not because Jesus was trying to blend into the religious scene of that time. It was because Jesus preached the truth and the enemy — the devil, hates the truth. Jesus exposed the heresies of the Pharisees. He taught the people the truth.
King Herod assumed that John the Baptist must have risen from the dead. We see here how rare it was for someone to speak the truth. Herod thought there could only be one person who would do that. John the Baptist never did any miracles. His purpose was not to do miracles. His purpose was to preach the message of repentance.
In verse 15 we read that others assumed that Jesus was Elias some other prophet. There was massive confusion because people refused to believe the truth. We have the same problem today. There is so much confusion because people refuse to believe the truth. I was accused again recently of believing in absolutes. Would someone please show me where God ever spoke in anything less than absolutes? God expects His children to believe the truth and be saved by believing the truth and then living by the truth.
The apostle Paul was directed to write:
II Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
In verse 16 king Herod was convinced that Jesus was John the Baptist. Herod had commanded that John be murdered. His murder was a violent death. He had John beheaded. He was guilty and he could not put this sin out of his mind. Now, when Jesus was preaching a very similar message to that of John the Baptist, he was sure it was John come back. The difference was that Jesus not only preached the Word, but He also did many miracles.
In the following verses Mark recorded the facts around the murder of John the Baptist. King Herod had commanded John the Baptist to be arrested. King Herod did not like John. John had the boldness to confront the king about his adulteress relationship with his brother’s wife. God has never accepted divorce and remarriage. John was simply demonstrating love toward king Herod and others. He was reminding them of the truth. King Herod did not like what he heard and rather than deal correctly with the truth, he arrested the messenger. Of course Herod had encouragement from his adulterous wife on this matter as well. He would have loved to kill John, but he knew that many people supported what John was preaching. John had become a well respected preacher. Herod was a politician and he wanted the Jews to like him. He did not want to create a problem. However, John had crossed the line that Herod had laid down. John had dared to expose the king’s personal sins.
We read in verse 19, that Herodias, king Herod’s adulterous wife, did not like what John had said either. When a woman takes offence to the truth, she can become quite a warrior against the truth. Herod had little backbone for truth and thus he was manipulated by his offended, illegitimate wife.
In verse 20 we read that Herod feared John. He knew John was right. He just did not want to follow what John was saying. Herod knew that John was teaching the truth. He knew he was a just man. We read that Herod would gladly hear John from time to time. Even though he did not like John’s message, he had a guilty conscience and he wanted to hear the truth. He was an interesting person. He was not about to change, but he still wanted to hear the truth. It would have been better if he would have accepted the truth.
In verse 21 we read that Herod arranged a birthday party for himself. Not only did he put on this party, but he brought his adulterous wife Herodias’ daughter in to dance before him. He was a wicked man and loved to watch women gyrate before him to inflame his lusts.
Herod was pleased with what Herodias’ daughter presented before him. He was so pleased that he was willing to give her up to half of his kingdom. Think about how foolish a promise this was. One dance and the king is willing to give away half of his kingdom.
Herodias’ daughter sought counsel from her sin-laden mother and asked what she should ask for. Herodias had such a hatred for John the Baptist that she wanted him dead. She chose to have his head brought before the king and delivered to her daughter on a platter. Think about the depravity of this woman. She would subject her daughter to such a hideous scene. She wanted to remain in her adulterous relationship and would do whatever was necessary to try to bury the truth. The tragedy is that she could not bury her sin.
Herodias’ daughter came quickly with her mother’s request to the king. The king knew he had made a very foolish promise. However, as a proud man, he could not go back on his word. He could not admit he had made a foolish statement that he could not fulfil. He sent a message to the executioner and commanded that John’s head be brought. The executioner had a seared conscience and was willing to murder a just and holy man. There are several people who had blood on their hands due to this event.
John’s head was brought in a charger and given to the damsel who took it to her mother. What a demonstration of hard-heartedness. In verse 29 we read that John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. His disciples were not ashamed of being identified with him. Their lives were at risk as well, but they had great respect for this man of God. They were a rare breed of humanity. They stuck with their spiritual leader. John the Baptist was not a cult leader. He was a preacher of the truth. He lost his physical life for speaking the truth. However, he had spiritual life and his soul is resting in heaven now. His body will be resurrected one day and be reunited with his soul and spirit. King Herod and Herodias and her daughter are all in torment in hell now. They will also be resurrected one day but to face the judgment of Jesus Christ and then be cast into the lake of fire. That is not a good ending.
It is important to take heed to what God says. Yes, people will hate you for it. It is better to be hated for a short time here than to face the wrath of God for all eternity. Today is the Lord’s day. Let me encourage each reader to be sure you attend a true, local, Bible-believing church today. Go with the intent of wanting to hear from the Word of God. You will be blessed if you listen to what God has to say.
Pastor Bartel
