A Senseless Death
TRANSLATION
(14) King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well-known. Some were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” (15) Others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And still others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” (16) But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised,” (17) for Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, bound, and put in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for he had married her. (18) For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to marry your brother’s wife.” (19) So Herodias nursed a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death, but she was not able to do so, (20) for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man and kept him safe. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled. Yet, he liked to listen to him.
(21) Finally an opportunity came when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his high officials and military leaders as well as the leading men of Galilee. (22) When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. Then the king said to the girl, “Ask from me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” (23) And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you up to half my kingdom.” (24) And she went out and asked her mother, “What should I request?” And she answered, “The head of John the Baptist.” (25) And she returned with haste to the king and said, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” (26) Now the king was deeply grieved, but for the sake of his vows and his guests, he would not refuse her. (27) And immediately the king sent a soldier from his guard, commanding him to bring (John’s) head. He went and beheaded him in the prison (28) and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl who gave it to her mother. (29) When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
OBSERVATIONS
Few passages reveal to us the brutality and lawlessness of the era in which Jesus ministered as powerfully as the execution of John the Baptist. The numerous repetitions in this segment essentially provide a recap of the Baptist’s senseless death. “Herod” occurred seven times (vss. 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, & 22), “king” five times (vss. 14, 22, 25, 26, & 27), “were saying” (three times in vss. 14 & 15), “head” four times (vss. 24, 25, 27, & 28), “ask(ed)” four times (vss. 22, 23, 24, & 25), “Herodias” three times (vss. 17, 19, & 22), and “the girl” three times (vss. 22 & 28). Each of the following words is found twice: “beheaded” (vss. 16 & 27), “heard” (both in vs. 20), “whatever…I will give you” (vss. 22 & 23), “mother” (vss. 24 & 28), “on a platter” (vss. 25 & 28), and “gave” (both in vs. 28).
OUTLINE
I. When he heard about Jesus’ ministry, Herod reasoned that he was John risen from the dead. (14-16)
II. This was due to Herod’s feeling guilty that his wife had coerced him into beheading John. (17-29)
IDEA STATEMENT
Herod had John the Baptist beheaded at the request of his wife because he had dared to condemn the king’s wickedness in marrying his brother’s ex-wife, Herodias, thereby committing the sin of incest.
APPLICATION.
No other person in human history has received the tribute Jesus gave to John the Baptist. In Matthew’s Gospel he testified, “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Mt. 11:11). And yet, John, who had fulfilled Malachi’s prophecy, “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you” (Mal. 3:1 quoted in Mt. 11:10), died ignominiously at the hands of a godless ruler. We recoil in horror at the rash promise Herod made to his wife’s daughter in a drunken stupor and how her mother, Herod’s second wife, took advantage of the situation to gain revenge on the one who had condemned her sinful behavior. What was the sense of something so horrific ending the life of such an esteemed man of God?
Each of us can point to highly valued men and women who have died prematurely, their lives snuffed out by sudden accidents, diseases, or, like John, deliberately killed by evil people. Recently, our family struggled with the untimely death of our daughter’s first husband, found dead on a business trip in his hotel room before reaching the age of 26. An autopsy revealed that he had died of a rare heart arrhythmia. All of us struggle with similar tragedies wondering why God would allow such things to happen. Such losses seem senseless to us, a needless waste of human potential. As with the death of John the Baptist, our attempts to find an answer inevitably fail to produce satisfactory explanations apart from resting in the sovereign purposes of God. God promises us that what baffles us in this life will someday be made clear in the next. Paul wrote these words to encourage the Corinthians: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part. Then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12).