This morning we learn the sad fate of John the Baptist, the man who prepared the way for the Lord. (Isaiah 40:3, Mark 1:3, John 1:23) I don't know whether John had an inkling how his ministry would end, but he understood and accepted that his ministry was on the downswing while Christ's was on the upswing. The Apostle John tells us of an incident where John the Baptist's disciples complain that many of his followers have gone over to Christ. They said, "Everyone is going to Him." (John 3:26) John the Baptist calmly replied, "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30)
John was already dead when Jesus sent out the Twelve to preach repentance and to work miracles in the passage we studied yesterday. Today Mark he takes us back in time a bit to explain to us what has been going on with John while Jesus' ministry grows. He also tells us that King Herod hears of the miracles of Jesus and fears this is John risen from the dead. "King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, 'John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in Him.' Others said, 'He is Elijah.' And still others claimed, 'He is a prophet, like one of the prophets from long ago.' But when Herod heard this, he said, 'John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!'" (Mark 6:14-16) Herod was not a king, by the way, but was tetrarch of Galilee and Perea....tetrarch meaning "ruler of a quarter"....but he referred to himself as King Herod and the Jews often did so as well, particularly those belonging to the political party known as the Herodians.
The people don't know what to make of Jesus. The gospels clearly show us that many do believe Jesus is the Messiah. Others think he is the "Elijah" of Malachi 4:5, the forerunner of the Messiah. (This "Elijah", of course, we now know was John the Baptist.) Still others believe Jesus is a modern version of an Old Testament prophet, especially now that He has raised a child from the dead as both Elijah and Elisha did. It's hard to imagine anyone believing Jesus and John are the same person unless this belief was held by people who never knew them both and who never heard of Jesus until after the death of John. Herod doesn't hear about Jesus until after the death of John. His guilty conscience causes him to be gripped with fear, wondering to himself, "What if this really is John? I had John put to death! If he has risen from the dead, and if he has this kind of power, what will he do to me?"
Mark now explains to us how John's imprisonment and death came about. "For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married. For John had been saying to Herod, 'It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.' So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him." (Mark 6:17-20) Herod and Herodias fell in love, or in lust perhaps, and they divorced their spouses to marry each other. John, who apparently had regular access to Herod by invitation, boldly pointed out how sinful the marriage between Herod and Herodias was. Herod does not seem to have been particularly offended by John's opinion, likely because he knows John is right. This doesn't mean Herod feels repentant, but that he is honest enough to acknowledge he and Herodias treated their spouses very poorly and that he mistreated his own brother in the process. Herod is the type of man who is intrigued by the word of God and who is almost persuaded to believe in it, just as Agrippa will be when the Apostle Paul preaches to him. Herodias, however, is the type of person who thinks no one has the right to look on her lifestyle and recognize the sin in it. She feels she is entitled to anything she wants, no matter who it hurts, and all she can think about is how she can rid herself of John.
"Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, 'Ask me for anything you want, and I'll give it to you.' And he promised her with an oath, 'Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.'" (Mark 6:21-23) Other gospel accounts tell us this girl's name is Salome, and we don't know what type of dance she performed, but many scholars believe Herod becomes as inflamed with lust as he is with wine. Because the men at the banquet are overjoyed with the performance and are whistling and clapping and congratulating Herod on such fine entertainment, Herod feels happy and generous. He makes an extravagant offer without considering the consequences.
Salome is shrewd like her mother. She knows she needs to ask for something big, but she is young and immature and needs the advice of her mother before making her request. "She went out and said to her mother, 'What shall I ask for?' 'The head of John the Baptist,' she answered. At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: 'I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.'" (Mark 6:24-25)
"The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her." (Mark 6:26) Saving face is more important to him than saving John's life. When he offered Salome a gift amounting up to half his kingdom, a large material gift was what he intended. He expected the girl to ask for things like costly clothing, jewels, a fine chariot, or even a palace of her own. He certainly didn't expect her to ask for a man's head. But the banquet room is now so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All eyes are on him. He's caught in a trap and due to his inebriated state he can't think how to get out of. He doesn't know how to explain to Salome and the guests that carrying out capital punishment on a man who has committed no crime worthy of it is not what he had in mind when he made his promise.
"So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. On hearing of this, John's disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb." (Mark 6:27-29) I think Herod is haunted by the knowledge that he had a good man put to death. This is why he is so afraid when he hears the rumor that the miracle-worker in the nation is John the Baptist risen from the dead. He will desperately want to meet Jesus in person, and he will have his opportunity during the trial of Jesus, but he won't find the meeting satisfactory. (Luke 23:8-11) Because Jesus refuses to perform tricks for him, Herod allows his soldiers to abuse the Lord before sending Him back to Pontius Pilate.
The judgment of God does not always seem to come swiftly, by our human way of thinking, but it always comes. Not many years following the crucifixion, in around 39 AD, Herod is accused by Herodias' brother Agrippa of conspiracy against the emperor. This comes about because Herodias pushes her husband to appeal to Rome to be awarded the title of "king" over the territory of Judea. Herodias' brother Agrippa reports to Emperor Caligula that Herod intends to take the crown by force and that he has stockpiled an enormous cache of weapons. (The stockpiling is verified; a conspiracy against the crown is not.) But believing an act of treason is imminent, Caligula takes away Herod's title and wealth and lands and bestows them all upon Agrippa, banishing Herod to Gaul where it is claimed by some historians that he and Herodias committed suicide. Whether Herod dies by his own hand or by natural causes, he dies very soon after being banished to Gaul, after which he meets his Maker. Herod, who eagerly desired the title "King Of The Jews", will have to give an account to God for the way he shamefully treated the true "King Of The Jews" and how he treated the Lord's servant John the Baptist.
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