Mark 6:14-29

“King Herod heard about this, for ’ name had become well known. Some were saying, [b] “ has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 Others said, “He is .” And still others claimed, “He is a , like one of the of long ago.” 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!” 17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of , his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, 20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled[c]; yet he liked to listen to him. 21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of . 22 When the daughter of[d] 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.” 23 And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” 24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” “The head of John the Baptist,” she answered. 25 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.” 26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, 28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.”

Possible Title: Who Do You Fear?

What we fear directs our life.

1. John boldly speaks truth; Herod weakly pleases people. 2. John lives in holiness; Herod lives in decadence. 3. John risks his life…and finds it; Herod seeks to save his life…and loses it.

1. Herod teaches us to not fear people – don’t seek approval from others. 2. Herodias teaches us to fear bitterness – forgive those who hurt you. 3. John teaches us to fear God – seek to please God alone.

Background  Jesus’ disciples have multiplied his ministry throughout Galilee. vv.14-20 King Herod Afraid of John the Baptist  V.14 “King Herod” – , tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. He was not really a king, a tetrarch installed by Rome. This could be irony as Augustus had intentionally denied this title from him.

 “heard about this” – the multiple teams doing miracles and preaching with power.

 Gill – HA was son of who was an Edomite and a Samaritan mother. Raised in Rome.

 “Jesus’ name had become well known” – phaneros – visible; known.

 “some were saying” – a list of contrasting opinions follows.

 “John the Baptist” –

 “raised from the dead” – Perfect Passive

 “that is why miraculous powers are at work in him” – the assumption would be that the ghost of someone would have supernatural powers.

 V.15 – “Others said” –

 “He is Elijah” – miracle working prophet supposed to come back according to Malachi 3 and in light of his strange departure alive in a fiery chariot.

 “Still others claimed” –

 “He is a prophet…of long ago” –

 V.16 “John, whom I beheaded” – at beginning of Greek sentence - emphatic. He feels guilty.

 “has been raised from the dead!” – paranoia from guilty conscience. Jewish belief was the resurrection preceded judgment, so he is scared.

 Greek has emphatic, “THIS ONE was raised.”

 V.17 “For…given orders” – explains why Herod responded as he did.

 “have John arrested/sent and seized” – krateo

 “had him bound” –

 “put in prison” –  “because of Herodias” – Herod the Great (killed kids when Jesus born) had four sons. Herodias was his granddaughter. She married her uncle Philip and then was persuaded to leave him for her other uncle Herod Antipas. She divorced Philip which was not allowed by Jewish law but was allowed by Roman law. When marriage happened, JB publicly condemned it as it violated Leviticus 18:16.

 NIV Arch , “John was a threat to Herod politically, so Herod had him arrested to counter his influence with the people. stated that John was imprisoned at , a fortress in Perea on the eastern side of the Dead Sea.”

 “brother Philip’s wife” –

 “whom/because he had married” –

 V.18 “For John had been saying to Herod” – not afraid to be politically incorrect. Explains why Herod had him arrested.

 “It is not lawful…” – incest and adultery.

 “Herod’s affair with his sister-in-law, whom he had by this time married, was widely known. Indeed, the affair had led him to divorce his first wife, whose father, a king, later went to war with Herod over the issue and defeated him. John’s denunciation of the affair as unlawful was an attack against Herod’s adultery, but Herod could have perceived it as a political threat, given the political ramifications that later led to a major military defeat. Josephus claims that many viewed Herod’s humiliation in the war as divine judgment for his executing John the Baptist.”

 Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary on the NT”

 V.19 “So Herodias nursed a grudge against John” – ‘nursed’ is added by NIV. Imperfect – continually, long time.

 “enecho” – used in Gal. 5:1 of not being “burdened” again by the Law and in Luke 11:53 about “opposing” Jesus.

 “wanted to kill him/have him put to death” – thelo – imperfect indicates unfulfilled action in the past.

 “she was not able to” –

 V.20 “because Herod feared John” – phobeo – imperfect.

 “protected him/kept him safe” – at end of sentence in Greek. “suntereo” – used 3x in NT and all very different yet idea of preserving or protecting or treasuring something.  “knowing him to be a righteous and holy man” – He jailed him to both protect him from Herodias but also to silence him from his public proclamations that were endangering him. They could rile up the folk to insurrection in Perea.

 Makes me think of how Amy cried at our Easter service. Holiness is palpable.

 “when Herod heard John” –

 “he was greatly puzzled/perplexed” – aporeo – to be at a loss; serious anxiety. 6x in NT.

 KJV has ‘he did many things’ – Metzger, “Some early manuscripts have “he was greatly perplexed,” but other early manuscripts and related later witnesses have “he did many things.” With the former, Herod is confused, though he still pays attention to John. With the latter, Herod’s attention to John causes him to act in some way, but no further detail is available from the context.”1

 “yet he liked to listen to him” – entertainment. Very common for Roman leaders to see philosophy and religion as a form of entertainment. Lane says John was one who listened and was pricked by it…but not enough to give up his life for it in repentance.

 Strauss compares it to a serial killer. We may loathe him but we’ll listen with fascination to an interview with him.

vv.21-29 Herod Kills John

 V.21 – “Finally the opportune time came” – NASB has “strategic day;” KJV has “convenient day” “eukairos”

 “On his birthday” – Jews didn’t celebrate birthdays but Romans and Greeks did. These were largely decadent.

 Herod gave a banquet for…” – “leading men of Galilee” literally “the first ones of Galilee.” These were Herod’s inner circle. The political, military and social elite.

 Archaeological digs at Machaerus show a prison and two dining halls. Fits this description.

 V.22 “daughter…came in and danced” – R&R, “Not necessarily a sensual dance but in Roman circles dancing was considered indecent and dances at banquets were generally done by slaves or prostitutes.” A princess would not be asked to do such a thing…unless the parents are corrupt. Her mother essentially prostitutes her daughter.

1 Brannan, R., & Loken, I. (2014). The Lexham Textual Notes on the Bible (Mk 6:20). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.  R&R, “He not only took his brother’s wife but wanted his wife’s daughter.”

 Josephus says her name was and she ended up marrying her granduncle.

 “she pleased Herod and his dinner guests” – they’d seen others dance but not the princess herself.

 “said to the girl” – “korasion” – young girl not yet of marriage age yet most commentators think she was between 12 and 14. Either way, a young girl. This is disgusting.

 “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you” – rash words. Similar to the Persian king in Esther 5 when he sees Esther. Her request is more noble than this girl’s.

 V.23 “he promised/swore/vowed her with an oath” – omosen – a binding oath under God with penalties if you don’t follow through.

 “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom” – as a Roman appointee, he doesn’t have this authority. Lane says this isn’t meant to be taken literally, it was proverbial for generosity.

 V.24 “she went out and said to her mother” – the two dining halls were probably one for men and one for women so the daughter has to go see her mom who wasn’t present to see Herod’s reaction. Strauss doesn’t think that Herodias planned this…just spontaneous opportunity she seizes but I’m not so sure.

 “What shall I ask for” – if it was premeditated, she wouldn’t have had to go out and ask. This might point to her being manipulated into this deed. However, the fact that she carries out the gruesome, evil request certainly doesn’t absolve her.

 “the head of JB” –

 V.25 “at once” – euthus

 “the girl hurried” – speude – with haste.

 “request” –

 “I want you to give me right now the head of JB on a platter” – meaning make it part of the banquet. “right now” – not allowing him a way out by saying he’d do it later; “on a platter” – Herodias didn’t ask for that – girl adds it.

 “right now” – exautes – like euthus.  V.26 “king was greatly distressed/exceedingly sorry/ very sorry” – “perilupos” very grieved; excessively sorrowful. “peri” – around, “lupos” – sorrow – surrounded by lupos. 4x in NT. Used of Jesus in Gethsemane and rich man who rejected Jesus.

 “but because of his oaths…guests” – people pleasing

 “he did not want to refuse her” – he could have refused her but lacked the courage to do so.

 My story of being embarrassed to ask for the TV to be taken out of the hotel room.

 V.27 “so he immediately sent an executioner” – euthus again; “skepoulatora” – Latin load word.

 “with orders to bring John’s head” –

 “the man went” –

 “beheaded John in the prison” –

 V.28 “brought back his head on a platter” –

 “He presented it to the girl…mother” –

 V.29 “on hearing of this” –

 “John’s disciples came” –

 “took his body” – ptoma – less dignified word than soma. Used in Mark of Jesus’ dead body too.

 “laid it in a tomb” – this was dangerous since JB was executed as a political opponent. Note that Jesus’ disciples didn’t dare bury his body.

 A.D. 36, Nabatean forces swept in and delivered a crushing military loss to HA in retaliation for his divorce of his previous wife, the daughter of the king of Nabatea. The public saw this as judgment for the beheading of JB.

 Within a decade of this episode, HA banished in exile in Gaul.

Application  Are we willing to be politically and socially incorrect by proclaiming Christ?  Nothing is more peaceful than a clear conscience.  Are we nursing grudges?  What is my reputation?  Lust gives way to death.  Rash words are dangerous.  Am I taking God’s Word seriously? Obeying, not just listening?

In his book, The Explicit Gospel, Pastor Matt Chandler writes about a time he and a couple of his friends invited a young woman named Kim to a gospel concert. Matt was hopeful that Kim would come to Christ that evening; however, what occurred was a "train wreck." In retrospect, Matt was grateful for the experience because it changed the way he saw how to proclaim holiness in light of the cross of Jesus. Chandler writes:

The preacher took the stage, and disaster ensued …. He gave a lot of statistics about STDs. There was a lot of, "You don't want syphilis, do you?" …. His big illustration was to take out a single red rose. He smelled the rose dramatically … caressed its petals, and talked about how beautiful this rose was and how it had been fresh cut that day. [Then] he threw the rose out into the crowd, and he encouraged everyone to pass it around. As he neared the end of his message, he asked for the rose back …. [But by now] it was broken and drooping, and the petals were falling off. He held up this now-ugly rose for all to see, and his big finish was this: "Now who in the world would want this?" His word and his tone were merciless. His essential message, which was supposed to represent Jesus' message to a world of sinners, was this: "Hey, don't be a dirty rose."

Matt didn't hear from Kim for a few weeks, until one day her mother called Matt to inform him that Kim had been in an accident. Matt immediately went to visit her.

In the middle of our conversation, seemingly out of nowhere, she asked me, "Do you think I'm a dirty rose?" My heart sank inside of me, and I began to explain to her the whole weight of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that Jesus wants the rose. It's Jesus' desire to save, redeem, and restore the dirty rose.