The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
THE DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
The Life of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels
THE DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
Lesson Plan:
1. John the Baptist (vs 14-18)
2. Herod the King (vs 19-29)
3. Applications
Lesson Setting:
Time: The latter part of March or early in April, 29 A.D. John had been in prison about a year.
Place: Herod’s feast and the murder of John the Baptist took place at Macherus, a strong fortress
and castle on the borders of Arabia, nine miles east of the northern end of the Dead Sea. Jesus and
His disciples were in Galilee, on a tour of preaching and healing.
Place in the Life of Jesus: During the spring of His third year, one year before His crucifixion.
Herod: may have lived at times in some of his father’s many palaces.
Research Thoughts: John’s bold reproof of Herod. The danger Herod’s course brought upon the country. Herod and John contrasted as to character and success. Was Herod’s folly a result of intemperance? What are the effects of intemperance regarding one’s conduct? What are the effects of intemperance regarding character?
Scripture Reading: Mark 6:14-18
1. John the Baptist
John has the wisdom, courage, Patriotism, and faith to be true to His God, seeking to save his country at the cost of his own life. A successful man.
v 14 ... "And king Herod heard of him," of Jesus and His work in Galilee. Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great (who slew the Bethlehem innocents), and heir to one-fourth of his kingdom, Galilee and Perea. Hence he is called tetrarch, meaning ruler of a fourth part. Except for Judas, Herod Antipas is the greatest and most contemptible person in Holy Scripture, a little, petty, disgraceful Nero, a King John of England, i.e., a bundle of petty vices.
v 14 ... "That John the Baptist (whom he had murdered) was risen from the dead, therefore more terrible than ever, because it was out of Herod’s reach. Therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him." The bold prophet had been powerful in the flesh; what would he be, returned from the grave with superhuman might? Other opinions expressed to remove Herod’s fears were, that Jesus was ...
v 15 ... "Elias" (Greek for Elijah) returning to the expectation that Elijah would return to the earth. "Others said, That it is a prophet." A new prophet, not one of the ancients, come to life again. But Herod was not convinced. He still feared that ...
vs 16-18 ... "John, whom I beheaded ... is risen from the dead." The memory of his crime doubtless haunted him, as Banquo’s ghost haunted Macbeth with its silent horror: “My conscience hath a thousand several tongues, And every tongue brings in a several tale, And every tale condemns me for a villain.” Shakespeare represents Richard III as seeing a vision in his sleep just before his last battle, in which appear the ghosts of those whom he had murdered. One by one they come, rehearse the crimes he had committed upon them, and cry, ‘Despair, and die. Let me sit heavy on thy soul tomorrow.’ The Furies of classic mythology, who visit vengeance for past crimes, “are commonly represented as brandishing each a torch in one hand and scourge of snakes in the other.” Herod’s crime was that he divorced his lawful wife, the daughter of King Aretas, whose kingdom was east of the Dead Sea, and adjoining Herod’s dominion; and he had in the meanest manner married "his brother Philip’s wife" (v 17). Herodias had been the wife of her uncle Philip, an older brother of Herod Antipas, but she had deserted him and eloped with the younger brother. Herod was guilty of the basest treachery to this brother. For it was while visiting his brother Philip in Rome that he became acquainted with Herodias, and, as a guest, he plotted against the honor and happiness of one who was both brother and host. Herodias was “an able, ambitious, unprincipled, but bewitching and ensnaring woman.” When she married Philip, she probably expected that as the older son of Herod the Great, he would be heir to the whole kingdom; but now “her husband Philip was poor; his brother Antipas was rich.” John openly reproves Herod. As a patriot it was necessary to reprove Herod openly (v 18). (a) Herod’s course was bringing untold evils upon the people. Aretas, indignant at the affront Herod had put upon him, had declared war; and at the very time of John’s reproof, preparations for war were actively going on. John sought to stop the flood of horrors the war would roll upon the people. (b) John could not effectively denounce the sins of the people if he let sins in high places go unreproved. (c) Unrebuked crime in high places teaches, indorses, and propagates crime among the people.
Scripture Reading: Mark 6:19-29
2. Herod the King
v 19 ... "Therefore Herodias ... would have killed him." To stop his mouth. She would kill the only physician who could cure her disease. The reason was that if Herod had yielded to John, she was a lost and ruined woman, dethroned, abandoned, disgraced, with nowhere to go. Either John must die, or her whole life was lost.
v 19 ... "But she could not." She was like Lady Macbeth, continually urging her husband on, “Infirm of purpose, give me the daggers.”
v 20 ... "For Herod feared John." He was afraid to touch one who had such power as the Ambassador of God; "and observed him," i.e., ‘protected him,’ ‘kept him safe.’ Matthew says that Herod himself would have put John to death, but he feared the people (14:5).
v 20 ... "He did many things." His conscience being touched, he tried to make a compromise with it by doing a variety of good things from which he would otherwise have abstained. The R.V. translation accepts another reading and translates, “he was much perplexed,” whether to obey his conscience or to continue in his sins. He wanted to please Herodias, but he dare not kill the prophet, because of the people. Herod was afraid of everything except God. John feared God, but no other being.
v 20 ... "Heard him gladly." He was fascinated by the prophet. He possibly hoped that John would change, or give him some hope of a pacified conscience without repentance. All this took place while Herod was so sober that he has some self-control. Trifling with conscience: It is a dangerous thing to play with conscience. Alcibiades tried it, balancing the wisdom of his teacher Socrates against his selfish ambitions. Pilate tried it, balancing the fate of his innocent prisoner against his credit at Rome. When conscience shows us our duty, the only safety is instant obedience. While we parley with the enemy, he is undermining the wall. When we go back to sleep after the alarm rings, it is harder to wake up a second time. Herod comes under the influence of social drinking
v 21 ... "And when a convenient day was come." It was convenient for her purpose. There was an occasion for a feast, with the wine cup producing excitement in Herod as well as companions, who no doubt urged him on. Then she sent her own daughter to dance voluptuously. The luxurious feasts of the East usually required (and still requires) such dancing at the end. These were very beautiful, immodestly dressed in transparent robes, and to the accompaniment of music, often themselves singing vile songs, they went through pantomimic dances representing the most licentious scenes. All this was for the sake of gaining her purpose from Herod intoxicated with wine and lust, which she could not obtain from a sober Herod. Herodias knew him, and his weak points. Sin in him was like the white ants of Africa, who will gnaw out the inside of a piece of furniture, leaving the outside uninjured, till someday it crumbles at a touch. The dancing pleased Herod, and he promised her under oath ...
v 23 ... "whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom." Half a kingdom for a dance.
Salome said unto her mother, "What shall I ask?" (v 24). Virtually this is the question every child is asking of parents, and which by word or example every parent is answering. This base mother answered, "The head of John the Baptist." Salome may have sympathized with her mother, and been taught that their happiness, perhaps their very lives depended on getting rid of the bold accuser.
v 26 ... "And the king was exceeding sorry." Not penitent, but anxious and troubled, because the request was so different from what he expected. It was a gift burdened with danger and remorse, a Pandora’s box of evils, but with no hope included.
v 26 ... "Yet for his oath’s sake." Herod had placed himself in a dilemma compelling him to choose one of two evils, i.e., to break a rash, wicked oath, or to commit murder. If he had wanted to do right, most of his perplexity would have vanished.
v 26 ... "And ... which sat with him." Do you think that if the oaths had been secret, he would not have hesitated to break them? The guests having no responsibility could easily sneer at his weakness if he broke his promise.
v 27 ... "The king sent an executioner." Probably to another part of the castle.
v 28 ... "The damsel gave it to her mother." Herodias seemed to have triumphed after a year of waiting. But she gained little. She lost what she hoped to gain, because she died an exile. Nor could ‘all the perfumes of Arabia’ wash away the stain of blood from her guilty soul.
v 29 ... "His disciples ... took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb," and then went and told Jesus (Matthew). Herod and Herodias: apparent success, but in reality failure. They seemed to succeed, but their lives were failures. John seemed to fail, but his life was a marvelous success. They had riches and honor. They had all that luxury could give. They fared sumptuously every day, yet their lives were a failure even from a worldly point of view.
3. Applications
In this lesson two men are set before us, each illustrating a different ideal of life.
First: John the Baptist did not live long, dying when he was only about 32 years old, but he has lived down through the ages as one of the foremost heroes of the world. He first conquered himself, and then he was able to open the way for the greatest of blessings to man. He stood up for the right when it was unpopular. He adopted principles because they were right, when his adherence to them would seem to crush his aspirations and shut the gates of success in his face; when the fiery darts of the Apollyon of temptation assailed him on every side. He could not, like Jacob, see the glory above the steps of vision, but only the lower steps, named duty, obscured above by clouds and storms in which the steps seemed to end. But God taught John and us through him, that ‘The path of duty is the way to glory. Such was John. His great work is done; But let his great example stand Colossal, seen of every land; Till in all lands, and in all human story The path of duty be the way to glory.’ (Frances E. Tyner)
Second: Herod Antipas stands before us as a warning. He had real gifts, i.e., high place, great power, large opportunities. But he had bad principles, and he let temptation overcome him. He weakened his will. He walked in the downward path till it was difficult for him to do right. Note: (a) In his struggle to obey his conscience, he had no fixed principles that could give him victory. (b) The company in which he permitted himself to be made him afraid or ashamed to do what he knew was right. (c) Moderate drinking weakened his will, making him do rash and foolish things. Herod must have been under the influence of wine when he made that rash promise. An auctioneer once said that men bid higher under the influence of strong drink, which he often freely passed around. Alcohol speedily destroys judgment, and no one desiring success should tamper with it. Intemperance and other forms of immorality go hand in hand. The saloon and obscene dancing are partners in nefarious work. There is a well beaten path between impurity and drunkenness.
