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3 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. 4 Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. 7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.” 9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. 10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. ~ Matthew 14:3-11
Today, we return to our study of Matthew which is commonly understood to be the Gospel of the King. It was written primarily to the Jewish people and its emphasis is on the Lord Jesus as the long-awaited King of the Jews. In today's study our attention has been turned to Herod Antipas who was a son of Herod the Great. It was his desire to be called the king of the Jews, even though he was not a Jew. He ruled over the Jewish provinces of Galilee and Parea from 4 BC until 39 AD. Herod Antipas divorced his first wife so that he could marry his brother Philip's wife, Herodias. When John the Baptist learned of this, he rebuked Herod Antipas because he was guilty of adultery with Herodias. Compounding this was the fact that Herod Antipas was guilty of many evil murders that he had carried out due to his fear of losing his kingdom.
In v.3-5 of today's passage we read, "3 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. 4 Because John had said to him, 'It is not lawful for you to have her.' 5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet."
Herod Antipas saw John the Baptist as a righteous man of God. But, John was known to confront the sin of others rather quickly. John the Baptist was not too shy to call anyone out for their sin, even if it was the most powerful man in the region. In response, Herod Antipas wanted to kill John, just as his father had desired to kill the Lord Jesus when He was born in Bethlehem. It was then that Herod had John put in prison for approximately a year. It was while John was imprisoned that he sent his disciples to question the identity of the Lord Jesus. In the words of the Lord Jesus "John was greatest man to ever live." Yet, John struggled with doubt which is the shadow cast by faith.
I am learning that faith is not so much as an intellectual assent to a series of concepts as it is a personal relationship with the living God. Feelings deeply affect every relationship we have, including our relationship with God. The questions created by our doubts fuel our faith's pursuit of God. And, when we stumble upon God, we are a little more convinced of His involvement in our lives as before. Every day, to a certain degree this scenario takes place in our walk with the Lord. And, the more we wrestle with our doubts the more our faith in the God of the Bible has the ability to grow. The result is that we are experiencing the definition of God for our very lives.
Like most, Herod Antipas was defined most by his fears. He lived in fear of his wife. He lived in fear of losing his throne and he lived in fear of the people around him. It was his fear of John the Baptist that prompted him to put him in prison. But, after John's imprisonment, Herod became fascinated with him. At that point Herod's wife, Herodias, a woman of immorality, infidelity, and vice took up the charge against John. Herodias was most vindictive. She nursed her anger toward John the Baptist to a boiling point, resulting in her desire to have him murdered. Due to the seething nature of her anger toward John, Herodias became a parent so incensed that she involved her sixteen year old daughter in on the evil conspiracy.
In v.6-8 of today's passage we read, "6 But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. 7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, 'Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.'"
In those days, the Romans held massive birthday parties where only men were invited. The parties included immoral, lewd, and seductive female dancers. Due to the intense drunkenness, the parties would grind to a massive orgy. At Herod's birthday party, the sixteen year old daughter of Herodias, Salome, danced before Herod and his many friends and she pleased Herod. Herodias had all of this planned in advance. Her goal was the death of John the Baptist, and she knew that by the time they got to the end of Herod's party, Herod would be so drunk that he would agree to put John to death. Herodias was so set on revenge that she subjected her daughter as a sex object before Herod and his many male friends. Herod was so manipulated by his seething wife that he gave up to half of his whole kingdom to the sixteen year old daughter of his adulterous wife. Even though Herod had come to the place that he did not want to kill John, he granted Herodias her wish for the head of John the Baptist. Herod coalesced out of fear of losing his reputation and respect with the most famous men who were at his birthday party.
In v.9-11 of today's passage we read, "9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. 10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother."
Herod was sorry for beheading John the Baptist but his pride wouldn’t let him do what was right. He was out maneuvered by his shrewd wife and the man that he once feared and respected was no longer. Sadly, Herod's sorrow was not met with repentance. Although Herod Antipas failed this test, he was later given another chance to embrace repentance when Pilate sent the Lord Jesus to him just before His crucifixion. Herod is the only figure in the Gospels to whom the Lord Jesus replied not a word when addressed. In His silence, the Lord Jesus gave Herod the opportunity to see deeper and therefore feel deeper and to therefore choose deeper. Herod chose the same old shallowness of the self life and sent the Lord Jesus away from him.
In contrast to Herod Antipas and his wife Herodias, John the Baptist live by the motto,"He must increase, I must decrease." This motto reveals a different orientation on life than that of the normal default mode of the average human which is self-centeredness. John the Baptist had a God-centered life, prioritizing God's will and His presence in his thoughts and choices and in his actions. John fully understood the concept of death to the self life which enabled him to surrender his desires and ambitions to God, allowing Him to have His way in his life. John taught us that once we have been awakened to God’s love and we embrace our identity as the beloved of the King, it changes us at our very core. It ripples out into every aspect of our lives, including how we see God, ourselves and others.
Many think God is not all that involved in our lives on a day by day basis. We often believe we have made it through life on our own. We think we have earned our way to power by our efforts, by our intelligence, or by our hard work. Unlike the man who loves the darkness and hates the light, the man who does the truth bears the birthmark of the born-again which is that he loves for it to be clearly seen that his heart is with God. The first thing John the Baptist said about the Lord Jesus was: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Long before anyone else saw the Lord Jesus as the Lamb, John saw it. Such insight is reserved for those who aren't playing games with God and His truth. John understood that we love God because He first loved us. The Lord Jesus said, "This is love that one would lay down his life for his friends." I know of no greater love than that and the more I understand of it, the more it grips me and pushes me to know Him more and to be defined by Him solely.
