HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEROD!
Mk. 6:17-28
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: PLAYPEN
1. A young mother complained to her friend about the difficulties of child rearing, especially the lack of peace and constant pestering by her small children.
2. Her friend smiled and said, "What you need is a playpen to separate the kids from yourself!" So the young mother bought a playpen.
3. A few days later, her friend called to ask how things were going. “Awesome! I can't believe how nice it is" she replied. "I get in the pen with a good book and the kids don't bother me one bit!"
B. TEXT
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 Herodias, 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; 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 Galilee. 22 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.” 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.” Mk. 6:17-28
C. THESIS
1. Now this whole story arises because of the guilty conscience of Herod, who is plagued with the feeling that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead, because Jesus is exercising miraculous powers.
2. Mark then goes back to recount what had happened to John.
3. So we’re going to look at the Unique events surrounding the death of John the Baptist, notice the good that was spoken of Herod, but at last see the things that brought about his downfall into an especially heinous sin.
4. The title of this message is “Happy Birthday Herod!”
I. UNIQUE STORY OF JOHN’S DEATH
A. IDENTITY OF THE PERPETRATORS
1. This Herod, Antipas (B.C. 4 – 39 A.D.), was a son of Herod the Great who inherited one-fourth of his kingdom – Galilee & Perea.
2. He was married to the daughter of King Aretas, an Arabian King, but intrigued with Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife while he was a guest in his house.
3. Herod & Herodias eventually eloped together, though both were still married. She herself was a granddaughter of Herod the Great and a daughter of Herod Agrippa I. Her husband Philip was also her uncle!
4. Herodias was also the daughter of Simeon, the High Priest. She was a Jewess, which even more greatly aggravated the Jews.
5. She had a daughter by Philip, Salome (Josephus, Ant. 18.5.4), which more strongly made her his proper wife.
B. INVOLVEMENT OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
1. John Baptist had rebuked Herod for this scandalous affair. This public rebuke ignited the hatred of Herodias. “Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn!”
2. To placate Herodias, Herod had John arrested and put into prison. Herodias bided her time.
3. Then came Herod’s birthday. A lavish party was thrown. Herodias allowed her evidently vivacious daughter to dance for the throng.
4. It was no ballet dance that gained such plaudits so that Herod would offer her up to half his kingdom. It “pleased” his drunken dinner guests. We’ll leave it at that.
5. Half drunken Herod showed his magnanimity and endless wealth by offering up to half his kingdom to Salome. 6. She went and asked her mother, who prompted her to ask for the one thing Herod wouldn’t give her – the head of John the Baptist.
7. What a bloody woman. Can you imagine a human head on a platter, at a party? Such was the wickedness of this Jezebel and her manipulated husband.
II. HEROD’S RISE & FALL
Here we see what a great way a man may go toward grace and glory, and yet come short of both, and perish eternally.
A. GOOD QUALITIES MENTIONED ABOUT HEROD
1. HE FEARED JOHN, knowing that he was a just man, and a holy. It is possible that a man may have a great reverence for good men, and especially for good ministers, and yet himself be a bad man.
2. Herod RECOGNIZED that JOHN was a just man, and a holy; holiness toward God, and justice toward men. Herod knew this, not only by common fame, but by personal acquaintance with him.
3. Though he feared John, he HONORED HIM. He PROTECTED him from the malice of his enemies; he made it appear that he observed what John said and did.
4. HE HEARD HIM PREACH; which was great condescension, considering how mean John’s appearance was.
5. OBEYED SOME OF HIS PREACHING. He undoubtedly did many of the things which John in his preaching taught him. He was not only a hearer of the word, but in part a doer of the work.
6. Some sins which John in his preaching reproved, he forsook, and some duties he bound himself to.
7. “HE HEARD HIM GLADLY” KJV. He didn’t hear him with terror as Felix heard Paul, but with pleasure, as observing a novelty.
8. There’s a flashy joy, which a hypocrite may have in hearing the word; Ezekiel was to his hearers as a lovely song (Eze. 33:32 ); and the stony ground received the word with joy, Lu. 8:13 .2. (Matthew Henry)
B. HEROD’S MAJOR DEVIATION
1. John in faithfulness rebuked Herod’s sin, but Herodias was one sin Herod wouldn’t give up. Though it was dangerous to offend Herod, and even more to offend Herodias, yet John would ran the hazard rather than be lacking in his duty.
2. To placate Herodias (he had to do something to punish John for insulting Herodias), he arrested John and put him in the prison.
3. Luke writes, “But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison” (3:19-20).
4. This was the icing on the cake and set the stage for the worst offense Herod committed that will vilify him before the judgment bar of God.
III. WHAT HASTENED HEROD’S DOWNFALL?
A. EVIL ASSOCIATIONS -- HERODIAS
1. The Bible warns again evil associations: in business, marriage, friendships, etc. “Do not be unequally yoked with non-believers…”
2. Jehoshaphat allowed his son to marry Athaliah, the evil daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. This same Athaliah later killed all of Jehoshaphat’s male descendants but one which was hidden from her.
3. Jehoshaphat was later rebuked by the Prophet Jehu, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the wrath of the Lord is on you” 2 Chron. 19:2.
B. COMPROMISE/ SIN
1. COMPROMISE: The difference between its verb and noun form is amazing.
a. COMPROMISE (noun). Define: “agreement.” Synonyms: accommodation, adjustment, bargain, concession, fifty-fifty, happy medium, middle ground, settlement, trade-off.
b. COMPROMISE (verb). Define: “put in jeopardy.” Synonyms: cop out, dishonor, embarrass, endanger, give in, hazard, imperil, jeopardize, menace, ruin, sell out, weaken. 2. IF WE MAKE A COMPROMISE WITH THE WORLD, WE IMPERIL OUR STANDING WITH GOD!
3. Has God changed? "Be ye holy, for I am holy." For
Daniel and his friends to not obey God about food, was to leave the separated life. That separation was what made them special.
4. "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, “and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you" 2 Cor. 6:17.
C. IMPERFECT REPENTANCE
1. It’s obvious that Herod had a soft spot in his heart for John and for God. He feared John as a godly man, and protected him.
2. He gladly heard his sermons, as one who is really hungry for the truth. But he was a hearer and not a doer of the Word.
3. Though he regretted his sins, he wouldn’t forsake them. He wished he could change his circumstances that held him in sin, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He agreed in principal with the Word, but couldn’t obey it.
4. He’s like so many today who have Biblical ideals, who agree that Jesus is the Savior who died for them, but they don’t obey him. They shall be condemned.
5. Luke 6:46,49 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”
D. PRIDE
1. The scope of the party, with probably 100’s of dignitaries – with pomp and luxury – hit at the pride of the man.
2. His drunken reaction after Salome’s dance, to offer millions of $ for a dance, is an act of grandstanding. It confirms the man’s gargantuan pride.
3. These were 4 of the characteristics which contributed to the fall of Herod. May God deliver us from evil associations, compromise & sin, hypocrisy, and pride!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: Does God Still Inspire Awe?
1. A few years ago, Angela and I got to go to Niagara Falls for a vacation. I had always heard that it was a beautiful sight, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking, “It’s a waterfall – what’s the big deal?”
2. When we got there, I was in awe. What I saw just took my breath away. No picture or video or words can describe the beauty of God’s creation.
3. If you haven’t been there, I can’t explain it. We wore raincoats and stepped into the falling deluge near its base.
4. It was just awe-inspiring. But, I noticed something odd. I noticed that the workers at the visitor center and the restaurants and other buildings didn’t seem overwhelmed by their surroundings at all. They weren’t awestruck by the falls, they weren’t affected as we were.
5. And then, it hit me … they had become so familiar with the falls that it had become commonplace to them. It had lost its attraction. It had lost its sense of wonder. It was no longer awe-inspiring. It was just there, and the people were almost unaware, almost oblivious to its existence.
6. O God! May we never become that way toward You! May Jesus never become common, so familiar that He fails to inspire awe in us.
7. Instead, let us draw near Him until we feel the spray of Living Water upon our faces, and let us marvel at the mightiness and the beauty that is found only in our Savior.
B. THE CALL
1. Let’s examine our lives to see whether we exhibit the same tendencies that brought down Herod: evil associations, compromise & sin, hypocrisy, and pride!
2. Now’s the time to repent, to rid ourselves of future guilt. If we don’t deal with the weeds of our sins now, they will turn into trees that cannot be pulled up, to save our lives!
3. Time of prayer.
