THE LEGACY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
Mk. 6:14-29
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
14 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.” 15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets 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 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. 29 On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Mk. 6:14-29
C. THESIS
1. Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest prophet ever born; that’s an amazing statement since it includes Moses and Elijah!
2. John alone was prophesied of ahead of time in the Bible. He was unusual in what he ate (bugs & honey), what he wore (scratchy animal hair), and where he preached (in the desert), and his message – “Repent!”
3. But his results were unparalleled; all the country went out to hear him and was baptized, confessing their sins. God’s mission for him was to prepare Israel for the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He did an excellent job.
4. This passage today was the sad story of his death at the hands of Herod, during the birthday party of Herod. The good news is, John left a tremendous legacy by his faith, his preaching, and his influence. This is entitled “The Legacy of John the Baptist.”
I. THE 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 and inherited one-fourth of his kingdom – Galilee & Perea.
2. He was married to the daughter of King Aretas, an Arabian King, but became 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. Someone said, “Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn!”
2. To placate Herodias, Herod had John arrested and put into prison. But that wasn’t enough for Herodias; she wanted him dead.
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. JOHN SHOWED EXTRAORDINARY COURAGE
A. HE SPOKE WITH AUTHORITY
1. His vision of God and his knowledge of his purpose gave him the ability to speak God’s message with authority. “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar…the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert.” Luke 3:1-2. He began to hear the voice of the Lord and received his calling from God. This is God's pattern for us to follow when speaking for God.
2. Mark 1:5 tells the impact of his preaching; “The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” This was quite a feat, people travelling many miles into desert country to hear a ragged man yell about judgment, but the attraction was the anointing of God!
3. Let’s don’t neglect to get the anointing of God on us. Simple prayer for God’s presence will make a lot of difference when you go to witness to someone!
4. John was a shining light that altered the nation of Israel for all time. Mark this down; You can never be great FOR God, unless you HAVE a great God!
B. HE REBUKED PEOPLE IN SIN
1. He rebuked the religious leaders (Sadducees and Pharisees) when they came to hear him. That’s a sure-fire way of becoming unpopular! “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?” Matt. 3:7.
2. John also rebuked the King, Herod. What gave John such courage? He knew he had been entrusted with authority to speak for God. Christian, so have YOU! Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, so send I You.”
3. Jesus said, “Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven” Mt. 10:32. He went on to say that if we’re “ashamed of Him before men,” He’ll be ashamed of us before His Father (Mk. 8:38).
4. Let’s be courageous in our faith and unashamed to speak openly of our Savior, Jesus Christ!
III. JOHN WAS A GREAT MENTOR
A. THE 1ST CENTURY IMPERATIVE OF MENTORING
1. One of the greatest things about John was his mentoring. He gathered about him the most hungry and sincere seekers of God and taught them what he had learned.
2. When Jesus appeared on the scene, John pointed him out and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world." Taking a cue from him, Andrew, the brother of Peter, who was one of John's disciples, immediately followed Jesus and became His disciple. Many of John's disciples followed Andrew’s example and began to follow Jesus (which John encouraged).
3. Our commission as Christians, is not only to tell the good news, but to make disciples. Matthew records Jesus's words, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (28:19).
4. The apostle Paul gives his command concerning discipleship, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” Paul states the principle of multi-generational discipleship.
B. 21ST CENTURY MENTORING
1. Ours is a generation that has finally rediscovered mentoring. We all ought to mentor someone else, to leave our impression of Christ on someone else.
2. One of the things that made John great was that he trained others who were to follow after him. Many of the early Christians had been John's disciples. Isaiah prophesied about him that he would “pave the way” for Christ. John did this by mentoring many of the people that eventually formed the early church. What a great legacy!
3. John’s disciples honored him one final time by going to Herod’s palace to claim John’s body and giving him the funeral that he deserved. Far more will be God’s reward to John for his faithful service to the Kingdom of God!
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. Do you need a revelation of God? Do you need personal direction to your life? Would you like to come to know the God of Heaven like John did? He’s waiting for you!
2. How is your courage to speak up for Jesus? Are you able to speak the truth when others are wanting you to be quiet? Would you like God to give you courage?
3. Would you like to make a difference in this town/ city? Your decision to be an influence for Jesus Christ can be pivotal, and you too can leave behind a great legacy, as John did. Let’s pray.
