Always Trust in the Goodness of God!
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 14:1-14; Mark 6:7-34
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared June 22, 2022)
BACKGROUND:
*Matthew 14:1-14 reports on the terrible murder of John the Baptist. Herod the Tetrarch had John arrested, thrown into prison, and eventually beheaded, simply because this prophet took a bold stand for God's Law.
*The Herods were an extremely wicked family. They weren't Jews, but natives of nearby Idumea, appointed to rule by the Roman Empire. The first was known as "Herod the Great," a monster of a tyrant who had zero interest in keeping God's Law. He was the Herod who tried to kill young Jesus by murdering all the infant boys in Bethlehem.
*The Herod here in Matthew 14 was Herod the Great's son. His name was Antipas, and "tetrarch" was his title because he ruled one fourth of his father's kingdom. This Herod was a drunken, depraved man. His son was Herod Agrippa, who imprisoned Peter and killed the Apostle John's brother, James." (1)
*Matthew 14:1-4 began to look back at the terrible injustice John the Baptist faced from this family:
1. At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus
2. And said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.''
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. For John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her.''
*Herod put John in prison, but the people were outraged about it, so vs. 5 tells us that "although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet."
*Then vs. 6-8 show us behind-the-scenes conspiracy and intrigue:
6. But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. (This was most likely a very lewd dance from a girl no more that 12 to 14 years old.)
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.''
*Next in vs. 9-10, we see the deadly poison of pride:
9. And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him at the table, he commanded it to be given to her.
10. So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.
*And in vs. 11, we see the bottomless depths of depravity, because John's "head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother."
*Verses 12-14 tell us what happened next, and through these verses we will focus on the infinite goodness of our God. Please think about this as we read Matthew 14:12-14.
MESSAGE:
*Church: As far as I know, there are only 3 things that God can't do:
-In 2 Timothy 2:13, Paul said: "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."
-Then in Titus 1:2, Paul said that we Christians are "in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began."
-And James 1:13 says "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil. . ."
*In short: God cannot sin, because He is always good in every way. In Psalm 25:6-7 David prayed, ":
6. Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindnesses, For they have been from eternity past.
7. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O LORD.
*Psalm 33:5 says that "the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD." Psalm 34:8 urges us to "taste and see that the LORD is good," and "blessed is the man who trusts in him." In the New Testament, James 1:17 tells us that: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights."
*Every bit of the good in our lives is a gracious gift from God, so we should always trust in His goodness. Today's Scripture helps us see why.
1. TRUST GOD FIRST, BECAUSE HE HATES INJUSTICE.
*Proverbs 6:16-19 gives us a list of 7 things the LORD hates: "A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren."
*That Scripture sounds like a checklist of the injustice suffered by John the Baptist. He had done nothing that deserved prison and death. But John was cruelly murdered by a proud, corrupt ruler, who went along with his scheming, vengeful wife.
*And it was not God's perfect will to intervene for John the Baptist, but the Lord places a high value on justice and kindness.
*Psalm 117:1-2 speaks of His kindness this way, "Oh, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, And the truth of the Lord endures forever."
*Many Scriptures also speak about the Lord's love for justice. For example, Psalm 33:5 tells us that the Lord "loves righteousness and justice." And in Psalm 82:3 He commands us to "Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy."
*God is good, so He places a high value on kindness and justice. But if that is true, why did God allow Herod to kill John the Baptist? If God is good, why is there so much corruption and injustice in the world?
*The main reason why is because the devil is real, and he is the original source of all evil. Jesus explained in John 10:10 that the devil is a "thief" who "does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy."
*Why is there so much corruption and injustice in the world? Another reason why is because so many people in our generation are Judges 17:6 people. There God's Word says, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." Many people in our generation are also Isaiah 5:20 people "who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." God calls out a "woe" of trouble, distress, and grief on them all.
*But we must understand that the biggest problem we have with evil is not the evil around us. Our biggest problem is the evil that comes from inside our own hearts. The evil from outside can hurt us for a while, but the evil from inside can hurt us forever. And all of us have this problem. Romans 3:10 tells us that "there is none righteous, no, not one, and Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned fall short of the glory of God.
*The great Christian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn once noted that it would be different, if there were "evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. BUT THE LINE DIVIDING GOOD AND EVIL CUTS THROUGH THE HEART OF EVERY HUMAN BEING." (2)
*Thank God, Romans 5:6-10 tells Christians that:
6. . . when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
*Jesus Christ came into the world to save us from our sins! And one day, our Risen Savior will wipe away all evil, sickness, and pain. Then all who have trusted in the Lord will live together in total perfection, with no more sickness, no more pain, no sorrow, no sin, no shame, living forever in Heaven with our Savior. Put your trust in the Lord today!
*But understand that we are still living out the Lord's parable of the wheat and the weeds called "tares." A farmer planted good seed in his field, but an enemy came at night and planted weeds among the wheat. When they both started to grow, the servants asked if they should pull up the weeds. But in Matthew 13:29-30, the farmer said, "No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 'First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
*Then, in Matthew 13:37-43 Jesus explained the parable and said:
37. . . "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
39. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
40. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
41. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
42. and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
*One day our perfect God will rid the world of all evil and injustice, so in Psalm 37:1-6 He tells us:
1. Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb.
3. Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
6. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.
*Corruption and injustice are surely on the rise around the world, and life can be extremely hard. But always trust in the goodness of God, because He hates injustice.
2. ALSO TRUST HIM BECAUSE HE SHARES IN OUR SORROWS.
*Jesus Christ shares in our sorrows. Think about the grief Jesus must have suffered over the death of John the Baptist. Verses 12-13 tell us that after Herod murdered John, "his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself."
*We always grieve over the deaths of people we love, and it's fair to say that Jesus and John had a close relationship with each other. Luke 1:36 tells us that Jesus' mother Mary and John's mother Elizabeth were close relatives. The KJV says they were cousins. And they must have known each other very well, because soon after Mary found out she was going to give birth to God's Son, she journeyed from Nazareth to see Elizabeth in the hill country of Judah. At the time, Elizabeth was already pregnant with John the Baptist, and that was a miracle too, because she was far too old to be pregnant.
*Luke 1:39-44 tells us:
39. Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,
40. and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43. But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44. For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy."
*By the Holy Spirit of God, John the Baptist recognized the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, even when they were both still in the womb! On top of that, both families went to the 3 great feasts in Jerusalem every year, so it's easy to assume that Jesus and John had a close relationship growing up. (3)
*Both men were about 30 when Jesus went to be baptized by John, and there is no doubt that John recognized the miraculous goodness of our Lord. Matthew 3:13-15 tells us that "Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, 'I have need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?' But Jesus answered and said to him, 'Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he allowed Him."
*This was before the Holy Spirit and God the Father both confirmed that Jesus is the Son of God, but John the Baptist already knew that Jesus was far more righteous than him, so they must have known each other very well. No doubt they loved one another. (And now our risen Savior wants to have the same kind of relationship with you, so put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ!)
*But the death of someone we love always brings grief. Isaiah 53:3 tells us that Jesus was "a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief," and we can be sure that Jesus grieved over the death of John the Baptist.
*On top of this, Romans 12:15 tells Christians to "weep with those who weep," so Jesus must have wept with John the Baptist's disciples as they grieved over the death of their leader, especially since John had been brutally murdered.
*What a compassionate God we have! He grieves over cruelty and injustice. He loves us like a brother, He loves us like a friend, and He shares in our sorrows. Always trust in the goodness of God, because He shares in our sorrows.
3. ALSO TRUST HIM BECAUSE HE CARES ABOUT OUR REST.
*Verse 13 tells us that when Jesus heard the report about John the Baptist's murder, "He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself." The main reason why Jesus departed was to make sure that His disciples got some much needed rest. But we have to look at Mark's Gospel to see this part of the story.
*Some time before John the Baptist's disciples came to tell Jesus about John's death, the Lord had sent His own disciples out to preach the gospel and heal the sick. Mark 6:12-17 explains that:
12. They went out and preached that people should repent.
13. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
14. Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well-known. And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.''
15. Others said, "It is Elijah.'' And others said, "It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.''
16. But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!''
17. For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.
*Mark went on to tell the story of how John the Baptist died. Then Mark 6:30-32 says:
30. Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.
31. And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.'' For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
32. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.
*About the same time John's followers brought Jesus the sad news of John's death, the Lord's own disciples returned to him, with good news from their ministry. No doubt the disciples were overjoyed, but they were exhausted, and needed a break.
*That's why the Lord wanted to give them a time of rest and refreshment, and Jesus wants to do the same thing for us. As He said in Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
*Jesus wants to give us every kind of rest we will ever need: Physical, emotional, spiritual, and eternal rest. It's encouraging to know that "rest" is one of the ways God describes going to Heaven. Hebrews 4 talks about the promise of entering into His eternal rest, and that's what God wants us to do! Always trust in the goodness of God, because He cares about our rest.
4. AND TRUST HIM BECAUSE HE CARES ABOUT OUR OTHER NEEDS TOO.
*Jesus Christ cares about hurting people, hungry people, and lost people. He cares about us all, and He cares about all of our needs. Philippians 4:19 promises Christians that our "God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
*God cares about our needs. And we see some great evidence in today's Scripture. After Jesus heard about John the Baptist's death, vs. 13-14 tell us that "He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick."
*Jesus is still moved with compassion and healing the sick. Our God is still a miracle working God! But this doesn't mean that Jesus will always heal us. One reason why is because this world is not our home. All physical healing is only temporary. And God in His infinite wisdom may have another way to help us.
*But we must remember that the worst problem we face is not a physical disease. It's spiritual death. It's not our sickness, but our sin. We were all born with the deadly spiritual cancer of sin in our souls. That's why Romans 6:23 tells us that "the wages of sin is death," and that means eternal death. But thank God, the verse goes on to say that "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
*Jesus didn't come into this world just to save people from earthly suffering. He came to save us from our sins! So, the greatest miracle came when Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins. The greatest miracle came when Jesus rose again in everlasting victory over death.
*The greatest miracle comes when we believe in Jesus and open our hearts to receive Him as our Lord and Savior. Salvation is the greatest miracle of all, because salvation is the only miracle that lasts forever! And if you have trusted in Jesus, then you have the miracle of your sins forgiven and a home in Heaven. But it never could have happened without the cross.
*Pastor James Chandler discovered this truth in an unusual way. James said, "As a teenager, I went to an outdoor drama of the crucifixion of Christ. I was not a Christian but was curious about all of this Jesus stuff.
*The audience was to play the part of the crowd during Jesus' trial and death on the cross. We all shouted, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" They brought Jesus out and began to beat him. Even though I knew it was just a play, I was amazed at how I was drawn in to it.
*As we, the crowd, began to follow Jesus up the hill carrying his cross, Jesus stopped and fell to his knees. I didn't know he was supposed to do that. A Roman Soldier looked right at me, pointed, and yelled, "You: Carry his cross."
*I was stunned and confused. I hoped he was talking to someone else. But before I knew it, there I was carrying this heavy wooden cross up the hill. For the first time, all of this Jesus stuff began to make sense." (4)
CONCLUSION:
*Does it make sense to you? Jesus suffered and died for you too. That's how much He loves you. And now, if you will turn to our Risen Savior and put your trust in Him, Jesus will give you the miracle of everlasting life. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and always keep trusting in the goodness of God!
(1) Sources:
-WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933 - Matthew 12:14; Mark 3:6
-Got Questions: Who were the Herodians? - https://www.gotquestions.org/Herodians.html
-Got Questions: Who are the various Herods mentioned in the Bible? - https://www.gotquestions.org/Herods.html
-Got Questions: What was Herod's temple? - https://www.gotquestions.org/Herod-third-temple.html
-"Jewish Palestine at the time of Jesus" - "The political situation" - Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jesus/Jewish-Palestine-at-the-time-of-Jesus
-"Bible History - The Life of Jesus in Harmony - Herod And The Herodians - THE HERODS" - https://bible-history.com/jesus/herod-and-the-herodians
-SermonCentral sermon "Death of a Conscience" by Jerry Shirley - Matthew 14:1-12
(2) Robert J. Morgan, "Nelson's Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations & Quotes"
(3) THE JEREMIAH STUDY BIBLE by David Jeremiah - "Israel's Three Great Feasts" - Exodus 23:14-17 - https://www.jeremiahstudybible.com/Exodus/israels-three-great-feasts
(4) SermonCentral illustration contributed by James Chandler
