What Do You Get For Following Jesus? - Mark 6:14-30 Series

Mark 6:14 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, the man 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 had it in for 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 on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 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.

Introduction

Romans 8:28 We know that God works all things together for the good of those who love him…

Sometimes that verse is hard to believe. Most of the hardships that happen to us, if you’re a mature Christian, it’s not that hard to imagine how they could be used by God for good and fit into his perfect plan. But once in a while something happens to you that is so evil, so unfair, so damaging to your life that it seems impossible to conceive of how it could possibly be part of God’s good and perfect plan. We’re going to read about an event like that today.

We left off last time with Jesus sending out the 12 on their first short term mission trip. That was in v.7. They aren’t going to come back and report to Jesus until v.30. So what are we going to do between now and v.30? Well, to kill some time while we’re waiting for them to return, Mark tells us the story of what Herod did to John the Baptist in vv.14-29. This account is sordid, it is seedy, it is slimy, but we need to study it because it is has a lot to teach us, and it’s actually intended for our encouragement. I’ll show you how as we go.

Making Jesus Famous

So in v.13 the disciples are out there preaching repentance and doing miracles, and in v.14 Herod gets wind of it. But he doesn’t hear about them; he hears about Jesus.

Mark 6:14 King Herod heard about this for Jesus’ name had become well known.

That’s the greatest success story for the Apostles in the entire Gospel! They are the ones doing the preaching and miracles, and yet they manage to do it in a way that make Jesus famous, instead of making themselves famous. And that’s the goal of all missions and Christian ministry—make Jesus famous.

Herod & Herodias

So Herod gets word about Jesus and comes up with a theory about who Jesus is. And in order to understand this theory we need to know a whole bunch of background information about Herod and his illegitimate wife Herodias and what they did to John the Baptist.

The reason I say “illegitimate wife” is because of end of v.17.

17 … He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married.

This is Herod Antipas. His brother Philip had married Herodias, who, by the way, was his niece. You say, “Isn’t that incest?” Yes, it is, but that’s how the Herod family rolled. So Herodias marries her uncle Philip but then has an affair with another one of her uncles—Herod Antipas. She wanted the life of a queen. Antipas was a ruler down in Israel—not quite a king, but he made the people call him king, and he had a big palace. That’s the kind of thing Herodias wanted. So one day Antipas (who is also married) proposes to Herodias, and she says, “Yes, on one condition. You have to banish your wife.” Antipas says, “Deal,” banishes his wife, and so Herodias dumps uncle Philip and marries uncle Antipas. And when she goes down to Israel to live with Antipas, she brings her little daughter with her.