Who Do You Follow? Series

Who do you follow?

Mark 6:14-44

Introduction

- Jesus is demonstrated in this book as a “servant”

-- Key verse: Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

- For us to understand his role as a servant all we have to do is look at His actions

-- He was constantly invested in going to see people; to teach/heal

-- His revelation of the Father’s Kingdom speaks to His servanthood to God alone

-- He did not come with His own agenda; but to fulfil what the Father sent Him for

- CRITICAL: If we do not see ourselves as His servants, He is not our Lord!

- Herod is the king of this region, most definitely had heard about Jesus and John

-- These men were a threat to his livelihood, kingdom, and his reputation

-- The thought of someone else getting his “attention” is what sets up this story

- Read Mark 6:14-29

∆ Point 1 – Beheaded for the Truth (14-24)

- What happens here reveals the true nature of Herod, both as man and leader

- John originally preached repentance to all that would hear (Mark 1)

-- He declared himself a messenger, much like Isaiah, preaching the Kingdom

-- What set him apart is he called men to repent … not to a “religious order”

- APP: This calling of Christ, really and truly, is what offends us even today

-- We’d rather live with the attitude, “You’re not the boss of me …” then repent

- Fact is: John is a prophet, sent by God, to warn of the coming Messiah

-- Remember, from OT to NT there has been 300+ years of silence

-- Israel had not had a prophet preach to them in this fashion

- Herod thought he knew exactly who Jesus was (v14), for one reason only:

-- He had John killed and now this man was back to do him harm

-- IMP: Do you see what a guilty conscience can do to a man?

-- Why would this happen? B/C he was responsible for murdering him (v16)

- According to Mark, the story takes a flashback to how all of this happened

-- Therefore, (v17) is a retelling of why John was arrested in the first place

-- Herod was sleeping with his brother’s wife and it was sinful to do so (v18)

-- Herod’s brother was STILL alive and therefore he was violating the Law

-- Lev 18:16, “Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonor your brother.”

- IMP: John’s rebuke of Herod for his sin is what sets this all this into motion

-- The courage of John is to be commended here instead of shunned

-- FACT: Words of truth have to be spoken in order to correct sinful behavior

-- Mark 1:15 says, “… REPENT and believe”

- Herodias, his brother’s wife, hated John the Baptist for his honesty (v21)

-- APP: When you’re living in sin, you often wait for your time to strike back

-- This is exactly what Herodias does: she plans her revenge on him deliberately

- What she does is send her (probably teenage) daughter to dance for this party

-- There is a lesson: How to fail as a parent

-- Her dance was most assuredly highly suggestive and pleased Herod

-- Why? Because at this banquet he’s drunk, and his inhibitions are lowered

-- Sadly, Herodias is basically prostituting her daughter to get her influence heard

- The true intention comes in v24, where the daughter has NO idea what to ask for

-- IMP: Her innocence here is on full display, “What should I ask for?”

--- “I didn’t know there’d be any reward for this, so you got any ideas, mom?”

- Herodias, most assuredly, has an idea B/C she knows Herod’s heart

-- She knew if the kid did this and pleased him, he’d want to show off for everyone

-- So Herodias tells her daughter to have this man … a man she hated … killed

-- IMP: John is killed because Herodias hates having her sin identified

∆ Point 2 – Sin upon Sin upon Sin (25-29)

- APP: Now there are multiple sins going on, all intentionally covering the first

-- When we travel down the road of sin, we spend energy trying to cover tracks

-- IMP: How exhausting is it to pretend to be righteous and live sinfully

-- When you have to constantly present a false image it can be brutal

-- This is exactly what Herodias is doing, and then Herod has to do (v16)

- Now, the fact that Herodias does what her mother asks says many things