As a young person, I was an avid reader. Because of that, I enjoyed the literature classes I had in school. Back then, we were assigned to read different types of classic literature. One author I remember was Edgar Allen Poe.
I read one of his short stories titled “The Tell-tale Heart.” Itis rather ghastly but carries an important lesson. I’ll spare you the gory details, but here’s the plot line. A younger man is convinced that his elderly neighbor has an “evil eye.” To rid himself of this perceived threat, he murders the old man and places his body under the floorboards of his house.
After the older man’s disappearance, the police came to question the murderer. He invited them in and seated them right over the spot on the floor where the victim’s body was concealed. The murderer’s manner is easy and calm, and the police suspect nothing.
However, the perpetrator begins to feel uncomfortable and notices a sound in his ears. He concludes that the old man’s heartbeat comes from under the floorboards. The sound grows louder and louder in his mind, though the officers don’t hear it. Terrified by the violent beating of the heart and convinced that the officers are aware of not only the heartbeat but also of his guilt, the perpetrator breaks down and confesses his crime.
What led to the revelation of the crime? It was the conscience of the perpetrator. Even though no sound existed, his guilty conscience heard the beating of the tell-tale heart and tormented him until he confessed to the crime.
As we resume our journey through Mark’s Gospel, we’ve arrived at the account of John the Baptist’s death. This record is inserted in the narrative following Jesus’ rejection in Nazareth and the sending of the twelve on their mission. There is a theme of rejection throughout these verses. First, Jesus was rejected in Nazareth; then he instructed the Twelve about handling rejection in their ministry, and finally, John’s rejection and death.
The disciples’ mission tour of Galilee awakened the whole region to Jesus’ name and powers. This awakening brought Jesus to Herod Antipas’s attention and led to his mistaken conclusion that John the Baptist had risen from the dead. As we’ll see, Herod’s conscience is awakened by this news, and the narrative provides a flashback of the events that led to John the Baptist’s death.
I’ve titled our study “The Lord’s Messenger.” Now, let’s read the text, Mark 6:14-29.
This text reveals the QUALITIES that must be present in the lives of all who would be the Lord’s messenger.
The First QUALITY of the Lord’s messenger is,
Develop a Godly Reputation
As I said, the disciples’ mission tour of Galilee awakened the whole region to Jesus’ name and power. People were speculating about His identity. Some said he was John the Baptist. Others said he was Elijah, while others said he was like one of the prophets of ancient times. However, when Herod heard about the miraculous happenings, he immediately said, “This is John the Baptist, the man whom I beheaded. He is risen from the dead!”
Herod’s conclusion was the result of a guilty conscience. Like the murderer in Edgar Allen Poe’s “Tell-tale Heart,” Herod knew he had unjustly murdered an innocent man. Verse 20 says, “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things and heard him gladly.”
John’s character and reputation impressed Herod. He realized that this was no ordinary man. He described him as being “just and holy.” The phrase in verse 20, “[Herod] did many things…” is rendered in other translations as “he was greatly perplexed…” John’s godly character and message stirred something deep within Herod, and he couldn’t quite figure out what it was or how he should respond. This quality of character is one that every genuine messenger of the Lord should strive to develop.
Herod had arrested John and put him in prison, and he did it for the sake of his adulterous partner, his sister-in-law, the wife of his brother, Philip. Herodias was her name, and she would have immediately killed John. However, Herod protected him, at least temporarily, from her murderous designs.
How would people describe you? Would they use the terms just and holy? What impression have your interactions with others left on them or those watching? John the Baptist wasn’t what we would call a cultured man; he was more of a rustic man, in the mold of the Old Testament prophets, of which he was the last. However, according to our text and other portions of the Gospels, his reputation for godliness, humility, and justice were unquestioned. As the Lord’s messengers, you and I must also develop a godly reputation. It may motivate appreciation, or it may motivate opposition, as we’ll see shortly.
The Next QUALITY of the Lord’s messenger is,
Deliver a Grating Message
Early in our text, in verse sixteen, we learn why John was imprisoned. Philip was the brother of Herod Antipas, and Philip’s wife was Herodias. Herod entered into an adulterous relationship with Herodias while she was still married to his brother. John rebuked Herod and told him, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” It wasn’t a popular message then, and it isn’t a popular message today.
As messengers of the Lord, you and I must be prepared to stand upon the truth of God’s Word. The truth will grate on the ears and consciences of those it convicts, even when spoken in a spirit of love. They will not want to hear it. Today, even many who profess to follow the Lord don’t want to listen to His Word.
Paul warned Timothy about this very thing. “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” Like all faithful messengers of the Lord, John the Baptist endured afflictions and fulfilled his ministry.
John’s grating message aroused Herod’s fear. Mark describes that fear in verse 20 using the imperfect tense, which means Herod was in a continuing state of fear. His fears tormented him. He feared John because he knew he was an innocent, holy, and righteous man. He feared Herodias because she was a vengeful woman. He knew what was right, but he was hopelessly entangled and conflicted in his relationship with Herodias. His passions and feelings overcame his better judgment.
John’s message also grated on Herodias. The text says she “held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not.” To say she “had it in for John” is an accurate translation. She wanted to kill him, but she couldn’t because Herod protected him. So, nursing her grudge, she waited for an opportune time to strike. What is written about her in our text reminds me of the saying, “Hell has no fury like an [ungodly] woman scorned.”
Herodias’ response reminds me of Jesus’ words in John 3, during His conversation with Nicodemus about being born again. He said, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and [people] loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” Herodias loved darkness, and John’s message grated harshly on her ears.
As the Lord’s messengers, you and I must be willing to deliver a grating message. We must “speak the truth in love,” as Paul writes in Ephesians chapter four. And yes, we must remember our sinful past, our susceptibility to sin, and our tendencies toward self-righteousness. However, we cannot allow those things to muzzle us and keep us from proclaiming the truth of God and His Word. Today, more than ever, we need to stand boldly and confidently on the Word of God regardless of the cost.
The Final QUALITY of the Lord’s messenger is,
Die a Grievous Death
I don’t suppose many of us will find ourselves in circumstances similar to John the Baptist’s, where proclaiming the truth will cost us our heads. However, the willingness to endure suffering, persecution, or even death for holding to the truth is fundamental to our faith. John was willing to speak the truth and let the chips fall where they would.
As I mentioned earlier, Herodias was a conniving woman. She waited patiently for the right opportunity. She planned to use Herod’s birthday party to spring the trap! All the elite and glitterati of Herod’s court and the region of Galilee would be there, and she would have her vengeance! She knew what happened at these orgies, and she sensed an opportunity.
After much feasting and drinking, Herodias sent her daughter, Salome, to dance before the king and his fellow revelers. It was unprecedented for a woman of rank to dance in a setting like this. However, Herodias was willing to degrade her own daughter like a common harlot to carry out her scheme. She would use any means necessary to rid herself of this pestilent prophet who condemned her relationship with Herod.
The maudlin group lounging on elegant couches was pleased by the licentious dancing of this exploited princess. In his alcohol-induced stupor, Herod’s inhibitions disappeared, and his better judgment deserted him. He rashly promised the princess anything she would ask, even as much as half of his kingdom. The drunken Tetrarch had been caught in the net of Herodias. It was a public promise. The trap had been sprung!
The princess, not knowing what to ask for, sought her mother’s counsel. Her question implies that she was thinking about what she should ask for herself. She was probably unprepared for her mother’s ghastly reply.
Notice how her request, actually her mother’s request, and the subsequent execution were carried out – in haste. Everything had to be done while the king was still under the influence of the wine and the dancing princess.
As coarse and ungodly as Herod was, he was probably shocked by the request for John the Baptist’s head on a platter! He realized, too, that he was trapped. Herod didn’t want to execute John. We learned earlier in the text that he was protecting him. But for the sake of his oath and his “honor,” he would not deny the princess’ request. He was caught once again between his conscience and his environment. Like many since his day, the environment stifled his conscience.
So, Herod sent an executioner to perform the gruesome task. He soon returned, bringing the head to the princess, who, receiving it before the whole crowd, took it to her mother. This miserable Tetrarch, the slave of his passion for Herodias, now became the slave of his fears. The ghost of John haunts him, and he shudders at the reports of the work of Jesus.
The text closes with John’s disciples taking his body and giving him a proper burial. As a messenger of the Lord, he was faithful, even unto death.
As children of God by faith in Jesus Christ, you and I are the Lord’s messengers. Whether we believe we have a special calling or not, we are all messengers of Jesus by our redemption. Confessing Jesus with our mouth is an integral part of our salvation according to Romans 10:9. When you and I realize what we have been saved from and what we have been saved for, how can we not proclaim the truth that has set us free?
Let’s strive to develop a godly reputation, by God’s grace and the enabling of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist had that. He was held in high regard by the people and even by Herod. Was he perfect? No. However, he was committed to fulfilling God’s calling on his life to be the messenger [lower case m] of Jesus, the Messenger [upper case M] of the Covenant. His whole life was spent in preparation for a few short years of service.
Further, we must be willing to deliver what is sometimes a grating message. Refusing to confront sin because we fear reaction or rejection is not love; it is the opposite. John cared for Herod’s soul and his eternal destiny. As John discovered, speaking the truth publicly, especially regarding powerful and influential people, can be very dangerous. Some will hear the message and acknowledge, at least tacitly, that it is true. Others, like Herodias, will react viciously and scheme to liquidate the messenger.
Finally, we must be willing to die to defend and proclaim the truth. Many of our brothers and sisters around the world can teach us how to do this with grace and dignity. Here in the West, our lifestyles may be more akin to Herod’s than John the Baptist’s. Our comforts make it hard for us even to consider the thought of dying for the sake of Christ. However, Jesus said that we cannot be His messengers unless we are willing to lose our lives for His sake and the Gospel.
So, let’s continue striving to develop a godly reputation for the glory of God. Let’s be faithful to deliver a grating message when that is necessary. And let’s be willing to die a grievous death in defense of the truth if we come to that point. May Jesus’ testimony of us be similar to His testimony of John the Baptist when He said, “He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.”
