Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 165, Matthew 14:1-12 — John the Baptist Beheaded Matthew 14:1-12 (NASB1995) “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, 2 and said to his servants, ‘This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’ 3 For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 For John had been saying to him, ‘It is not lawful for you to have her.’ 5 Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet. 6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, 7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Having been prompted by her mother, she said, ‘Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.’ 9 Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.” Discussion Yesterday, we read Jesus’ response to the Nazarites' offense and unbelief. It is essentially summed up with the popular expression ‘familiarity breeds contempt.’ The Nazarites knew everything about Jesus’ family and had a presupposed idea of who He was. But since He did not fit their mold of who He ought to be, they outright rejected Him. This moved Jesus to choose not to perform further miracles other than healing some sick. He could not do further miracles, not because He was incapable of doing so, but because it would not have been an appropriate response to the Nazarites' unbelief. This would have confused His message, contradicting His previous decisions to work or not work miracles. Throughout Scripture, God responds to genuine faith, not disingenuous demands for proof. There is nothing that can stop the move of God or change His sovereign plans. Jesus’ miracle-working power was obvious, as seen in His healings in Nazareth, but He chose to limit its scope in the face of outright rejection and unbelief. Today, we read about the beheading of John the Baptist. We will reference both Matthew's and Mark’s accounts of this event for further context, as Matthew omits some details. Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He became more and more famous. We have seen this throughout Matthew, as large crowds follow Him wherever He goes and religious leaders from distant towns and cities come to hear Him teach. Certainly, many local rulers heard about Jesus’ ministry, but this is the first time Matthew mentions it. Matthew writes, “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, 2 and said to his servants, ‘This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’” Many people confused Jesus and John because of their similar preaching about the coming kingdom of heaven and call to repentance. They both gained huge followings and news of their ministries spread quickly. Obviously, Jesus’ ministry gained much more traction, but Herod’s comment shows how popular and influential John was despite his settling in the wilderness. At this point, we know Herod had John imprisoned for at least one year until he had him executed. This decision to execute John might have caused him guilt[1]. Thus, his concern that John had resurrected was valid. Who else could work miracles and gather a large following other than a resurrected John the Baptist? Matthew then explains what happened leading up to John’s death. He writes, “3 For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 For John had been saying to him, ‘It is not lawful for you to have her.’” Earlier in Matthew, we briefly read about John’s arrest (4:12), but here we get the fuller picture. Herod arrested John for boldly calling him to repentance for his incestuous relationship with his sister-in-law. In v. 5, we find Herod wanted to put John to death for his remarks, but he feared John’s followers because they said he was a prophet. This title was accurate, as John was indeed the last of the prophets before Christ. We know from Mark 6:20 that Herod also feared John because he was a “righteous and holy man.” This verse in Mark adds that Herod enjoyed John’s company and kept him safe in prison as well. It is also likely that Herod was afraid of the uprising that might ensue if he killed John. “6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, 7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.” Notably, Herodias was first married to Herod’s own brother, Philip, so the daughter dancing technically would have been his niece. Mark’s account of this event provides further context about the relationships (Mk. 6:17) and setting (Mk. 6:21). There is some debate[2] about who Herodias’ first husband was, but it is not entirely important. What we do know is that there were incestuous relations happening in the family at the time, as Herod had an affair with his sister-in-law. In a rather creepy event, we also see Herod’s stepdaughter dance for him for his birthday (Mk. 6:21 tells us it was also a banquet for Herod’s military leaders). It was common for dances at these events to be sensual—and the incestuous relations within the family strengthened the case that this dance was. While Matthew does not clarify, “commentators normally assume that we are being invited to think of seductive dancing before half-drunk men,”[3] which fits the time and setting. But that is all conjecture. Whatever the truth, Herod expresses satisfaction with the dance and promises to grant her any request. Matthew omits her leaving the party to ask her mother, as Mark 6:24 says, “And she went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ And she said, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’” Herodias wanted John dead because of his remarks about her relationship with Herod. It seems that Herod’s drunkenness might have caused his reckless promise[4], as we find him grieved and sorry when he hears her request (Matt. 14:9; Mk. 6:26). Even though he might have wanted to refuse, “it was an affront to one’s honor to break an oath in front of guests” and would have shamed him at his own party.[5] Mark 6:27-28 adds, “Immediately, the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his [John’s] head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.” John’s disciples eventually hear the news about his beheading and take his body to be buried. Then “they went and reported to Jesus.” We will read about Jesus’ response to the news tomorrow. Application The story of John the Baptist's beheading is interesting because Herod seemed to befriend John before he called out his adultery. But then, even after, Herod did not want to kill him. We do not have any further information about why, but I find it fascinating that Herod did not want John killed. This does not make Herod a good person, but it is something notable about the story. Herod clearly felt guilt. He feared John because of his holiness. Could it have been that John’s message pierced his heart enough to where he might have responded in repentance? We cannot know, but these are the thoughts I have when I read some biblical stories like this. The ‘what ifs’ about certain people and if they eventually came to Christ fascinates me. I like to believe that some people did! Herod ended up cowering among his friends, family, and other acquaintances. The pressure of their opinion of him forced him to do what he did not want to. While this passage does not relate to us, I believe we can find ourselves in similar situations. Are there times when you cower in the face of worldly pressure? Do you do things you do not want because you want to save face? I know I have forced myself into situations or done things for affirmation, especially before I came to Christ. Almost everything I did was for others to validate me. Many of us might still live this way. But in Christ, we can be free from seeking validation because He is enough. Nothing else matters but Jesus. Let us turn to Christ as our everything and remember that He is worthy of it all. Let us turn from seeking validation from others and remember that we are children of God, adopted sons and daughters of the Most High, and held by the grace of the Savior of the world. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 14:13a. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. [4] Ibid. [5] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.”
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