KING HEROD HAD HEARD ABOUT THIS JESUS WHO 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.
OTHERS SAID, " HE IS ELIJAH."
AND STILL OTHERS CLAIMED, " HE IS A PROPHET, LIKE ONE OF THE PROPHETS OF LONG AGO.
BUT WHEN HEROD HEARD THIS, HE SAID, JOHN THE MAN I BEHEADED, HAS BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD!" FOR HEROD HIMSELF HAD GIVEN ORDERS TO HAVE JOHN ARRESTED AND HAD HIM BOUND AND PUT IN PRISON. HE DID THIS BECAUSE HERODIAS, HIS BROTHER PHILIP'S WIFE, WHOM HE HAD MARRIED. JOHN HAD BEEN SAYING, " IT IS NOT LAWFUL FOR YOU TO HAVE YOUR BROTHER'S WIFE." SO HERODIAS NURSED A GRUDGE AGAINST JOHN AND WANTED TO KILL HIM. BUT SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO, 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. FINALLY THE OPPORTUNE TIME CAME. HEROD ON HIS BIRTHDAY GAVE A BANQUET FOR HIGH OFFICIALS AND MILITARY COMMANDERS AND THE LEADING MEN OF GALILEE.
WHEN THE DAUGHTER OF HERODIAS CAME IN AND DANCED, SHE PLEASED HEROD AND HIS DINNER GUESTS.
THE KING SAID TO THE GIRL, ASK ME ANYTHING YOU WANT, AND I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU. AND HE PROMISED HER WITH AN OATH. " WHATEVER YOU ASK I WILL GIVE YOU, UP TO HALF OF MY KINGDOM." SHE WENT OUT AND ASKED HER MOTHER, ' WHAT SHALL I ASK FOR?"
"THE HEAD OF JOHN THE BAPTIST." SHE ANSWERED.
AT ONCE THE GIRL HURRIED INTO THE KING WITH THE REQUEST: " I WANT YOU TO GIVE ME RIGHT NOW THE HEAD OF JOHN THE BAPTIST ON A PLATTER.
THE KING WAS GREATLY DISTRESSED, BUT BECAUSE OF THE OATH AND HIS DINNER GUESTS, HE DID NOT WANT TO REFUSE HER. SO HE IMMEDIATELY SENT AN EXECUTIONER WITH ORDERS TO BRING JOHN'S HEAD. THE MAN WENT, BEHEADED JOHN IN PRISON AND BROUGHT BACK HIS HEAD ON A PLATTER. HE PRESENTED IT TO THE GIRL, AND SHE GAVE IT TO HER MOTHER. ON HEARING THIS, JOHN'S DISCIPLES CAME AND TOOK HIS BODY AND LAID IT IN A TOMB.
THIS INCREASED ACTIVITY OF OUR LORD, HIS SENDING THE APOSTLES OUT ON PREACHING MISSIONS, DID NOT GO UNNOTICED. WHEN KING HEROD HEARD ABOUT IT, HE WAS REMINDED OF JOHN'S ACTIVITIES. IN FACT, HE WAS CONVINCED THAT JESUS WAS JOHN "RAISED FROM THE DEAD."
THE STORY OF HEROD AND HERODIAS HAD ALL HE EARMARKS OF A T.V. SOAP OPERA. ONLY IT WAS REAL LIFE. A BRIEF REVIEW FROM THE HISTORIAN "JOSEPHUS" WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND HERODIAS HATRED FOR JOHN. HEROD ANTIPAS WAS THE SON OF HEROD THE GREAT, WHO RULED AT THE TIME OF JESUS BIRTH. HIS MOTHER WAS MALTHACE ONE OF THE TEN WOMEN WHO AT SOME TIME OR OTHER WERE WIVES OF HEROD THE GREAT. HEROD ANTIPAS, POPULARLY KNOWN AS KING, WAS ACTUALLY TETRARCH AND RULED OVER GALILEE AND PEREA FROM 4.B.C. TO A.D. 39. HIS FIRST WIFE WAS THE DAUGHTER OF ARETAS IV RULER OF NABATAEA, AN ARAB KINGDOM SOUTHEAST OF PALESTINE HAVING ITS CAPITAL AT PETRA. ARETAS IS MENTIONED AGAIN IN 2ND CORINTHIANS [11:32] AND AT THAT TIME SEEMS TO HAD CONTROL OF DAMASCUS AS WELL. IN [A.D. 27]. HEROD ANTIPAS VISITED ROME AND THERE MET THE BEAUTIFUL AND AMBITIOUS HERODIAS, DAUGHTER OF HIS HALF-BROTHER ARISTOBULUS ( THUS HIS NIECE) WHO WAS THEN MARRIED, TO ANOTHER OF HIS HALF BROTHERS, HEROD PHILIP. THEY DESERTED THEIR SPOUSES AND MARRIED, THOUGH RELATED IN A DEGREE FORBIDDEN IN LEVITICUS [18:16] AND [20:21]. THE FIRST WIFE OF ANTIPAS UPON HEARING ABOUT IT FLED BACK TO HER FATHER'S COURT, AND THAT LATER LED TO A WAR IN WHICH HEROD WAS SOUNDLY DEFEATED IN [A.D. 36]. HEROD'S MARITAL ESCAPADE BECAME TALK OF THE ENTIRE REGION. JOHN THE BAPTIST ALSO CENTURED THE INCESTUOUS RELATIONSHIP. THIS ENRAGED HERODIAS AND LED TO JOHN'S IMPRISONMENT AND TO HIS MURDER. HOW OFTEN MURDER AND ADULTERY GO TOGETHER.
WHEN HEROD HEARD OF JESUS ACTIVITY AND THAT OF HIS DISCIPLES, HE WAS CONVINCED THE ONLY EXPLANATION THAT JOHN HAD BEEN BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE. NOT ONLY HEROD THOUGHT SO, BUT MANY ALSO. THAT'S HOW THEY EXPLAINED THE MIRACLES DONE BY CHRIST AND HIS APOSTLES. NOTE, THEY DID NOT DENY THE RESURRECTION.
WHEN JOHN HAD ORIGINALLY APPEARED PREACHING AND BAPTIZING, PRIESTS AND LEVITES FROM JERUSALEM, MINDFUL OF THE PROPHECY IN MALACHI [4:5,6,]
HAD QUESTIONED JOHN. THEY ASKED WHETHER HE WAS THE PROMISED MESSIAH OR ELIJAH OR ONE OF THE OTHER PROPHETS. JOHN DENIED BEING ANY OF THEM AND STATED THAT HE WAS THE ONE SENT TO PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE MESSIAH.
BUT THE RUMORS DID NOT STOP, AND, WHEN HE DIED AND JESUS ACTIVITY INCREASED, THE PEOPLE BEGAN TO IDENTIFY JESUS AS JOHN BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE, AS ELIJAH, AS THE PROPHET OF DEUTERONOMY [18:15], OR AS THE ONE OF THE OTHER PROPHETS. MARK [8:27,28]. THOUGH ALL THIS FELL SHORT OF REALITY, IT TESTIFIES TO THE IMPRESSION CHRIST MADE ON THOSE WHO HEARD ABOUT HIM.
HEROD'S REACTION WAS DICTATED BY AN EVIL CONSCIENCE.
AT THIS POINT MARK RECORDS WHAT HAPPENED TO JOHN SOMETIME BEFORE THIS IN THE FORTRESS OF MACHAERUS NEAR THE DEAD SEA. HEROD HAD IMPRISONED JOHN TO SATISFY HIS "WIFE'S DEMANDS. HEROD HAD WANTED TO KILL JOHN, BUT FEARED TO DO SO, BECAUSE, HE KNEW JOHN TO BE A RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY MAN (MATTHEW 14:5). STRANGE AS IT MAY SEEM, HEROD LIKE TO LISTEN TO JOHN, ALTHOUGH HE WAS "GREATLY PUZZLED," SOMETHING TO BE EXPECTED OF A MAN WHO HAD VIOLATED EVERYTHING GOD HAD ORDERED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. THIS EXPLAINS WHY JOHN'S IMPRISONMENT WAS LESS HARSH THAN USUAL MATTHEW [11:2] AND LUKE [ 7:19] RECORD THAT HIS DISCIPLES WERE PERMITTED TO VISIT HIM. THIS INFURIATED HERODIAS. FINALLY HER CHANCE FOR REVENGE CAME AND HER PLANNING PAID OFF. BUT THE MOST TRAGIC CHARACTER IN THIS SOAP- OPERA- LIKE AFFAIR WAS HEROD. DISTRESSED, YES! BUT HIS PRIDE DID NOT PERMIT HIM TO RECANT HIS OATH. HE FEARED MEN MORE THAN GOD. WHAT A WARNING FOR US TO READ IT!
AND JOHN? HE HAD NO TIME TO PREPARE FOR DEATH. IN WALKED A SOLDIER, AND OFF CAME JOHN'S HEAD. BUT HE WAS PREPARED, HE KNEW HIS SAVIOR. WHILE IN PRISON, WHEN HIS MIND ONCE RAISED QUESTIONS, HE SENT HIS DISCIPLES TO CHRIST., "ARE YOU THE ONE WHO IS TO COME; OR SHOULD WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER"? JESUS SAID: " GO TELL JOHN WHAT YOU HEAR AND SEE. THE BLIND REGAIN THEIR SIGHT, THE LAME WALK, LEPERS ARE CLEANSED, THE DEAF HEAR, THE DEAD ARE RAISED, AND THE POOR HAVE THE "GOOD NEWS" PROCLAIMED TO THEM, AND BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO TAKES NO OFFENSE AT ME. MATT. [12:5]
THOUGH JOHN DIED AT [33], WE NEED NOT FEEL SORRY FOR HIM. HE DIED TRUSTING AND BELIEVING IN THE "SAVIOR" WHOSE WAY HE PREPARED. IT IS HEROD, HERODIAS, SALOME, AND THE GUESTS AT THE BANQUET WHOM WE FEEL SORRY FOR. LATER IN HOLY WEEK, HEROD HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF QUESTIONING CHRIST PERSONALLY, BUT HIS RECORD THEN IS NO BETTER THAN IT WAS WITH JOHN. THE DISCIPLES OF JOHN, CLEARLY WITH HEROD'S PERMISSION CAME AND TOOK THE BODY AND BURIED IT. "AMEN."
No comments:
Post a Comment