The Servant Stirs Conviction Mark 6:14-29 Introduction

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1 Introduction The sixth chapter of Mark is filled with opportunities. For the disciples it includes the opportunity to know the Servant (vv.1-6); and share the Servant s Word (vv.7-13). Now comes another opportunity for at least one man--herod. It is the opportunity to repent of sin (vv.14-29). Herod Antipas was called the tetrarch of the Galilee and Perea but he preferred the title king. Jesus has experienced a measure of success as a country preacher. Knowledge of his miracles and ministry have swept like a brush-fire throughout the region of the Galilee. Jesus has been rejected for the second time in his home town of Nazareth. He has just sent out the disciples on a preaching, healing, deliverance and revival circuit meetings with amazing response and success. News of the Servant s ministry has reached the ears of man deeply troubled in his conscience. The man is Herod Antipas. His father Herod the Great left him and his two brothers with the ruling responsibilities under the watchful eye of their Roman overlords. Herod the Great, as you might recall, was the wicked king who tried to snuff out the young life of Jesus a few decades earlier in the little town of Bethlehem. In this passage of Scripture, we read the story of Herod s troubled conscience as he remembers the horrible thing he has done to the Messiah s herald John the Baptist. The Servant Jesus was preceded by the ministry of John the Baptist. Jesus himself said, Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist (Matt.11:11; Luke 7:28). That alone should cause us to carefully examine his influence on King Herod Antipas. John the Baptist served as the conscience for a brief period to the nation Israel. Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins he preached relentlessly to the people, condemning sin and urging righteousness among the common as well as the not so common people. John s compelling message, along with his absolute commitment to truth had attracted him to the aging king Herod Antipas, tetrarch of the Galilee and Perea. Because John was a man who told the truth and exposed sin, he also exposed the sin of Herod. He had unlawfully married his niece, worse she was the wife of his own half-brother Herod Phillip. John the Baptist in public denounced this evil thing and urged Herod to turn from his sin and submit to the true and living God of his ancestors. You see, Herod had Jewish blood coursing through his veins and was completely aware of the law and the ordinances given in Scripture concerning his wicked behavior. Rather than deal with the public humiliation of one of his subjects constant haranguing, he had John the Baptist thrown into his own private dungeon, in his own private fortress, to silence the scathing rebukes of the camel-clad prophet. John s boldness, and goodness, and truthfulness put Herod on a spiritual roller coaster ride. A strange attraction to the truth, yet a horror of what the truth exposed, his own sinful condition. For political reasons Herod arrested him, for personal reasons, his vicious, evil wife Herodias would have the Baptist killed. She would silence the voice crying in the wilderness, but not the tortured conscience of a man who would be king. She silenced the Servant s herald, but in the process set in motion the death of her unlawful husband s conscience. 1

2 Herod s Conscience Stabbed! (vv.14-16) Mark 6:14 Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him. Mark 6:15; Others said, It is Elijah. And others said, It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets. Mark 6:16; But when Herod heard, he said, This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead! Does Herod (4B.C.-39 AD) really believe John the Baptist is risen from the dead? I don t think so. This is not bad theology talking. This is a guilty conscience. H.L. Mencken supported Germany in WWII; hated Christianity and was a frank admirer of Nietzsche. He wrote, Conscience is the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking. A guilty conscience can have a very good memory. Herod s problem is the the problem all human beings face concerning Jesus. Who is He really? In Herod s case, his conscience reminded him of his evil deed, but again, rather than repent, he believes that John has somehow come back from the grave to condemn him, to accuse him, to destroy him. The haunting memory of the holy man caused memories to be stirred of the terrible day of John s death. Many people are unable to accept the claim of Jesus to be God s unique Son. Those who take the time to consider who Jesus is--often make up their explanations for his power and his authority. I have heard people claim Jesus was an alien hybrid from another planet, or he was the illegitimate offspring of a space traveller and the human Mary. Some insist he is another incarnation of Krishna, the spirit brother of Lucifer (LDS); the archangel Michael, a good moral teacher, a good man, perhaps even the best man who has ever lived; or an ascended Master, come to lead and guide humanity into a deeper level of consciousness. In our text, the rumors were flying over the origin and identity of Jesus. Those who are familiar with the Old Testament thought he was Elijah. Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord (Mal.4:5). Others believed he was a teaching prophet in the tradition of Moses, Isaiah, or Jeremiah. Have you ever wondered why so many people have so many strange ideas, thoughts, opinions, about Jesus? I believe at least one reason (and I know there are many more motivations) is that if they can somehow call Jesus something less than God-in-the-flesh, absolute ruler, king of kings and Lord of Lords, they can somehow lessen his sovereign claim on their lives, his right to their souls, his ultimate responsibility to judge every thought and deed. Whatever people think, however misguided, however sincere, however misinformed, does not change who Jesus is! We all have a conscience (Romans 2:15). It either accuses or excuses our actions. The human conscience is a moral organ, an inner voice that compels its owner to the right thing. In Herod s case, the thing was to listen to the Servant of God, acknowledge his sin and turn from it. But 2

3 Herod neither listened to John or his conscience, instead he was manipulated by the voice of his wife, demanding that John s voice be silenced! Herod s Conscience Stirred! (vv.17-20) Mark 6:17 For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip s wife; for he had married her. Mark 6:18 For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for you have your brother s wife. Mark 6:19 Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; Mark 6:20 for 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. At first Herod s conscience is stabbed, as he realizes and remembers that he has done wrong. But he cannot have John making wild accusations against he and his wife (true accusations). At her request she sends for John and has him imprisoned at their fortress called Machirus; in a desolate wilderness with no hope of escape. Herod Antipas is the tetrarch of the land. The word tetrarch means that he is a ruler of the one fourth of the land of the province, the Roman province of Judea, which stretches just north of Arabia, to slightly south of what is modern Lebanon. He is the Son of Herod the Great (d. 4.B.C.). There was a dispute bout his inheritance and rule. It had to be resolved by the Emperor in Rome. At some point he met his brothers wife Herodias. Herodias was a wicked and unprincipled woman who had ambitions of being the wife of a tetrarch. There were two problems: She was married to the brother of Antipas (Philip)and Antipas was married to the fourth daughter of King Aretas IV of Arabia (Phasaelis). It sounds like a soap opera (novella). The marriage of Antipas to the daughter of King Aretas of Arabia was to insure the peace, safety and good will of the two kingdoms. Aretas was a friend to Rome and an ally to keep the hostile armies of the Parthians at bay. If Herod Antipas divorces his wife--it will no doubt offend Aretas--and possibly invite a bloody war of retribution. Antipas doesn t care. Herodias is like a fox. What Herod wants--herod gets--he seduces his brothers wife, divorces his wife and alienates a strong ally, breaks the Levitical Law which forbids a brother to marry a brothers wife, unless the brother is dead and childless. Further it is forbidden to marry the daughter--of a brother--which is in fact the relationship of Herod to Herodias. My what a tangled web we weave. John the Baptist brings this whole sordid thing to everyone s attention. It is not lawful for you to have your brothers wife. No kidding. Some people are deeply offended when their sins are exposed. Herodias is no exception. Often when our sins are exposed it reveals something else. In the case of Herodias she is willing to murder the Baptist if that will make him keep his mouth shut. She was willing to silence the voice of her critic. It would seem that something awful had happened to her own conscience. 3

4 Her conscience had long since stopped speaking--seared by her own lust for power and position and ambition. She had no right or power to silence John so she waited for the right opportunity. Look again at verse 20; For Herod feared John... There is something about goodness and decency and righteousness and truth that is very attractive. John and Herod develop an odd relationship. Herod loves what John has to say--and hates what John has to say! Herod knows his sin has been exposed, but he cannot bring himself to actually take the advise of the Baptist. How like the world in which we live. Do what is right. Affirm family values. But who s values and which family should model those values. Evil is frightened by goodness. Impurity is fascinated by purity. In that strange in-between-world Herod Antipas protected John. It would be like a Mob boss protecting the local priest and parish where his wife and children go to church. Herodias is not so ambivalent. She is ready to murder the Baptist. This is exactly the burning hatred and deep animosity already manifest in the religious leaders against Jesus. Kill the voice that s troubling you. If you can t live with your conscience--kill it--silence it--put it to death. Cowardice asks the question, Is it safe? Expedience asks the question. Is it political? Vanity asks, Is it popular? But conscience asks the question, Is it right? Herod s Conscience Seduced! (vv.21-25) Notice how quickly Herod s voice is completely seared and hardened. Sin, if given an opportunity will always manifest itself. Herod throws a wild birthday bash. The tipsy Tetrarch winds up biting off more than he can chew. In his palace fortress, he invites all the leading officials, all the VIPS, all his face-book friends to his important birthday party. I am almost sure that friends and dignitaries from Rome were on hand. Below in Herod s dungeon the man of God lay languishing. Perhaps in a quiet moment of despair, there was in John s heart a moment of doubt. Is my ministry complete? What is left for me to do? Am I to remain in Herod s prison? To die in Herod s prison? In Matthew s Gospel 11: Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding his twelve disciples, that he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, Are you the coming One, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said to them, Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me. 4

5 I m not offended John must have quietly thought. I love the truth. I love the Lord. I m not offended by the truth. Herod s wife is offended by the truth. Are you offended by the truth? Does Jesus offend you? Are you offended by the truth about yourself? Jesus said, Oh how happy is he who is not offended because of Me! Hang in there John. I m coming to get you. You mean deliver me from prison? From death? No, I mean the prison of sin and the sting of death. I m going to raise you from the dead. Upstairs in the luxury and warmth, in the light and the food and the music, the burning hatred of Herodias finds the opportunity to extinguish the fire of offense. Kill him. Kill the Baptist. I want him dead, I want his head. I want to stare into his lifeless eyes and spit in his dead face and mock the mouth that dared utter such insane accusations that I am wrong, I m in sin! I am not going to listen to a preacher tell me what to do! Herod has made a hasty vow. He has sworn a foolish oath and made a foolish promise. One sin leads to another. His vow was sinful. The request worse. It is wrong to break a promise? I sometimes think in cases like this, it is a greater sin to keep your promise! But I promised my unbelieving girlfriend or boyfriend that I would do this! I made a promise! You wouldn t want me to go back on my word? Yes --I would insist that you go back on your word, if your word causes you to break the word of God! Conscious is when you are aware of something, and conscience is when you wish you weren t. Herod s Conscience Sorry! (vv.26-29) Herod has made a foolish boast. Now under pressure, peer pressure, he caves in. What will people think? What will they say if I go back on my word? They will laugh and make fun of me in the royal halls of Rome! I ll be the laughingstock of the Empire! Herod was sorry. He was very sorry. He was sorry he made the promise. Worse, he was sorry he kept the promise. Judas was sorry he betrayed the Lord of Glory. Herod is sorry that in drunken lust, he has condemned an innocent man to die. The Baptist s crime? He told the truth. Perhaps this Baptist--this dead Baptist was the only man who had the courage to tell Herod Antipas the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Perhaps this was in part the strange fascination that Herod had with this wonderful man, this holy man, this righteous man, this just man. What a mistake. Sorrow that leads to the death of others or the death of oneself is not godly sorrow. It is not godly repentance. Herod Antipas could not refuse her. The voice inside was strangely silenced when he saw the wild hair and the long strange beard that overflowed the serving platter of pure silver. Caving into pressure, well meaning friends and family think they know what s best for you. May I caution you about something? Never listen to advice about right and wrong, truth and error, belief, heaven, hell, from unbelievers. Unbelievers do not have a clue how to honor God. Under 5

6 pressure, the true stuff of character begins to shine through. Under pressure, Herod, the man who would be king, slays the kings messenger. Under pressure Herod is sorry. Are you under pressure? Are your friends and family begging you, urging you to dishonor God and Christ? How will you respond? When you are faced with hardship, loss, inconvenience or downright pain, how will you respond? In the face of disease or the threat of death, what will you do? How will you deal with the pressure? A Lady in Victorian England--when her husband was absent, lost both her children to the deadly disease cholera. She laid them out with a mother s tenderness, spread a sheet over their bodies and waited for her husband to return. A person lent me some jewels, she told her husband on his return; and now He wants them back. What ever shall I do? Return them by all means, said the husband. Then she led the way, and silently uncovered the forms of her children. Under pressure how will you respond? When John s disciples heard what had happened they came for his body and buried it in a tomb. Matthew s gospel adds... and came to tell Jesus what happened. Under pressure--they told Jesus what happened. Conclusion Under most circumstances, this is where the story would end. But this is not the last recorded message we get on Herod Antipas. In Luke s gospel (chapter 23) Now when Herod saw Jesus, He was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracles done by him. Then he questioned him in many words, but he answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. Then Herod, with his men of war, treated him with contempt and mocked him, arrayed him in a gorgeous robe and sent him back to Pilate. And note this special insight. That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with one another. Herod wanted to see Jesus because he thought that might amuse him. There is no conscience here. There is no healthy respect, fear, or spiritual conviction. Herod stood face to face with absolute goodness, absolute truth, absolute love. And Herod mocked Him. Herod looked into the face of Jesus and saw nothing. Worse--Jesus looked into Herod s face and saw nothing in Herod. It was the death of a conscience, the death of a soul. Is that possible? To be so jaded, so hard that a person can stand face to face with Jesus and see nothing and feel nothing? Is it possible to ignore the promptings of a conscience, to deny, to bury, to ignore, the pounding and prompting of a conscience as it hangs on for dear life! The message is to believer and unbeliever alike--do not neglect or ignore your conscience. Accepting Jesus is the right thing to do. Do not ignore your conscience when it exposes your sin and points you to Jesus as the solution to your sin. 6

7 Remember The Lessons Listen to the Servant of God. Listen To Jesus. Listen to the warnings of Scripture; embrace the promises of God; accept forgiveness of sin based on the sacrifice of Jesus. Listen to your conscience. In the Book of Acts we find Paul saying;...i myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. or I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. Paul wrote (1 Cor. 4:4) My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me... Do not make foolish promises you cannot keep. Keep your answers simple and sincere. Let your yes be yes and your no no. Remember a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Under pressure--do not listen to the expectations and advice of the ungodly. Are you offended at Jesus? Do not compound your sin by refusing and ignoring the offer of salvation found only in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have promised someone you will continue in sin rather than honor God; break you word and keep God s Word. Martin Luther King Jr. challenged a generation. There comes a time when one must take a position that s neither safe, nor political, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him that it s right. 7