Chapter # 6 Paragraph # 3 Study # 3
November 16, 2021
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
(260)
1901 ASV
16 But Herod, when he heard [thereof], said, John, whom I beheaded, he is risen.
17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her.
18 For John said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.
19 And Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him; and she could not;
20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was much perplexed; and he heard him gladly.
21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, and the high captains, and the chief men of Galilee;
22 and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and them that sat at meat with him; and the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.
23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
24 And she went out, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptizer.
25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou forthwith give me on a platter the head of John the Baptist.
26 And the king was exceeding sorry; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat at meat, he would not reject her.
27 And straightway the king sent forth a soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring his head: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the damsel; and the damsel gave it to her mother.
29 And when his disciples heard [thereof], they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
- I. Mark's Focus Upon Herod.
- A. Is entirely contained in 6:14-29 except for 8:15.
- B. Concerns Herod Antipas, one of three sons of the Herod who killed the babies of Jerusalem.
- C. Is significantly different from other gospel accounts in that Mark characterizes Herod with a bit more "complexity" than do the others: he says that Herod enjoyed listening to John.
- C. Presses his readers to consider why Herod insisted that Jesus was "John raised from the dead".
- 1. There were other options that made far more "sense".
- 2. But Herod doubled down on his claim that Jesus was John raised from the dead after being beheaded by Herod.
- a. This issue was that Herod "beheaded" the greatest man born of a woman (Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28). The guilt was constantly with him.
- b. Herod "himself", having sent, took control over John and bound him in prison. The use of krateo strongly implies his use of his soldiers to work out his goal(s).
- 1) He did this "on account of Herodias" the wife of Phillip his brother because he married her.
- a) John "was saying" to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have the wife of your brother".
- b) This was according to the Law of Moses and was a direct threat, not so much to Herod as it was to the new "wife".
- i. And this Herodias was holding a grudge against him and was willing to kill him, and was not able.
- i) The word translated "grudge" (NASB) is a word only found in three New Testament texts. Paul's use in Galatians 5:1 is the most illuminating: there it has the concept of being "enslaved to" an ideology, or attitude, that completely dominates one's "thought-life" (akin to our concept these days of someone "living rent free in another's head"; i.e., a person not being able to get free of obsessive thoughts regarding another).
- ii) The desire of Herodias was an on-going wish to be able to put John to death. She hated him because he was a threat to her status as "wife" of the "king" (tetrarch). This was not about her "love" for her husband's brother; it was about her lust for the status and privileges being a "wife" to Herod.
- iii) But, the text says, "she was completely unable" to fulfill her desire. The reason is given: Herod was more "afraid" of John than of his "wife".
- ii. This is as direct a characterization of someone being completely dominated by "status-lust" as can be found in the Scriptures: a murderous clutching of the status in the eyes of men that leads to a great many "perks".
- c) Herod heard John and was much perplexed and was gladly hearing [him].
- 2) And a timely day having come when Herod on his birthday made a banquet supper for his chief men and the commanders of thousands and the leading men of Galilee.
- a) The daughter of Herodias entered and danced to please Herod and those reclining upon the banquet couches.
- b) The king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you will and I will give to you up to half of my kingdom".