The Beheading of John the Baptist (Matthew 14: 1-11 Exposition)

Introduction.

Over the years as I’ve talked to people about the Lord, and I’ve had someone just flat out tell me they did not believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God or the Messiah. On some of those occasions I have said to them then what is your explanation to whom Jesus was if he is not who he said he was. If Jesus Christ is not the Son of God, if Jesus Christ and is not the Messiah promised in the Old Testament then in your opinion who was he. Some say he was good moral man, or he was a great teacher, or just the founder of religion called Christianity. But what intrigues me is how did they arrive at that conclusion.

On some occasions I do actually ask say to that person how did you arrive at that conclusion, or to say the same thing another way why would you say that. What I’d like to do today is ask those of questions of ourselves today and hopefully come up with some reasonable explanations that might help us we face similar reactions to our faith and our saviour in everyday life. I would like us to look at some common explanation of who some people think Jesus was but I would also like us to dig a little deeper and find out some more about why people think that way. This is broader than just asking questions about who Jesus Christ is, there is a sense in which the passage we’re going to look at goes way beyond that and looks at decisions people make and why they make them.

This passage has a story about someone who came to a conclusion about who Jesus was and Matthew included it in his Gospel account to tell us not only why what one fella said but why he said it and, in the process, gives us some insight into decisions we make and why we make them. So with that in mind when you turn with me to Matthew chapter 14 Matthew chapter 14 and I’m going to begin reading with verse one.

Reading – Matthew 14: 1-12.

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. 4 Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 6 But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. 7 Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.” 9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. 10 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it and went and told Jesus.

(Matthew 14: 1-12)

Exposition – Scene I

This is the story of Herod the Tetrarch, and it reads like a soap opera. As a matter of fact I would suggest that if you understand this story it’s very similar to what we hear on modern soap operas today. There are several soap opera type stories in the Old Testament, but this is by far and away the most dramatic soap opera type course of events  in the New Testament. I’s all about Herod, and what he believed, yet clustered around him are several other figures that play in the plot of this story. So, what I want us to do is look primarily at Herod but in the process also look at some of the other minor players in this story.

It all begins with Herod’s well let’s call it his confusion, it tells us in verse one that Herod the Tetrarch, who was a political leader at that time in Israel.  I need to pause here and just explain that when we hear the word Herod we automatically think of Herod Agrippa who was a political leader at the time Christ was born. He was the person who ordered that all the children two years of age and under be slaughtered. I’m sure you remember that story it’s connected with the wise men. However, this is not the same man, as a matter of fact that Herod died in four BC and this Herod was his second son he is better known as Herod Antipas. So this is not Herod the great it’s Herod Antipas it’s sort of like though not exactly George Bush being president and some years later his son becoming president, only the difference is they two Herod’s in this story didn’t exactly hold the same office as their fathers and they were in different parts of the country. So, this is not Herod the Great, it’s Herod Antipas here identified as Herod the Tetrarch, which was the position he held.

The first it says is that he heard a report about Jesus. For him to finally hear about what’s going on in Palestine was not unusual especially since he was one of the political leaders in the region. But some suggest that he had not heard about Jesus up until this point for the simple reason that he had been out of the country at any rate at this point in the life of Jesus Christ Herod Antipas hears about all the miracles that Jesus is doing, apparently this is a reference to the miracles that Jesus as doing in Capernaum not just Nazareth which we looked at in the latter part of chapter 13. At any rate the plot is, Herod hears about Jesus, I look at verse 2 and he said to his servant, this is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him”.

So  he hears about Jesus and comes to this incredible conclusion that whoever this fellow named Jesus is, he is actually really John the Baptist. You see although Matthew hasn’t mentioned it up until this point John the Baptist was dead already so Herod has to conclude that Jesus is John the Baptist who has come back from the dead. In the world I’ve heard all kinds of explanations of who people thought Jesus was this one really is one for the books.  In Matthew chapter 14 at any rate, Herod is perplexed about Jesus thinking he is John the Baptist. As a matter of fact, I’m using the word perplexed advisedly because in Luke’s account of the same incident he uses the word perplexed.

So, the story opens with Herod being perplexed now look at verses 3 & 4.

“ For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.  Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”

(Matthew 14: 3-4)

In the New Testament when a sentence begins with the word for or therefore, that tells us that the author is about to give us either an explanation or a reason for what he has just said so far. The first couple of verses are telling us that Harrods got it all messed up I mean really messed up he thinks Jesus is the resurrected John the Baptist now Matthew is going to explain to us how Herod reached such a conclusion.

Virtually all the Bible teachers that study this passage all that I’m aware of conclude that beginning at verse three there is a flashback now that is almost certainly what is happening here as the details of what comes next prove conclusively because John the Baptist was already dead. That’s obvious from the fact that Herod was saying he was raised from the dead so that means he was already dead and what follows is an explanation of how he died so this is an author's literary technique so to speak of starting with the conclusion and then having a flashback as to explain the conclusion that Herod had reached. To put the same thing another way in this passage versus one and two is what Herod concluded in the rest of the passage in verses 3 to 12 we are given of how he arrived at such a conclusion and the text tells us Herod had laid hold of John and bound him and had put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. (Matthew 14: 3)

Now we need to pause here for a second, I need to explain what is happening here. By the way we know this not only because of the Bible text but because there was a 1st century historian named Josephus and he records these events as well. So, we have confirmation of this outside the text here. Herod Antipas had a half-brother named Phillip he was not a political leader but he was a wealthy individual who lived in Rome. Herod took a trip to Rome to visit and his wife who was called Herodias. Herod seduced her convinced her to marry him, so he came back and divorced his wife and married Herodias, and that’s what verse three is telling us. As a result of that John the Baptist gets arrested because John had said to him it is not lawful for you to take your brother’s wife as your wife. 

Under the law of Moses John the Baptist knew that Herod had broken the moral law by divorcing his wife and marrying this other woman. This would have also involved Herod first seducing his brother’s wife thereby having an affair outside of marriage and John the Baptist spoke and probably preached against him which got him arrested and thrown in prison. That’s what is going on here, and the next verse says what Herod wanted to do.

And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

(Matthew 14: 5)

What Herod wanted to do was eliminate John the Baptist totally but this verse tells us he feared the man in the street because they considered John a prophet. So, Herod is just confounded on all sides. I mean this man’s got some problems here he’s got a messed-up marriage and he’s got this popular prophet out there preaching that he shouldn’t have divorced his wife he shouldn’t have had an affair. So  he wants to kill him but he can't do that because the guy is so popular. Furthermore he’s being haunted that maybe this Jesus is John the Baptist come back from the dead because what we haven't seen yet and we'll see in a minute is at this point John the Baptist is dead.

So now we have the flashback as to how John the Baptist got killed and how he arrived at the conclusion that Jesus was John the Baptist resurrected from the dead. But before we go on I want to just pause and say that as we go through this passage I want to look at some of the motivations of these people and the decisions they make.

The text tells us what was Herod’s motivation was in part at this point the fact that he feared the crowd, so clearly the decision he made at this point was not to kill John the Baptist and the reason was because he was afraid that if he did there would be a popular uprising. So let me draw picture of Herod before we go on with the story. Herod Antipas from everything we know about him was probably a very striking, man he obviously was ambitious and he was sensuous, today we would call him a womanizer, he was a ladies man, he was also a violent suspicious paranoid and wicked individual and underneath all of that he was a fearful man. He feared the people and what is not immediately obvious what will become obvious as we penetrate the story is he was a man guilty of what John said he had done.

That’s the story up to this point that if you like is the end of scene 1.

But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

(Matthew 14: 6-7)

Exposition – Scene II.

The next thing we need to see is scene 2 where Herod has a party  where Herod’s birthday was celebrated. It is here we see the daughter of Herodias danced before him and seduced Herod to the point that he promised to give her whatsoever she might ask for. So, she having been prompted by her mother said give me John the baptist's head on a plate. Remember this is Herod’s birthday party, he gathered all of his friends together he’s the ruler and he’s got the power and he wants a birthday party, he’s got a new wife and apparently this girl dancing was a daughter by her previous marriage. The daughter of all things comes in and dances before all these men and the text says she danced before them, and it pleased them.

He was clearly let himself be seduced by this girl, estimates vary as to  how old she was but almost everybody concludes that she was probably a teenager. The oldest estimate I’ve seen is that she was seventeen I’ve seen some guesses that she was as young as twelve I suspect she was older than 12 but one of the Greek words used experts tell me she was a teenage so most likely 15-17 years old and probably very nice looking and she probably walked in and did this sensuous dance in front of everyone. Clearly there is an element of shamelessness in that her she was a royal Princess and here she is acting as a dancing girl  bible experts agree that the dance was no doubt suggestive and out of character for a royal princess.

Herod is so taken up with her he says to her, you name it and I’ll give it to you he says in verse seven. In fact, he swears an oath so in a sense he hand this girl a blank cheque. Now the girl wasn’t sure what to do, but her mother was heavily involved in in her life so her mother says he is a suggestion. Now, remember the fact that her mother and Herod had a problem with this guy named John the Baptist. He had publicly denounced her marriage so I think it is safe to assume that she didn’t like this guy. It might be safe to say that she was angry at this him you might even push it a little further and say she hated him and the truth is based on what happens next she obviously was vengeful and vindictive. So, she says I’ll tell you what to ask for.

So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.”

(Matthew 14: 8)

Using her daughter to gain a revenge on the man man that had justly rebuked her. She was a woman who did not hesitate to use her own daughter to realize her own vindictive ends. It would be bad enough if she herself had herself taken vengeance on a man of God who condemned her, but it was infinitely worse that she used her daughter for her purposes and made her such a great sinner. What can we say about a parent who uses a child in order to achieve some evil personal purpose. What a sordid pathetic story, like I said it reminds me of a modern soap opera. What happens next, is that because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him he commanded it be given to her and so he sent and had John beheaded in prison and the head was brought on a platter and given to the girl and she gave it to the mother very. Clearly Herod fulfilled his promise he made a decision and he was sorry for that decision. I don’t doubt that the sorry or the sorrow but now he is  again perplexed and torn between two decisions, but the text says and I want you to look at this this is I think insightful, verse nine.

And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.0 So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

(Matthew 14: 1-11)

Herod is more pressured by the people on the outside than he is by his conscience on the inside. Remember back in verse five it says that he was fearful, so here's a man who makes decisions out of fear. Here is a man who is beholden to the crowd and not to his conscience so he sends out the order and John the Baptist is beheaded there’s no trial. That was illegal, he just had him thrown in prison which we’re told earlier in the passage but now be driven by the hate and the vindictiveness of his wife he has John the Baptist killed.

Somebody has said here is the decision of a weak man, he broke a great law he had promised the daughter his daughter-in-law to give her anything she asked little thinking what she would request what she did. He knew well that to grant her request and so keep his oath was to break a greater law and yet he chose to do it because he was too weak to admit his error. He was more frightened of a woman’s tantrum than of the moral law, he was more frightened of the criticism and perhaps the amusement of his guests than the voice of his own conscience. Herod was a man who could take a firm stand on the wrong thing even when he knew what right and such a stand was is a sign not of strength but of weakness. He was more faithful of the crowd than his own conscience. A breach of etiquette was more important to him than breaking the 10 commandments so that’s how John the Baptist met his end and that is basically is the end of the story, but Matthew adds a foot note.

But Matthew adds a footnote, and we shall consider that footnote tomorrow and consider what this story was meant to teach the disciple 2000 years ago and us here now today.