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 he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married. -- Mark 6:16-17
Jesus' fame has spread far and wide. Herod Antipas hears of him and fears that he might be John the Baptist re-incarnated. John had baptized Jesus and pointed to him as the Messiah who was foretold by the prophets of old. Jesus has healed thousands with the touch of his hands. He has cast out violent demons. He has even raised a little girl from the dead. Now, Herod sees the power that lives in Jesus and thinks that the spirit of John has inhabited Jesus.
Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great (the one who killed all the babies when Jesus was born). Herod the Great had many wives, mostly for political reasons. He married a Samaritan woman named Malthace. She had a son named Herod Philip. He married a Jewess named Mariamne. She had two sons Alexander and Aristobulus. Herod has both murdered along with their mother when he thinks they are plotting against him (they probably were). He had a wife named Cleopatra (not the famous one ... the asp had killed her a few hundred years before this). He married another Mariamne (the Hasmonean). She had two sons: Archelaus and Herod Antipas.
After Herod the Great died (in 6 b.c.), Archelaus became ruler over the southern part of the kingdom (including Jerusalem). He was a sickly young man and was a terrible leader. He was exiled and replaced by his fourteen year old brother, Herod Antipas. Herod Antipas would rule until 39 a.d.
Herod Antipas' brother, Herod Philip, was married to an ambitious woman named Herodias. They had a daughter named Salome. Herodias decided that Herod Antipas was a better bet, so she packed her things and moves to his palace.
Enter John the Baptist. What does he do? He speaks against Herod Antipas and Herodias ... against their adulterous affair and illegitimate marriage. He speaks the truth. That's what a prophet is supposed to do. No matter the consequences. No matter the political climate. No matter the popular opinion. No matter the magnitude of power against him.
The prophet speaks the truth, and truth has a way of cutting. Herod Antipas didn't like getting cut. None of us do. But, in a strange inexplicable way, he loved listening to John. He was intrigued by him. If there was one thing Herod knew about, it was power, and he knew that John had it. Not political power or financial power or influential power ... but true, pure power ... power that comes from an other-worldly source. He recognized John's power; he recognized that it was far greater than his own power, and he was afraid of him. Herodias, on the other hand, wasn't afraid of anything. She uses her daughter to get John the Baptist's head on a platter. John is murdered and his disciples scatter.
But it doesn't end there. Truth doesn't die with one person. With John's death the truth he spoke (Word of God) becomes even stronger. It lives in Jesus. Herod was wrong ... Jesus wasn't John the Baptist reincarnated ... that's silly. But, what Herod rightly saw in Jesus was power ... Pure, unadulterated power ... the power of God concentrated in one life. A thousand deaths cannot kill it. Herod was right to be afraid. Jesus said, "I am the TRUTH ..." and even a Roman cross could not kill him. The TRUTH never dies.
blessings,
pastor ellis
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