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Matthew 14:1-12 (John the Baptist beheaded)

INTRODUCTION: Today we are beginning a new series on the next section in the gospel of Matthew that focuses on miracles and controversy (Matthew 14-17).

This mirrors a previous section from Matthew that we already covered which focused on miracles and conflict (Matthew 8-12). In that section we first looked at ten miracles of Jesus (Matthew 8-9) followed by a series of conflicts that arose as Jesus and his disciples went forth on mission (Matthew 10-12). Unlike that previous section, which had all the miracles first and then the conflict, this section intersperses the miracles and the controversy.

The miracles and the controversy in this section are related. Some of the miracles themselves are controversial; other times the simple fact that Jesus is performing miracles stirs up controversy between Jesus and the religious leaders.

The section begins with a controversy over Jesus’ identity prompted by his miracles. When King Herod hears reports about Jesus, he wonders if Jesus could actually be John the Baptist risen from the dead and that’s why miraculous powers are at work in him. (Read Matthew 14:1-5 and pray.)

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John the Baptist was the first person to die for Christ. I say “first” because many others followed in his footsteps. The persecution of Christians has been a reality throughout the history of the church, and it continues even today. Nina Shea writes in her book on Christian persecution:

“Millions of American Christians pray in their churches each week, oblivious to the fact that Christians in many parts of the world suffer brutal torture, arrest, imprisonment and even death — their homes and communities laid waste — for no other reason than that they are Christians. The shocking untold story of our time is that more Christians have died in [the twentieth] century simply for being Christians than in the first nineteen centuries after the birth of Christ.” (In the Lion’s Den, p. 1)

Although dying for Christ might seem like a far-fetched notion here in twenty-first century America, it is a reality for many Christians around the world. Let me read you a few recent headlines from the news:

– 11/13/20 – Nigerian Pastor, 13+ Christians captured in spree of terrorist kidnappings
– 11/19/20 – Christians’ homes attacked by 2,000+ mob in India
– 11/27/20 – Christians in Indonesia beheaded and burned alive in attack
– 12/24/20 – Boko Haram kills 11, abducts pastor on Christmas Eve

Each of those news stories took place just in the last two months. Persecution of Christians is common, it is global, and it is severe.

Of course, the question that comes up when we read accounts of Christians facing severe persecution is, “Could I do that? Could I die for Christ? Could I pay the ultimate price?” Well, John the Baptist did, and I believe God calls us to be ready to do the same. When you follow Christ, you can expect to face persecution from those who do not know Christ.

I. You can expect people to be confused about Jesus (verses 1-2)

For starters, you can expect people to be confused about Jesus. King Herod was certainly confused. Look at verses 1-2:

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” (Matthew 14:1-2)

Herod the tetrarch in these verses was also known as King Herod, although he is not the same King Herod that was alive at the time of Jesus’ birth. That Herod was known as Herod the Great, and he ruled over all of Palestine. The Herod here in Matthew 14 is a Herod known as Herod Antipas. He was one of the sons of Herod the Great. Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee and the land of Perea to the east of the Jordan, so his rule was much smaller than his father’s had been.

When Herod heard about Jesus and all the miracles that he was doing, he was convinced that Jesus was somehow John the Baptist come back from the dead. Now Herod was the one who had arrested John and had him beheaded, so this may have been a bit of a guilty conscience talking here.

But Herod wasn’t the only one confused. The gospels of Mark and Luke tell us that others were confused about Jesus as well. Some thought he was Elijah while others thought he was
one of the prophets from long ago who had come back to life. (Mark 6:14-16; Luke 9:7-9)

But the main point I want us to see from these verses is that people were confused about Jesus. They knew he was important, but they didn’t know why. They knew he had something to do with God, but they didn’t have a clue as to his actual identity.

I believe the same is true of so people today. So many people are confused about Jesus. They don’t have a clear understanding of who he is or why he came or what he’s done. And so, part of our responsibility as Christians is to tell them. 1) We need to tell people who Jesus is – he is the eternal Son of God who left heaven and came to earth as a man. 2) We need to tell people why he came – he came to seek and to save lost people like you and me who are separated from God because of our sins. 3) We need to tell them what he has done – he died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins so that we could be forgiven and brought back into relationship with God.

There is a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation about Jesus out there, so you can expect people to be confused. Even when you tell them the truth about Jesus, there are those who will still not understand. Some will find it hard to believe. Others will resist what you are saying. God’s Son becoming man and dying for sin is astounding news. It is astonishing. And so, first of all, you can expect people to be confused about Jesus.

II. You can expect to be persecuted for confronting sin (verses 3-5)

And then secondly, when you speak up for Christ, you can also expect to be persecuted for confronting sin. That’s what happened to John the Baptist. Look at verses 3-5:

Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet. (Matthew 14:3-5)

The reason Herod arrested John was because John had confronted him about sin in his life. Herod had married Herodias, who was his brother Philip’s wife. So, he married his brother’s wife. Now, if you think your family tree is complicated, wait until you try to unravel the relationships in the Herod family tree. To begin with, the first Herod, Herod the Great, had ten wives, two of whom had the same name (Mariamne). These ten wives bore him multiple sons many of whom also went by the name Herod. And those multiple sons had a habit of complicating things further by intermarrying within the family tree.

Let me just fill you in on the relevant people for this part of the story. We have already seen that Herod Antipas here in Matthew 14 is one of Herod the Great’s sons. Herod the Great had two other sons named Aristobulus and Philip. So, Aristobulus, Philip and Antipas were all brothers. Now Aristobulus had a daughter named Herodias. Herodias married her father’s brother, Philip, so that means Herodias married her own uncle. I told you this was complicated. Don’t worry, it gets worse!

Antipas, who is our Herod here in Matthew 14, falls in love with Herodias. At this point Herodias is both Antipas’ niece and his sister-in-law. Antipas divorces his own wife, he convinces Herodias to divorce Philip, and then Antipas and Herodias get married. So, Herodias divorced one uncle to get married to the other. The Kardashians have nothing on this family!

This is where John got into trouble. John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” This made Herod mad, so he arrested John. It made Herodias even madder, so that she wanted to kill John. Herod wanted to kill John, too, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet. And so here is John, who has done nothing wrong, bound and in prison, all because he confronted Herod with sin.

You also can expect to be persecuted for confronting sin. This is where the gospel becomes offensive to people. You can’t tell people about needing Jesus as their savior without also talking to them about their sin. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus died to save sinners, but you can’t tell people the good news without also telling them the bad news. The bad news is that we are all sinners! We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. We are all under God’s just condemnation and wrath. That’s why we need a savior. That’s why Jesus came.

Now you don’t want to be unnecessarily offensive about it and have a judgmental attitude and start picking at all the sinful things in your friends’ lives. That kind of attitude will get you nowhere. But when you take a stand for righteousness and start calling sin “sin,” you can expect to be persecuted. It happened to John, and it will happen to you.

III. You should be ready to pay the ultimate price (verses 6-12)

And then, finally, as a Christian you should be ready to pay the ultimate price for Christ. Look at verses 6-12.

On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. (Matthew 14:6-12)

So, it’s Herod’s birthday. And he has a party like no other. He has a number of guests over for dinner, and Herodias’ daughter comes in and dances for them. Herod is so pleased with the dance that he promises to give her whatever she asks.

This daughter, by the way, was the daughter of Herodias from her previous marriage to Philip. Her name was Salome, and just to show you how complicated this all gets, that means Salome was Herod’s niece through his brother Philip, while at the same time she was his grandniece and stepdaughter through his wife Herodias – who also happened to be his niece. Salome was both Philip’s daughter as well as his grandniece. And then Salome eventually went on to marry another brother of Philip from a different mother whose name also happened to be Philip (you find him named in Luke 3), and if you can figure out all the relationships from there, I will grant you an honorary degree of genealogy from this very pulpit. I am telling you, this was one messed up family.

Well, Herod tells Salome, “I will give you anything you want,” and, prompted by her mother, she asks for the head of John the Baptist on a platter, which is fairly gruesome. The king wasn’t happy about this, but there wasn’t much he could do about it either. He had made an oath, and he didn’t want to lose face in front of all his guests. Think about it, he didn’t want to lose face, but he didn’t mind if John lost his head.

So, he gives the order, and John is beheaded. The head is presented to Salome who gives it to her mother. Mission accomplished. When John’s disciples hear about this, they come for John’s body and give him a proper burial. Then they go and tell Jesus.

CONCLUSION: John the Baptist paid the ultimate price. He became the first in a long line of martyrs who have died for Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” (The Cost of Discipleship, chapter 4, p. 99) Christ certainly calls you to die to self and to die to sin, but he sometimes also calls you to die physically, to actually give up your life for Christ. I guess that is when you discover what you really believe.

And so, I would like to end with the question with which we started. Could you die for Christ? Jesus died for you. Could you die for him?

I don’t think any of us can know for sure until we are put in that situation, but I believe you can get a pretty good idea by looking at your life now. Are you living a life of obedience to Christ? Have you given up other things for Jesus? Have you ever sacrificed for Christ? If you have never given up smaller things for Christ, how will you ever be ready to pay the ultimate price? Here’s the bottom line. If you’re not living for Christ now, it is unlikely that you will be willing to die for Christ later.

Karen Watson was a missionary to Iraq who was killed on March 15, 2004. She knew the danger of what she was doing and wrote a letter long before she died. After she was killed the letter was found in an envelope marked: “Open in case of death.” Here is what it said:

Dear Pastor Phil and Pastor Roger,

You should only be opening this in the event of death. When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn’t called to a place; I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward, His glory my reward …

The missionary heart:
– Cares more than some think is wise
– Risks more than some think is safe
– Dreams more than some think is practical
– Expects more than some think is possible.

I was called not to comfort or to success but to obedience…. There is no joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him.

I don’t know if you will ever be called upon to give up your life for Christ. But if you are, you won’t be the first – that was John – and you most likely won’t be the last. As a follower of Christ, you can expect people to be confused about Jesus, you can expect persecution for confronting sin, and you should be ready to pay the ultimate price.

© Ray Fowler

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