The Prophets Foretold

Matthew 11:2-15 KJV; 3rd Sunday in Advent; The prophets foretold the coming of John the Baptist. They foretold the coming of Jesus the Messiah. Many believed. Many did not then nor do they today..

What Was Herod Thinking!

For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;

And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.

And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.

And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.

And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.

And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,

And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
                                                                                                 (Mark 6:20-28 KJV)

This enquiring mind would like to know exactly how much did King Herod have to drink when he promised that he would give Herodias anything she wanted for her daughter to dance for him even up to half of his kingdom?  Or, maybe he was just a pedophile?  Or both?

John the Baptist for sure had exposed his sin of marrying his brother's wife; but, Herod still heard John gladly. He respected John as a holy man. So, when he was asked to behead John the Baptist it grieved him greatly. But, he had promised that he would give anything and had done so publicly. In order to save face he had to do it.

We must be careful of the oaths we make to others. It is much better to promise to try than to promise to do. One never knows what actually lies in the hearts and minds of others; if they are laying a trap to turn us away from the Lord and his will.

Let us always be wary of falling into the pit that comes with making promises to others that go against the will of God. Rather, seek the Lord and to do his will  that we may do good to others and cause them no harm for God is the God and Father of all.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Do Not Fear The Dead

And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.

Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.

But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.

For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.

For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.

Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:

For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 

                                                                                                          (Mark 6:14-20 KJV)

John the Baptist had made Herod just a bit anxious.  Herod had married his brother's wife and John had called him out for it. His wife, Herodias, wanted John killed. But, Herod would not kill. He did; however, through him into prison. Eventually Herodias tricked Herod into beheading John.  So when King Herod heard about Jesus he got nervous as he thought it was possible that John that Baptist may have risen from the dead. He know that John had been a just and holy man and was most probably anxious that this holy man had come back to trouble him some more about his illegitimate wife.

John did not come back from the dead to torment anyone. But, Jesus who was crucified for our sakes did. He did not come back to torture us but to save us. By his death and resurrection it has been confirmed that all who believe in him will not perish but have everlasting life. 

No one who believes that Jesus died and lives again should ever fear the dead. Jesus came to save you. He has risen from the dead! 

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Stay Away From Temptations!

On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. Matt 14:6-12

Herod was just a little worried (maybe a lot worried) that John the Baptist spoke the truth when John condemned Herod's divorce from one woman and his subsequent marriage to Herodias, the ex-wife of his half-brother. Herod was afraid that John was indeed a prophet and servant of God. Although, Herod wanted to keep John from stirring up trouble against him, he did not want him executed. But, carried away with excitement over watching his step-daughter dance for him, Herod promised to give her whatever her heart desired. Her heart's desire, was her mother's heart's desire: the execution of John the Baptist.

We need to be careful as to how impressed and excited we get with the things of this world. Before we know it, desires of the heart may have carried us to a place that we never intended or wanted to go. We can get caught up with temptation without even realizing it until it is too late and what we would not desire to do has already been done.

The best way out of these situations is to not enter into situations that will tempt us in the first place. Do what is right because it is the right thing to do. Do what is right because it will glorify God.

God's Peace - Pr. J