Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, February 26, 2023

The Original Jesus Freak!

Today, Pastor Michael is continuing our journey in Mark.  Jesus, at this time, was traveling, preaching, and gaining quite a following. Unfortunately, Jesus has gotten Herod’s attention, and Herod has mixed Jesus up with John the Baptist.  The Herod here is Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, so you have the backstory in this complicated story. 

The story itself is beyond reality television but suffice it to say, there’s a marriage involved, a divorce involved, and a whole bunch of hurt feelings.  Herodias hated John and demanded that Herod put him to death because John called her out for a marriage that wasn’t legit.  Herod didn’t think this was right, feeling that John the Baptist was divinely inspired and a true prophet, so he just put him in jail instead of killing him.

This didn’t, of course, satisfy the wrath of Herodias, and she plotted to have Salome perform a provocative dance. Of course, Herod did not mind the dance, Salome being his stepdaughter, niece, step-niece, etc. (I told you it was insanely complicated!) Herod, at this point, says to Salome that he will grant her anything. But, she replies, she wants the head of John the Baptist right now!

John the Baptist, meanwhile, was a man who knew where his faith was when the executioner came.  When the executioners brought John’s head in on a platter, it looked like the good guys had lost.  John was dead, and the conspirers were alive; is that fair?

A few short years after this, Herod and Herodias were banished to Gaul and never heard from again.  John the Baptist’s legacy lives on.  In the grand story of history, who had the more significant impact?  John won in history.  

Living for Jesus may mean you take a hit on this earth, but you may change the trajectory of many by your obedience. 

Mark 6:17-18 (CSB Study Bible Notes) 6:16-17 Herod’s belief that Jesus was John the Baptist resurrected prompted him to reflect fearfully on the one he had beheaded (see Josephus, Ant., 18.5.2). John was imprisoned (1:14) on account of Herodias. Herodias was formerly married to Herod’s half-brother, Herod Philip, and had a daughter with him named Salome. Herod Antipas convinced Herodias to leave Philip and marry him instead. 

To clear the way, Herod Antipas had to divorce his own wife. 6:18 John the Baptist repeatedly condemned this marriage as not lawful (Lv 18:16; 20:21).

Verses can be found today in Mark 6: 14-29.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.