The Cost of Discipleship: John the Baptist is Matryred

Sacred text reading: Luke 14:26-27

Introduction: Sometime around the year of 1494 a man by the name of William Tyndale, was born. Mr. Tyndale attended Oxford University around 1506 and received his Bachelor of Arts in 1512. Just three years later he was awarded his Master of Arts and began studying theology at a deeper level. In 1523 William Tyndale left for London, seeking to translate the Bible into english, which is reported to have been finished around 1525. This is what William Tyndale was most famous for, translating the Bible into english and spreading it throughout Europe for all to read. Much like Martin Luther, he believed that the Bible should be accessible in every persons language, so that every person had the opportunity to read it for themselves. What many people do not know about William Tyndale was that he wrote a book 1530 called The Practice of Prelates, in protest to King Henry the VIII’s (8th) annulment, on the grounds that it contradicted the clear teaching of the Scriptures. Mr. Tyndale stood in the face of opposition, stood firm in the truth of God’s Word and for this he was a hated man. He also became a wanted man. Being deceived by a friend, he was betrayed in 1535 and given up to the empire to be tried for heresy. In a book written about William Tyndale, Tony Lane says it this way:

This villain gradually befriended Tyndale, then induced Tyndale to venture onto the streets of Antwerp with him. There, Phillips signaled soldiers who ambushed Tyndale and seized him while he was walking down a narrow passage. He was taken to the state prison in the castle of Vilvoorde, near Brussels. After a year-and-a-half of confinement, Tyndale was strangled, then burnt at the stake in Brussels on October 6, 1536. His last words, reportedly, were “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes!”

Tony Lane

Today we are going to hear a similar story, about a man who stood firm on the truth of Scripture against a Roman ruler. But, first lets remind ourselves of where we are at in the book of Mark as a whole. You can turn to Mark chapter 6.

Context: Remember two weeks ago we read about Jesus being in his hometown and being rejected. As part of that rejection and unbelief, Jesus refused to perform miracles except for a select few. Then Jesus went about the villages teaching. Then last week, Ricky explained to us the twelve disciples being sent out to evangelize, and how that translates into our own lives. Now we come to this story that helps us see that being a follower of Christ is costly. Jesus has been going around from town to town, village to village, healing and doing miraculous things. Now Herod Antipas, is hearing of these things and begins to ask who this Jesus is. Remember Mark has been presenting this question over and over again, “who do you say that Jesus is?” This is not the same Herod that we see in the story of Jesus’s birth. That was Herod the Great and this is son number 1, Herod Antipas referred to as a tetrarch, which means “ruler of a fourth part,” but was commonly the man just below the king, or the sons of a king. Herod Antipas was ruling the areas of Galilee and Perea from around 4BC to 39AD. Now, remember that in the birth story King Herod the Great had all the boys under 2 years of age killed in an attempt to kill this supposed king of the Jews that had just been born. We see this in Matthew 2:16 “Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.” Now we might ask ourselves, “Why would Herod do this?” This is because Herod the Great wanted to be the self proclaimed, King of the Jews and his kingdom was threatened by this new born baby. Now, we see the son of Herod the Great following in those same footsteps. This is important to remember because it provides the back story for the motives of both these rulers. So, Herod begins to hear the stories of this man going all around and healing people, forgiving people, and probably because the twelve disciples who were just sent out to preach, this news of Jesus has reached Herod. And so he begins to ask the people, “Who is this Jesus?”

READ THE TEXT Mark 6:14-29

Mark 6:14–29 ESV

King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

“Who do you say that Jesus is?”

V. 14-16 “Who do you say that Jesus is?”

We see the three basic answers for the answer to Herods questioning.

The text says that some were saying it was “John the Baptist” raised from the dead giving this man (Jesus) power to perform miracles. Much speculation had begun as to who this Jesus guy was, one logical answer was that it was John the Baptist, back from the dead to haunt his murderer. Some said it was “Elijah,” the prophet coming back before the judgement takes place. In Malachi 4:5-6 it reads “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” The Jews believed that that Elijah would mark the coming of the Messiah and much destruction would follow, for them Jesus was this prphecy being fulfilled. And some said that he was just another “prophet,” like those of the Old Testament. Remember at the beginning of this chapter Jesus even referred to himself as a prophet, so it was likely that many in this day simply seen Jesus in this light. But, then we see Herod sort of come to his own conclusion, that it must be John the Baptist, whom he beheaded, back from the dead. It is possible that Herod thought that God had sent John the Baptist back to punish him for beheading him.

And so the question this week remains, “who do you say that Jesus is?”

The “betrayal” and martyr of John the Baptist.

V. 17-23 The “flash back” begins.

Now we get to verses 17-29, which is this sort of flashback of Herod and how he had killed John the Baptist. Verse 17 says that Herod had sent some of his men out to seize John the Baptist and put him in prison on account of Herodias. Which was Herod’s brother’s wife, whom Herod had taken for himself. Verse 18 reveals the problem and the reason for Johns arrest; that he was trying to convince Herod that he was in the wrong. You see, John was standing firm on the truth of God’s law and told Herod that it was not lawful to take his brothers wife. Let’s look at this for a moment, turn to Leviticus 18:6 “None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the Lord.” And again in just a couple of chapters over in Leviticus 20:21 “If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.” You see, according to the Old Testament Jewish law, to take your brothers wife was unlawful, it was in a sense uncovering his nakedness. And if Herod wanted to be the King of the Jews he would have to keep these laws. Because a true king will rule under the authority and governance of the God who placed them on the throne.

It is at this point, that we are left with something to think about in our own lives. How willing are we to stand on the truth of God’s Word in a culture that is increasingly corrupt and disregarding God’s laws? How willing are we to speak out when we see something in this world that defies the very laws of God? Do we cower back in an attempt to “keep the peace” or do we say something? Are we going to shrink back in fear, or are we going to be bold for Christ? As Christians, we have been given God’s Spirit, to help us, strengthen us, guide us, and teach us. So, we can confidently say with the Psalmist in Psalm 118:6 “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” And Jesus himself reminds us in Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” I am not saying you need to run out and purposely get thrown in prison, but will you be bold in those moments when your own family members are defying the laws of God? Will you stand for God at work when everyone around you is mocking Him? Or will you be found mocking God along with them? Christian, be bold for Christ, “for your reward is great in heaven.”

We see this opposition in Herodias’ response. Verses 19 and 20 show that Herodias held a grudge against John and she wanted him dead, but Herod was keeping him safe; locked up in prison. What is interesting here is that Herod was listening to John and was even feeling the conviction of God’s law against him. It was almmost as if Herod respected John, he “gladly” listened to him although he was “greatly perplexed” by John’s message, and yet Herod protected him from Herodias who surely would have him killed. Some commentators fell that this is a parallel between the death of John and the death of Jesus. John was kept safe from being killed by a Roman ruler, yet eventually was killed by the pressure of others. Jesus likewise, was deemed not guilty by Pilate and yet the crowd turned on him, opting to save a hardened criminal and putting Jesus on the cross, betraying him. This is what we see begin to happen in verses 21-23, as Herod gives himself a birthday party, with all the nobles, the leaders, and the commanders; all the most important people in Galilee. Verses 22 and 23 says that Herodias’s daughter, which would have been Herod’s niece, came and danced for the crowd and must have pleased everyone there because Herod, offers her a wish; anything, up to half of his kingdom.

V. 24-29 The “betrayal” of John the Baptist.

Now, think about this for a second, she could have became a very wealthy young lady. But verse 24 says she went to Herodias, her mother, and asked what she should do; probably out of a desire to please her mother. Now Herodias wanted John dead but Herod kept him safe in prison, and even feared John because he was a godly man and spoke the truth for God as a prophet. And if Herod was to just kill John, the Jews would have went into an uproar in the streets for killing one of God’s prophets, and he certainly didnt want that. But, Herodias got her opportunity. Verse 25 shows that she told her daughter to go and ask for the head of John, in which she complied and Herod granted; for fear of going back on his word in front of all his guests. So Herod sends the executioner and he returns with John’s head on a platter for the young woman, in which she gives it to her mother. Now, upon hearing of all this, the text says that some of John’s disciples came and took his body and placed him in a tomb for a proper burial.

Herod is shown to be an immoral ruler at this point, unlawful and now killing one of God’s own prophets. Unable to wash his hands of this tragedy like Pilate attempts to, when Jesus was given over to the street mob. Herodias gets her way at the expense of using her daughter, and John is killed for his standing firm in God, and demanding that people repent of their sins. Throughout history many have been martyred on account of Christ and his gospel. William Tyndale, from the story at the beginning, was strangled to death than burned. In Acts 7 we see Stephen stoned to death. In Acts 12 we see James killed by the sword. And we could go on and on with a very long list of names, people who have given themselves up for the sake of following Christ. We see these great men of the faith dying horrible deaths, but what are they dying for? You see, it is not about the pain and suffering they endured that matters, but the cause that matters. They did not just go out and die a horrible death for no reason at all. They died a horrible death for the sake of a holy God. A holy God that they would die for a thousand times over. And here we are, watching the world burn to the ground, for fear that someone might not like us. Charles Spurgeon, speaking of the types of fear we may have in this life, says:

Second, there is a carnal fear, that is, the fear of man. May God deliver us from it! May we never cease from duty because we dread the eye of man! Who are you that should be afraid of a man that shall die? From this cowardice God’s Spirit delivers believers.

Charles Spurgeon

Listen, there is hope, because of Christ and the Spirit that lives within us, we do not have to fear man. Christ did not come and die for us, so that we can fear and obey man. But, that we should be set free, to live in absolute obedience towards him. Safe and secure in the hands of God, sealed for eternity by His Spirit, delivered from the wickedness of this world. If but we suffer for just a little while. There is hope in our suffering, because we do not suffer alone, for Christ suffers with us. In Christ, you are never left alone in anything.

Conclusion: And you may be wondering, “how does this story of John the Baptist, point us back to Jesus?” Remember, John was the forerunner to Jesus, preparing the way for him. Their birth and conceptions were both announced and miraculous, yet Jesus was shown to be the superior; the one whom John was not worthy to even carry his sandals. John was a great prophet of God, but Jesus was and is the greater prophet. John was hated and even killed by the Roman leaders of the day, but Jesus was the spotless lamb, the final sacrifice. Jesus is the true Savior of the world, far greater than John or anyone else who has ever and will ever rule the land. And how does this text apply to us today? Look at Luke 14:25-32 real quick. “Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” What Jesus is saying here is that if we want to really be followers of Christ, we nee to count the cost.

These words condemn all half-heartedness. Jesus is not, of course, discouraging discipleship. He is warning against an ill-considered, fainthearted attachment in order that those who follow him may know the real thing. He wants them to count the cost and reckon all lost for his sake so that they can enter the exhilaration of full-blooded discipleship.

Leon Morris

What Jesus wants is for us to count the cost. To be willing to give up everything and follow Him, for the sake of following Him and not just for what He can do for us. To consider everything this world can offer in light of the glory of Christ and the salvation that he alone can give. If that means suffering for just a little while, than so be it. Are you prepared to suffer as Jesus suffered, alongside of Christ? Are you willing to give everything up for the sake of following after Christ? Jesus did not come to give us all of our earthly desires so that we can live our best lives now, and we need to stop telling people that. Was Paul living his best life in prison? Was John the Baptist living his best when his head was cut off? Was William Tyndale living his best life as he was strangled to death and burned? Now I am not saying that every person who follows Christ is going to suffer this way, but are you willing to stand on the truth of Scripture and suffer for it? If you are, then Christ says “follow me.” And truth is, God’s plan for your life, is not going to be your plan for your life. At some point, you will have to choose which one you will chase after.

We pray that if any, anywhere, are fearing that the cost of discipleship is too great, that they may be given to glimpse that treasure in heaven promised to all who forsake.

Elisabeth Elliot

Invite the bank up.

May we remember Christ and what he has done for us in every moment where we fear that following Him is too costly. Even just a glimpse of what Christ has prepared for us in heaven, should be enough to drive out any fear we may have in forsaking all that this world can offer us. Because there is nothing that compares to the glory of Christ and the salvation he offers.

If you are a Christian here today, then it is obvious what questions we are facing. 1. Who is Jesus? and 2. Are we willing to follow Jesus at any cost? Is Jesus all we have or is he simply a means to an end? Look at your life today, your plans for the future, are you willing to give it all up for the sake of following Christ if that be the case? If your not a Christian, or your on the fence about following Christ, im glad you are here and I want you to hear this: Jesus came to live the life you cant live and he lived it to perfection, there is nothing left for you to do. A spotless lamb, given up on a Roman cross to die and suffer the wrath that you and I deserve. He was buried in a tomb for three days and rose again to defeat death and sin. He now sits at the right hand of God on high and he will be coming back for his bride. Are you ready for that day? Are you counting the cost? The offer is open for you to repent of your sin and put your faith in Christ. I’ll be in the back if anyone needs to talk, pray, or just has some questions to ask. Let’s pray. Lord, may you give us the strength, the boldness, and thr courage to follow your Son. May we fear you more than we fear man. Counting the cost every step of the way and reaching the lost with your gospel. Lord, if there is anyone here today that does not know you, may you grant them the repentance and faith necessary to come to you. May we be a church known for its boldness to stand firm on the foundation of your Word. Amen.