Kings & Queens

Mark 6:19–20 NASB95

19 Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; 20 for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.

Kings and Queens:

Jesus sending out his Apostles, the narrative about the beheading of John the Baptist, and then the Return of the Apostles reporting everything to Jesus about their missionary journey setups us up for Jesus’ call for disciples to consider the cost of discipleship.

Mark is offering the prelude to the teaching of Jesus for anyone who wants to follow Him, will have to take up their cross to do so.

How Mark establishes this theme is interesting. He seems to be blending two Old Testament narratives together. 1) the Story of Esther and the Story of Elijah.

In the first there are two queens. The first was removed from her position never to be present before the King again. This queens removed made way for Esther to come into position as queen who will wield greater influence in the kingdom and save her people from the evil plots of wicked Haman.

Likewise, John, who is the forerunner preparing the way for Jesus who is greater than he, is locked up and then later through the plots of evil woman is beheaded and with his death removed from his office as prophet but not have preparing the way for the Lord. Now Herod because excited hearing about this one who performs many works of power. Herod is dumbfounded and wonders if John has risen from the dead. But one more powerful and more influential than John is here, Jesus. John is removed from his position which has given full position to Jesus as being the prominate figure who will save his people from the wickedness of sin and death the greater foes than Herod.

Mark calls attention through how He writes, to the story of Esther so that we may see Jesus as jews saw Esther, one who rises to power to save her people from death. But Mark also calls attention to another story. The Story of Elijah being sought by Jezebel.

Jezebel tells King Ahab to delivery Elijah into her hands. A decree goes out and Elijah flees for his life.

Here we have another Jezebel influencing a “king” to kill another Elijah like figure John the Baptist. This time the plot succeeds and John is beheaded. The connection here with Jesus is that he too is referenced as a type of Elijah which signifies that He may end up like John did.

Evil seems to be prevailing in a way where the stories of Elijah and Esther it was not. Where is the salvation of the people? Where was the justice for the evil? Where is the escape from the tyrants and Jezebels?

These are the questions Mark is wanting us to ask. He is leading us to see how evil seems to prevail in death against God’s agents. Things have gotten worse. God kept his people from death using Esther and rescuing Elijah but not now. The narrative has flipped. Evil seems to be prevailing. Those who ask for God’s agents to die are being killed. Things were meant to get worse so that Jesus, when he came, would die so that death could lose its sting. Jesus being swallowed up in death breaks its power so that all who die in Christ will live forever.

Jesus is the better Esther because his salvation forever stands. Jesus is the better Elijah because he is not running from death but enduring it.

Your analysis skillfully draws connections between Old Testament narratives and the New Testament events in Mark's Gospel, highlighting how Mark prepares his readers for the teaching on the cost of discipleship. Here is a clarified and polished version of your commentary:

Kings and Queens:

In Mark 6:7-30, Mark masterfully sets the stage for Jesus' call for disciples to consider the cost of discipleship. This passage consists of three key events: Jesus sending out his Apostles, the narrative about the beheading of John the Baptist, and the return of the Apostles reporting back to Jesus. Together, these events lead up to Jesus’ teaching that anyone who wants to follow Him must be willing to take up their cross.

The Theme of Costly Discipleship:

Mark establishes this theme by blending two Old Testament narratives: the story of Esther and the story of Elijah.

The Story of Esther:

The narrative of Esther includes two queens. The first queen, Vashti, is removed from her position, making way for Esther, who wields greater influence in the kingdom and saves her people from the evil plots of Haman.

Similarly, John the Baptist, the forerunner preparing the way for Jesus, is imprisoned and later beheaded through the schemes of an evil woman, Herodias. This removal of John from his prophetic office paves the way for Jesus, who is greater than John. Herod becomes excited and perplexed upon hearing about Jesus’ miraculous works, wondering if John has risen from the dead. However, someone more powerful and influential than John is present—Jesus. John’s removal gives full prominence to Jesus, who will save His people from the greater foes of sin and death, surpassing Herod's tyranny.

Mark calls attention to the story of Esther so that readers may see Jesus as the Jews saw Esther—someone who rises to power to save His people from death.

The Story of Elijah:

Jezebel, seeking to kill Elijah, influences King Ahab to capture him, but Elijah flees for his life.

In Mark's narrative, Herodias plays a Jezebel-like role, influencing Herod to kill John the Baptist, an Elijah-like figure. This time, the plot succeeds, and John is beheaded. The connection to Jesus, who is also referenced as an Elijah figure, suggests that He may face a similar fate.

The Prevailing of Evil and the Question of Salvation:

In the stories of Esther and Elijah, evil plots collapse, and the protagonists are delivered from death. However, in Mark's narrative, evil seems to prevail. John the Baptist is beheaded, and Jesus, foreshadowed to endure suffering, hints at a narrative where God’s agents face death rather than escape it. This reversal raises questions: Where is the salvation of the people? Where is justice against evil? Where is the escape from tyrants and Jezebels?

Mark leads us to see that evil appears to triumph in the deaths of God's agents. Unlike Esther and Elijah, whose stories end in deliverance, John's and Jesus' narratives culminate in martyrdom. Yet, this seeming victory of evil sets the stage for a profound truth: Jesus' death ultimately conquers death itself.

The Greater Deliverance:

Jesus, in His death, breaks the power of death, ensuring that all who die in Him will live forever. Thus:

Jesus is the better Esther because His salvation is eternal.

Jesus is the better Elijah because He does not flee from death but faces it head-on, enduring it to bring ultimate victory over sin and death.

In this way, Mark prepares his readers for the reality that following Jesus means embracing the possibility of suffering and death, but with the assurance that through Jesus, death is ultimately defeated, offering eternal life to all who believe.

Jesus isn’t interested in collapsing evil plots just to encounter another one. He wants to deal with what lies behind the power of tyrants and evil plots the sting of death. Jesus looks death in the eyes and doesn’t squirm. He takes it on and makes it believe that he is swallowed up only to find that death will find its end in Christ and will now not hold any power over those who follow Christ. Death is conquered by Jesus and those who united themselves with Jesus death will be raise to life with him holding death on a leash.

So Mark prepares us with this masterful writing for the words that will follow: If you want to follow Christ you must take up your cross. So when we hear that our hearts won’t melt or fear won’t over take us since we know that Jesus comes to defeat death and so death has no sting and and is powerless in keeping us from following Jesus in death towards life! It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. To live is Christ and to die is gain. We can only say that if Christ has taken on our foe and defeated him. Praise be to Christ who didn’t prevent an evil scheme but endure it for our sakes so that we might live and fear death no longer.

Romans 6:9 - Death does master over Jesus.

Hebrews 2:14- Defeats death and satan’s power.

1 Cor. 15:21- The Power of Death by Adam, The Power of Resurrection by Jesus.

1 Cor 15:26- The last foe to be conquered is death.

1 Cor 15:54-55 Death is defeated.

Phil 2:8 Jesus’ intention to die. Heb 2:9

Phil 3:10-11 We are called to share in suffering and death like Jesus.

### The Significance of Jesus Enduring the Evil Plot

In the Gospel narratives, Jesus is portrayed as fully aware of the evil plots against Him. He predicts His own suffering and death multiple times, indicating His understanding of the necessity of His sacrifice (Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34). Unlike Esther and Elijah, whose stories involve the thwarting of evil schemes, Jesus knowingly and willingly endures the plot against Him. This endurance carries profound theological and existential significance.

1. **Fulfillment of Prophecy and Divine Plan:**

  - Jesus’ suffering and death fulfill Old Testament prophecies, such as Isaiah 53, which speaks of the suffering servant who is "pierced for our transgressions" and "crushed for our iniquities."

  - By enduring the cross, Jesus completes God’s redemptive plan, demonstrating that His kingdom operates differently from earthly kingdoms. Instead of avoiding suffering, He transforms it into a means of salvation.

2. **Identification with Human Suffering:**

  - Jesus’ willingness to endure suffering and death signifies His deep identification with human pain and mortality. Hebrews 2:14-15 states that by becoming flesh and blood, Jesus shared in our humanity so that through His death He might destroy the one who holds the power of death and free those who were enslaved by the fear of death.

  - This identification means that no human experience, especially suffering and death, is foreign to God. Jesus' endurance reassures believers that God is intimately present in their suffering.

3. **Ultimate Defeat of Evil and Death:**

  - Jesus’ death on the cross is not a defeat but a victory. Colossians 2:15 declares that Jesus disarmed the powers and authorities, making a public spectacle of them by triumphing over them through the cross.

  - The resurrection is the ultimate vindication of Jesus' endurance of death. By rising from the dead, Jesus breaks the power of death and confirms that it is not the final word. Death is swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-55).

### Embracing Death to Defeat It

Jesus’ approach to death is radically transformative. Instead of escaping or preventing it, He embraces it, thereby altering its nature and significance for humanity.

1. **Breaking the Power of Death:**

  - By dying and rising again, Jesus breaks the power of death, rendering it powerless over those who believe in Him. Romans 6:9 states, "For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him."

  - This victory over death means that believers no longer need to fear death as an ultimate end but can see it as a transition into eternal life with God.

2. **Redefining the Meaning of Suffering:**

  - Jesus’ endurance of suffering and death redefines them as pathways to resurrection and glory. Suffering, in the Christian narrative, is not devoid of meaning but is imbued with the promise of redemption and new life.

  - This perspective empowers believers to endure their own sufferings with hope, knowing that they are united with Christ in His sufferings and will also share in His resurrection (Romans 8:17).

3. **Living Without Fear:**

  - The fear of death is a fundamental human anxiety. Jesus’ victory over death liberates believers from this fear. Hebrews 2:14-15 highlights that through His death, Jesus freed those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

  - This freedom allows believers to live courageously and sacrificially, knowing that their ultimate destiny is secure in Christ. They can take up their cross, as Jesus calls them to, without fear, embracing the cost of discipleship with the assurance of resurrection life.

### Conclusion

In enduring the evil plot against Him and embracing death, Jesus fundamentally alters the human condition. His death and resurrection transform the meaning of suffering and death, providing believers with a profound sense of hope and victory. Jesus’ endurance is not a passive acceptance of fate but an active engagement with and triumph over the powers of evil and death. This triumph assures us that we no longer need to live in fear of death. Instead, we are invited to follow Jesus, taking up our crosses, confident in the promise of eternal life and the ultimate defeat of all that seeks to harm and destroy.

Would you like to explore any further aspects or add more specific details to this elaboration?

(Jezabel and Ahab)

John as Elijah

Jesus as Elisha

Haman and Esther

John as queen Vanish

Jesus as Esther