A Messed Up Family
Journey through Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Welcome
Welcome
Why the Fireworks Tent
Why the Fireworks Tent
Today we are going to talk about a messed up family. The Family of Herod the Great.
I honestly think many of us pass over scriptures like we are going to look at today because it doesn’t really affect us like it should. However, these parts of passages are essential if we are to understand where the narrative goes next. So let’s pick up in Matthew Chapter 14.
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus.
2 “This is John the Baptist,” he told his servants. “He has been raised from the dead, and that’s why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
Herod the Tetrarch or Herod Antipas is the Grand Son of Anitipater the Idumaian and Son of Herod the Great.
Antipater was from the Land known as Edom South of the Dead Sea and his family was forced to convert to Judaism or leave the land.
Forced Religion never works.
Antipaters Family converted and The Men Were Circumsized.
Antipater would set the stage for his family to rise to power in Israel by navigating conflicts of loyalty and power shifting within the Roman Elite.
This would lead to His Son becoming the King of the Jews known as Herod the Great.
Built amazing things and expanded the Temple Mount and the Temple.
Not for God but to make a Capital worthy of his Greatness.
You see Herod’s Family may have became followers of the One True God in Name but they stayed Pagan at Heart. ……..
Herod would go on to be pass away and the Kingdom would again be divided and Governed by his Two sons Phillip the Governor of Samaria, Judea, and Edom, and Antipas the Governor of Galilee and Perea.
Now this is where the Matthews Account Shifts and Jesus’ ministry starts down the road that leads to the Cross.
We saw last week that Jesus entered the Synagoge in His home town and was rejected. This marks the last time Matthew would account for Jesus entering a Synagoge and teaching.
Matthew Shifts to Herod
Herod hears what Jesus is doing in the region and immediately jumps to a conclusion of Where Jesus’ power comes from.
1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus.
2 “This is John the Baptist,” he told his servants. “He has been raised from the dead, and that’s why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
This segways into Matthew sharing the story of how John was Killed
3 For Herod had arrested John, chained him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
4 since John had been telling him, “It’s not lawful for you to have her.”
5 Though Herod wanted to kill John, he feared the crowd since they regarded John as a prophet.
6 When Herod’s birthday celebration came, Herodias’s daughter danced before them and pleased Herod.
7 So he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
8 Prompted by her mother, she answered, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.”
9 Although the king regretted it, he commanded that it be granted because of his oaths and his guests.
10 So he sent orders and had John beheaded in the prison.
11 His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.
12 Then his disciples came, removed the corpse, buried it, and went and reported to Jesus.
Herod had two jobs
1. Keep the Peace
2. Collect Taxes
But Herod had a family straight out of an HBO Drama.
In v.3 Matthew mentions Herod Antipas and Herod’s wife, Herodias
Herod Antipas, like his father Herod the Great, was a Jew in name only
His father had multiple wives and therefore he had children by different mothers
So in addition to Antipas, Herod the Great also had a son named Philip and another son named Aristobulus
Aristobulus had a daughter called Herodius, which is the women mentioned by Matthew
So Herod the Great’s son, Antipas, married Herod the Great’s granddaughter by another wife, Herodius (his great niece)
But before marrying Herod Antipas, Herodius had married Antipas’ brother, Philip
And in between those marriages, she had been a mistress to a step-uncle
So she was guilty of multiple adulteries and incestuous relationships
Sounds a little bit like a Family that People like to Keep Up With!
But in Jesus’ day, these things were truly scandalous, and John the Baptist fearlessly said so
In v.4 Matthew says John was condemning the tetrarch for having taken this woman as a wife because it was a violation of
16 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s family.
and
21 If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is impurity. He has violated the intimacy that belongs to his brother; they will be childless.
Remember John is Preaching a message of Repentance and Returning to God.
John had a reputation in the land as a Prophet and His rebuke carried a lot of weight with the people
Again
Keep Peace
Collect Taxes.
To keep John from causing problems Herod threw him in Jail.
But He Couldn’t kill Him because the People might revolt.
So Herod throughs him in Jail and the Gospel of Mark tells us that Herod visited him often.
20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing he was a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard him he would be very perplexed, and yet he liked to listen to him.
However, where there is Sin there will be destruction.
6 When Herod’s birthday celebration came, Herodias’s daughter danced before them and pleased Herod.
7 So he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
8 Prompted by her mother, she answered, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.”
9 Although the king regretted it, he commanded that it be granted because of his oaths and his guests.
10 So he sent orders and had John beheaded in the prison.
11 His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.
12 Then his disciples came, removed the corpse, buried it, and went and reported to Jesus.
Herodias could have asked for anything but instead she asked for John’s Head.
That is Satan’s game……..
So Why does Matthew include this story. .
It leads us to an understanding of how the Satan will use the evil hearts of the Roman and Jewish Governments to act against Jesus .
This shows how the Rejection of Jesus begins to pick up speed.
Wo what can we gain from this passage.
For one it gives us the Parallel of what happens when we only partially decide to follow Jesus….....
It shows us the opposition we may face when we decide to Follow Jesus…….
Finally, Matthew shows us how even Jesus faced grief and rejection. and in that Grief and Rejection shows us how to respond.
12 Then his disciples came, removed the corpse, buried it, and went and reported to Jesus.
13 When Jesus heard about it, he withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the towns.
14 When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd, had compassion on them, and healed their sick.
Would you stand with me……..
