The Death of a Prophet

Introduction

Welcome back to Good News on this first Sunday of 2026! It is exciting to be here and to think about all that God will do in and through His church this year. I hope that you will be praying and asking God what He would have you do this for Him. Ask Him how He would like you to step out in faith so that He can more efficiently use you. Ask the Lord to draw you into His plan even if that means getting out of your comfort zone.

Today we once again pick up the series The Way, the Truth, and the Life: Studying Jesus through the Gospels. This series is about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and we are trying to go in chronological order through the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). I say “trying to” go in chronological order because the four writers did not necessarily write everything in order. Some of you may have noticed that we were in Matthew 13 for a while before we ever looked at Matthew 8, 9 and 10. We also studied portions of Luke chapters 7-13 before we looked at a portion of Luke 4. We can determine the order of events often by comparing the different Gospels to each other and by noticing when and where these things happened. Scholars have spent years studying the timeline of Jesus’ ministry through the Gospels and there have been quite a few commentaries that have laid them out. All that I have read generally agree with each other, though there are some small variations in opinion of the order of certain events.

So as we look at these events in Jesus’ life, I am trying my best to lead us through Jesus’ life and ministry in chronological order. Just so you know, we are generally following the order of events laid out in Mark, and this is why you may notice that as we arrive in passages in Mark, we do not seem to skip around as much. One of the other difficulties of laying out a definitive timeline for Jesus’ life is that the authors do not all write about the same events, sermons, places, etc. Their intended audiences were different and therefore what they included about Jesus’ story was focused on the needs of their audience.

So without further ado, let us recap what has happened in the life of Christ at his one-and-a-half-ish year marker of His ministry.

Jesus is beginning to speak to the crowds primarily in parables now. He has used parables before, but they were one-offs. We studied through Mark 4, Matthew 13, and Luke 8 that Jesus delivered a whole speech using only parables. After the teaching was over, the disciples and others that were following closely asked Jesus to explain some of them.

After Jesus explains a few of the parables, he tells the disciples to get into the boat to cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. A violent storm befalls them, and the disciples fear the boat will sink. So they wake Jesus, and He calms the storm. Now, up to this point, the disciples have seen Jesus’ power over sickness and demons and even death, but now they experience Jesus’ power over nature and it leaves them absolutely astonished.

They get to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and it is a non-Jewish region - the region of Decapolis, the region of Gadara. Two men come out to meet them as they pull up to shore, and these men are demon possessed. At least one of them has multiple demons - ranging from hundreds to thousands - and these two men, are so wild that they are untamable. They live among to tombs outside the city and cry and cut themselves late into the night. Despite their feral state, they seem to have become a staple in the lives of the people there, for when Jesus delivers them, the people are more upset about the 2,000 pigs dying than they are about the drastic improvement of the condition of these men’s lives, let alone their eternal destinies. The people then ask Jesus to leave, and one of the formerly possessed men asks Jesus if he can go with them. Surprisingly, Jesus says no. However, Jesus tells the man to go back to his house and tell everyone about the great things that God has done for him. Obediently, the man goes back to his house, but then takes it many steps further and goes al throughout the region of Decapolis (10 cities) and lets them know what Jesus did for him.

So now, we find Jesus back in Capernaum, being received like a celebrity. Every one is happy to see Him. This is the occasion in which Jesus heals the woman with the issue of blood and raises Jairus’ daughter from the dead. Not long after this, Jesus visit the town where He grew up - Nazareth.

In Nazareth, Jesus teaches in the synagogue, the people don’t believe Him, and because of their unbelief they try to fling Jesus off a cliff. Jesus walks out of there unharmed, but He is unable to do many miracles there because of the people’s unbelief. Again, we remember that Jesus did not lose power, we have studied that God, however, has chosen to respond to those that have faith more so than to those who do not have faith.

So Jesus makes His way back to Capernaum preaching and teaching in all the towns along the way.

When He arrives in Capernaum, Jesus points out the amount of people that are following Him to the disciples. Multitudes are following Him, and Jesus is moved with compassion because they are like sheep without a shepherd. They are lost and in danger. He tells the disciples that they need to fervently pray for the God to send more workers into the harvest, because at the moment, it is just Jesus preaching. John the Baptist was a preacher to these multitudes as well, but as you may remember, he has been imprisoned for quite sometime now.

After the disciples have been praying for this, Jesus then sends them out to preach about the kingdom. He does so in a unique way - He tells them not to take any kind of provisions with them or money. They aren’t even supposed to take shoes with them. They are to trust in God to provide for them through others’ generous response to the good news of the Gospel being preached. We saw that they were sent on this mission and that the mission was to tell people about the kingdom of heaven and perform miracles that would confirm their message.

We saw that their mission was not to convert anyone or to argue or convince anyone that their message was true. The were to present the message, confirm its authenticity by doing the same miracles that Jesus did, and let God do His work in people’s lives. Those that would not receive them in peace would be continue to be under condemnation.

We saw from this that we have a similar mission - to preach the gospel to every creature, to make disciples in every nation. The message has already been confirmed, so we are not called nor are we empowered to do miracles, but we are empowered to tell others about Jesus Christ and to make disciples. Our mission is successful when we tell others about Jesus. Our mission is successful when we disciple other believers. Our mission is unsuccessful is we stay quiet and if we do not tell others about Jesus.

The Death of a Prophet

Today we find ourselves in the book of Mark. We suppose that the disciples’ mission lasted a few weeks and that about the end of their time out preaching about the kingdom of heaven, this event happens - the death of John the Baptist.

Matthew and Luke relay this event as well, though in lesser detail, so we will be spending our time today in Mark 6.

Mark 6:12–13 KJV 1900

12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

Matthew states that as they go out, Jesus also went into the surrounding cities to teach and preach. This detail is important because when we come to the next verse in Mark, we see that Jesus is now getting the attention of King Herod. This would be Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. If you remember, Herod the Great is the man that tried to get the wise men to tell him where Jesus was so that he could kill Him. When the wise men did not go and tell Herod, Herod the Great then commanded all the boys from 2 years old and under to be slaughtered in his attempt to eliminate the King of the Jews that the wise men went to worship. Of course, Joseph was told in a dream to go to Egypt until Herod the Great’s death.

Fast forward about thirty years and we find ourselves in Mark 6:14 in the court of Herod Antipas, ruler of the region of Galilee.

Mark 6:14–16 KJV 1900

14 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. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.

Once again, we see that people are associating Jesus with a prophet instead of recognizing Him as the Messiah. In the people’s eyes, the Messiah would be characterized by an earthly kingdom that would destroy and overthrow all other kingdoms that oppressed Israel. This is why Herod the Great wanted Jesus dead.

The people around Herod suppose that Jesus is Elias (Elijah) or some other prophet, but Herod is convinced that it is John the Baptist risen from the dead. Now, John the Baptist never went around performing miracles, however, it was the belief in that time that departed spirits were able to come back and if they did, they would have supernatural powers.

Why, do you think, that Herod’s mind immediately goes to John the Baptist? Well, because he had recently beheaded him, and we see this in verses that follow.

Arrest of John the Baptist

We have covered before that John the Baptist was arrested, though we did not go into much detail. But now, the arrest and execution gives important context in the upcoming events in Jesus’ ministry. Events that we can learn much from, and before we get to those events, we are going to learn from John the Baptist.

Mark 6:17–20 KJV 1900

17 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. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 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.

As we well know, John the Baptist was an outspoken and bold person. He had no qualms about calling out sin. He preached that people needed to repent and look to Jesus the Messiah for forgiveness. This was his whole purpose - to pave a way for Jesus to begin His ministry.

John the Baptist was like no other person. He did not preach in the cities and synagogues, he preached in the wilderness, where he lived. He didn’t wear the fancy robes of the religious leaders and prominent rabbis of the day, he wore working man’s clothing made of camel hair and secured with a leather belt. He was not the guest of honor at fancy banquets, he ate an odd diet of locusts and honey.

John the Baptist was confrontational, not soft spoken. He called out the Pharisees and scribes, and was bold in his speech toward everyone, it seems.

Herod Antipas had gotten curious about him and went to hear John the Baptist preach at some point, and when John the Baptist saw him, he rebuked him. What did he rebuke Herod Antipas for? Well, for marrying his brother Philip’s wife.

Get ready for some interesting family dynamics.

Philip, along with two other brothers (Herod Antipas and Archelaus), were the sons of Herod the Great who married four times. So Archelaus and Antipas are half-brothers of Philip, also known as Herod II. There is another Philip, Philip the Tetrarch, he is not relevant to this part of the story.

So, Notice that you have Philip, Herod II, and I don’t know if you can see under his name that it says “the first husband of Herodias” who is to the right of Philip.

Well, Herodias is the granddaughter of Herod the Great’s first wife, Mariamne I. So she is already a niece to Philip. Weird.

While married to Philip, Herod II, Herodias has a daughter, Salome III. She’s important to this story. Now, later she ends up marrying the other Philip, who is her uncle. Weird again.

But before she grows and gets married, Herodias leaves Philip (Herod II) to marry Herod Antipas.

And this is why John the Baptist rebukes Herod Antipas. This is adultery. And the Jews were against it. John the Baptist calls it out, and it infuriates Herodias. So, Herod Antipas arrests John the Baptist.

As we read earlier, Herodias wanted John dead. Mark 6:19-20

Mark 6:19–20 KJV 1900

19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 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.

But Herod was afraid to put John to death. Partly because he feared John the Baptist as a prophet, but also because he feared the many followers of John.

Herodias’ Plan

But Herodias begins to concoct a plan. She is angry, beyond angry, with John the Baptist, and wants him dead. Look at the plan she cooks up. Mark 6:21-25

Mark 6:21–25 KJV 1900

21 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; 22 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. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 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.

The daughter of Herodias is Salome, and she dances for her uncle/stepdad Herod Antipas. Whether this dance was at the instruction of her mother, Herodias, or not is uncertain, but historical records show that Herodias was extremely ambitious and it would fit her character to instruct her daughter to dance for Herod.

Either way, Herod is so pleased with this dance that he promises his niece/stepdaughter to grant her anything she wants, up to half of his kingdom. The girl, identified as a damsel (so probably a teen or a virgin, unmarried young adult), runs to her mother and asks, “What should I ask for?” And Herodias pounces. “Ask for John the Baptist’s head to be given to you on a platter.

So she returns to Herod and makes her request.

The Death of John the Baptist

This saddens Herod, because he has high curiosity about John the Baptist. He enjoys talking with him. He doesn’t want to kill him, yet he has just publicly given an oath to his niece and can’t back out of it. Mark 6:26-29

Mark 6:26–29 KJV 1900

26 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. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.

So he executes John and gives the head to Herodias’ daughter who promptly presents it to her mother.

Then John’s disciples hear of what happened and retrieve John’s body and bury it,

Mark 6:30 lets us know that this all happens shortly before the apostles meet back up with Jesus.

Mark 6:30 KJV 1900

30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

Application

So what does the death of John the Baptist teach us? Well, it is more his life than his death. We learn truths that Jesus taught His disciples in the life of John the Baptist. We learn truths about being a disciple of Jesus that are normally skimmed over in sermons now days, if they are even talked about at all.

The world is too happy hearing only about God’s love and forgiveness that it often does not give a second thought to God’s anger against sin, His wrath, and His holiness. I recently saw a video of a so-called pastor who rejected the idea of hell as a man-made doctrine.

But John the Baptist? John the Baptist was bold. He knew the scriptures, he knew the Messiah, and he was not afraid to proclaim the truth, no matter what the consequences, because John the Baptist also knew that the cost was not near as valuable as the reward.

So what truths do we learn from the life of John the Baptist?

The first truth we learn is that a person who is wholly dedicated to the Lord will have an amazing impact on the world around him. D.L. Moody once said, “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him. By God’s grace, I aim to be that man.”

I think that the world was able to see it through the life and ministry of John the Baptist. His impact was far reaching. He caused the hearts of many Jews to turn to Christ.

From John the Baptist’s life we also learn the truth that those who will be used of God must first be humble. Luke 3:15-16

Luke 3:15–16 KJV 1900

15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; 16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

John could have gathered up a following for himself. He was a great speaker, even impressing political greats like Herod Antipas. But John knew that his mission was simply to prepare the way for Jesus. Jesus is the one who John the Baptist was not worthy of even unloosening the latchet on His shoe, and John the Baptist never got to big for his britches. Despite the fame and the following, he remained humble, even willingly loosing disciples to Jesus. John 1:35-37

John 1:35–37 KJV 1900

35 Again the next day after John [the Baptist] stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

One of the two disciples, we are told a few verses later, is Andrew, Peter’s brother, and the other we suppose is the Apostle John, the brother of James.

But John the Baptist did not run after them and say, “Hey! Where are y’all going? You’re supposed to be my disciples!” He was happy to announce Jesus to his own disciples and watch them run to follow Him. This is humility. This is not holding with tight fists the things that God gives you, whether that be a mission, a dream, a talent, or even a following.

We learn that to be greatly used of the Lord, you must fulfill God’s calling in your life. John was born to parents that came from the line of Aaron. John the Baptist should have been a priest, as that was his heritage. Yet God had other plans for him, and instead of learning his priestly duties of offering the incense from his father, God prepared him to be a prophet and John the Baptist went to live out in the wilderness.

John was obedient to the Lord. When tradition, family expectations, and the common knowledge of the day said that his destiny was to become a priest like his father, John the Baptist followed God’s plan for his life.

We learn from John the Baptist’s life that those who will be used by God must be bold. John the Baptist, as we have discussed already, was not one to sugar-coat the truth. From the regular Joe’s that went to hear the message of repentance that he preached to the hypocritical Pharisees that stood in judgment over this unconventional teacher, John the Baptist let everyone have the truth from both barrels.

Matthew 3:5–8 KJV 1900

5 Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

He boldly declares the truth to everyone, even those that could have made his life miserable. He boldly declared the truth even to those that had the authority to put him to death simply because they were offended at him, and he did, and they did.

But John not only declares the truth, he instructs in righteousness. He discipled people. Yes, John the Baptist had disciples that followed him and lived alongside him, but even those that did not, John made sure to give them instructions about how to bring fruits that showed repentance.

Luke 3:10–14 KJV 1900

10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. 12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

Jews, publicans, soldiers, and anyone else that would come to John, John gave practical instruction as well. It was useful instruction. It wasn’t any of this mamby-pamby “Go home and love yourself and realize that you sure are something.”

When asked what to do, he told the publicans, the tax collectors, to do their job in an honest manner. He told the soldiers to not be violent, or liers desirous of gain at the expense of others. He also told them that they should live content with the wages that they were paid, not to be greedy or malcontents. John the Baptist gave practical instruction on living righteously.

We learn from the life of John the Baptist that persecution comes when we decide to be bold for the cause of Christ. He is arrested by Antipas and cast into a dungeon.

And we learn from the life of John the Baptist that even strong and bold Christians struggle with doubt sometimes. Luke 7:18-19

Luke 7:18–19 KJV 1900

18 And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things. 19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

John the Baptist had been imprisoned by Herod when he asks this question. John was visited regularly, it seems, by his disciples. They gave John the news about all that Jesus was doing. And as he heard it, doubt began to creep into John the Baptist’s mind and heart. “What if Jesus isn’t the Messiah? What if Jesus is preparing the road for the Messiah, and I missed my mission?

But Jesus responds to John saying, “Look at all the things that are being done. This is all proof that I am the Messiah.

And John never doubts again.

We learn from John the Baptist what Jesus later taught His disciples - that following Jesus comes with a cost. The cost is our lives. WE must be fully and wholly surrendered to Jesus if we want to be an in impact on those around us for the Gospel’s sake. We often think that the death of John the Baptist occured in these passages that we read today in Mark. But I submit to you that John the Baptist had already died to himself long before he ever was executed, before he was arrested, before he ever had disciples, and before he ever preached one sermon. His impact started with his surrender.

Are you totally surrendered to the Lord? Will you make 2026 the year in which you give yourself wholly to God for His purpose and plans for your life?

John had an amazing impact on the people that listened to him. He had a major impact on a nation that he was sent to prepare the way for the Savior. And if we ever hope to be a church that impacts Cedar Rapids and the rest of Iowa, we need to learn and put into practice these lessons from the life and ministry of John the Baptist.

Invitation

What is keeping you from being an impact in your circles? Is it a lack of humility? Are you going around acting as though you are God’s gift to your company that you work for? Are you so caught up in being cool and being accepted and being looked up to that the whole being salt and light has not even crossed your mind while you are at work, school, among friends?

Are you keeping the calling that you have as a Christian in the forefront of your mind? What calling, you ask? The call to spread the Gospel and make disciples. Is that what is keeping you from impacting others with the Gospel?

Perhaps it is a lack of boldness. This often comes because we forget that Jesus Christ gave us the authority to spread the Gospel. We get intimidated by the notion that someone might ask us, “Well who are you to tell me that I am a sinner and need a savior?” But the answer to that question is that we are commanded and authorized by Jesus Himself to preach that message. Be bold! Be courageous! If you lack it, begin to pray for it!

Maybe it is a lack of surrendering fully to God all of your life.

What is keeping you from being an impact in Cedar Rapids right now?

I want to challenge you today to begin praying throughout this year that God would help you be an impact for His cause in Cedar Rapids or Marion, or wherever you live. Let it be your prayer for the year. Make it a daily prayer.

As Tahsha plays the piano, we are going to have a short invitation today.

I am going to do something a little different today. Today, I want to invite every believer to come to the altar and join in a singular prayer. The prayer is this: “Lord, help me to be fully surrendered to you so that I can be an impact for the Gospel here in Cedar Rapids, and help this church, Good News Baptist Church, to be an impact for the Gospel in Cedar Rapids.”

I truly would like this to be the prayer of our church members for the rest of the year. And listen, if you are a member here and this is not your desire, to be used of God to impact Cedar Rapids and the world with the Gospel, then this may not be the church for you.

But I am going to ask everyone that can and that has this desire to come to the front here and join me in praying that God will use us individually and as a church to make an impact in our cities and our state.

There will not be room for everyone, so if you have to stand, stand. If you have to come around the side, come around the sides, but join us.

There may be those that cannot stand here at the front because of physical constraints, I will ask you, if you can, to stand there at your seat and pray with us.

As the piano plays, would you come and join me in praying for our city?

Life Group

1. What stood out to you? Any questions or concerns?

Warm Up

2. Who is someone—past or present—whose life seems fully surrendered to God? What makes you say that?

Scripture Focus

3.  What specific words or actions show that John saw his life as completely surrendered to exalting Jesus rather than himself? (Consider Luke 3:15–16 and John 1:35–37.)

Heart Focus

4. We covered that John “died to himself” before he ever preached. In what ways do you sense God asking you to “die to yourself” at the start of 2026?

5. What holds you back more from being an impact for the Gospel—lack of humility, lack of boldness, or lack of surrender? Why?

6. How does John’s humility confront any desire in you to hold tightly to position, credit, or control?

7. For those of you who prayed with me in the invitation, “Lord, help me be fully surrendered so I can be an impact in Cedar Rapids,” what emotions surface—excitement, fear, reluctance, hope?

Application

8. If following Jesus “costs your life” in the sense of total surrender, what is one specific area (time, comfort, reputation, money, plans) you need to place on the altar in 2026?

9. What might it look like, in concrete terms, for you to be an impact for the Gospel in your main circle—workplace, school, neighborhood, or family—this year?