At That Time...

Matthew 14:1–12 ESV

1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. 6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, 7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

Herod’s Background

Herod the Tetrarch Herod the Great’s Son

He was also known as Herod Antipas

He was one of fifteen children born to Herod the Great by the Great’s ten wives

Herod the Great had originally granted Herod Antipas the whole Herodian empire

Antipas was originally the sole heir of Herod the Great’s empire

However, when Herod the Great was near death, he changed his will

Instead of Herod Antipas receiving ALL of the empire, he and his brothers, Archelaus and Philip, would each have a third of the empire

Herod Antipas Was The Gospel’s Herod

Herod Antipas plays a significant role in the gospel stories

He orders John’s arrest and death

He is involved in the death of Jesus

He is a the one Jesus refers to in Luke 13 and Luke 23.

Herod Had An ‘Interesting’ Heritage

Antipas was raised in Rome and recieved a formal education so that he could take his father’s place

His father, Herod the Great was a paranoid and violent man

The Great issued two commands to be carried out upon his death

First, his son by another marriage, Antipater, was to be killed so that he could not usurp his half brothers

Second, all recently imprison Jewish elders were to be killed so that the Jewish people would be in mourning during his death. Otherwise the people would not have mourned Herod the Great’s death

After marrying his favorite wife, Herod ordered that she was to be killed if he were killed so that no one else could have her

Herod lived a paranoid existence especially in his latter years

Near the end of his life, Herod ordered the death of all Jewish boys under 3 so that there would be no competing, “king of the Jews

incidentally, this is why Herod Antipas is so distraught when Jesus has, King of the Jews hung over his head at the crucifixion

Only Herod Antipas was to be king of the Jews

Jealousy And Suspicion Were A Way Of Life For Herod

Herod Antipas took a trip to Rome and lodged with his brother who assumed the throne of Herod the Great

While there, Antipas fell in love with Archelaus’ wife

The pair divorced their previous spouses and married each other

And jealousy and suspicion grew in the house of Herod

It is this time that Matthew writes about. Herod had married his brother’s wife in an immoral act, and John the Baptist would not quit talking about it.

Herod’s Rule

The People Were Afraid of Herod’s Dad

Herod The Great is the one mentioned in Matthew 2:1-12 (about 4 BC)

He met the wise men

He ordered the death of children in Bethlehem

This Herod held the Jewish territory in fear

Herod Antipas Was Afraid Of His People

Herod ruled in place of his father

Apparently, the political situation had changed

The will of the people held some sway over the political leaders set up by Rome

Herod feared for his position of power

Herod’s Lust

Herod Was Never Satisfied

Herod Antipas did not have the spine of his father

That is not to say that Herod was “spineless,” but, he was easily swayed by Power and Passion

Herod’s affinity for personal preservation and fleshly fulfillment made him indecisive

Herod’s lust led to terrible decisions

He married his brother’s wife

this was a brother that Herod already had conflict with

Herod’s quest for satisfying himself led him to take his brother’s wife

He cut off his adversaries head

This in not a reasonable thing to do

Herod knew what the people thought of John, yet his passion overruled his reason

Herod Was Afraid Of His Past

John The Baptist haunted Herod

Now, I don’t think that Herod literally saw John’s ghost

Herod saw John’s ghost everywhere

when the prophet John was alive, he made Herod angry

after Herod killed John, guilt and fear gripped him

John told the truth about Herod and his marriage to Herodias

Suspicion is often a product of guilt

Herod’s life continued to be turned upside down by John

Herod’s Story Gives Us Context

Herod Ruled During Jesus’ And John’s Ministries

The time of Jesus parable teaching switch

The time of Jesus Galilean ministry

Herod Killing John Demonstrated Power

When someone takes you out of the population and locks you up for merely speaking out about your moral behavior, they have power

When someone keeps you locked up despite having no real reason other than they don’t like the way you talk about them, they have power

And, when someone can make a spontaneous decision to have your head cut off and people carry it out without much question, they have power

So, The context of this story is at the time Herod was in abject power over the region and the story of John’s death reminds us that Jesus is a target

John’s Disciples Told Jesus

This is where today’s passage ends. We’ll look at Jesus’ response next week. But for now, it is important for us to know that John’s disciples went to Jesus when their teacher died.

John Pointed To Jesus

Unlike Herod, John’s purpose was centered outside himself

All of John’s life was built to amplify the ministry of Jesus

John did not lift up himself

No, John spoke of a kingdom that was coming and of Jesus as its king

John recognized Jesus as the messiah and the rightful heir to the throne of heaven

John was the prophet for his time and nothing else mattered

Everything John did was for the kingdom and its king

John Had Little To Fear

Unlike Herod, John's life was emboldened by purpose

John didn’t care what the people thought of him because John wasn’t interested in prestige

John didn’t care what the rulers thought of him because John wasn’t interested in power

John didn’t care what the elites though of him because John wasn’t interested in profit

John’s interests were in his mission in his time

John was interested in the Kingdom and its king

John Focused On God

Unlike Herod, John’s passion was bridled by his pursuit

John saw the kingdom and wanted people to belong to the kingdom

John did not have time to lust after someone else’s wife or after any other person

John had a more important passion

John’s passion was the kingdom and nothing else

Listen, if John lived today, his passion would not be anything but the kingdom

Yes, John would have been involved in community things

Yes, John would have loved his family

John may even have filled out a NCAA March Madness Bracket

But, John’s passion for the King and the Kingdom was so strong that nothing else would stand between him and the kingdom or its king

John’s passion shaped what he did in his time

John’s passion was the kingdom and its king

Application

Three Questions To Answer

Do You Struggle With Power?

In other words, do you find yourself trying to please people or the powers that be as if that was your purpose

Most of us would answer no immediately

But, think about your life

do you lift up Christ and point to him above all else

Do you give thanks that God gave you money this week rather than exalt your own effort to make money

Do you extol your rights and privileges instead of humbly walking with God and point to all that he has done to give you every good thing you have

Do you live to point to the kingdom and the king

Listen, you were born for this time…at this time for one purpose

To point to the kingdom and its king

Do You Struggle With Fear?

We all do to some extent—but this fear is the kind Herod struggled with

fear of the people is nothing to sneeze at

Many of us hold our tongue for fear of what others will do to us

You and I have nothing to fear if the kingdom is all we seek

No matter what happens today or tomorrow, the kingdom will prevail

You and I were planted here for this time…at this time to proclaim the kingdom without fear

The mission is to have one interest

The kingdom and its king

Do You Struggle With Lust?

We all most certainly do in some aspect or another

Lust is wanting to gratify yourself rather than fulfill you kingdom purpose

You and I were built to have our passions fulfilled in the kingdom of God and nowhere else

In other words

If you think you can find fulfillment in the sports you play, you will end up empty

If you think you can find fulfillment in the car you drive, you will end up empty

If you think you can find fulfillment in the place you life, you will end up empty

If you think you can find fulfillment in the money you earn, you will end up empty

Am I making this clear

If you think you can find fulfillment in the in the job you have, you will end up empty

If you think you can find fulfillment in the family you have, you will end up empty

If you think you can find fulfillment in the power you grab, you will end up empty

If you think you can find fulfillment in the vacation you take, you will end up empty

Do you get it?

Lust is pursuing anything other than the kingdom and it will leave you empty

You have been created to belong to and preach the kingdom of God and its king

You are here in this place....at this time....for the purpose of seeking one thing

The kingdom of God and its king…Jesus

What Will You Do…At This Time?