Fear causing Unbelief
Published by Stanley Pouw in 2013 · 4 August 2013
This passage is one of the most tragic, and yet triumphant texts in the Bible. It tells the story of the murder of John the Baptist, but there is far more to the story than just that. This is a picture of how a man, through fear, forfeited the Kingdom of God and forfeited the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
As we come to Matthew 14, we will see the second of the eight incidents that are recorded from the end of Matthew 13 through the beginning of Matthew 16; eight instances that show us how people responded to the preaching of the Kingdom. In chapter 13, we saw the city of Nazareth - the first illustration of an unbelieving, rejecting people.
The last passage dealt with a town that rejected Christ; this one deals with a man who rejects Christ. The last passage dealt with common people who opposed the King; and now we see a king who opposes the true King. The last passage revealed the treatment of the Messiah; and now, we see the treatment of the forerunner, or the messenger, or the agent of the Messiah.
The last passage showed rejection and resistance based primarily on jealousy; this one shows rejection and resistance based primarily on fear. But both of them have, at the bottom, selfish pride, and in all cases, that is usually what damns the soul - an unwillingness to give up what a person is to embrace Jesus Christ.
The story is told in a flashback. Remember that Christ is teaching; the twelve are trained, and they have been out two by two, preaching and proclaiming the Kingdom. The message is out; the signs, miracles, healings, casting out of demons and raising the dead - all of this is going on, and this finally reaches Herod, and we now see his reaction.
Matthew 14:1 starts with "At that time," and that is an indefinite phrase; at the general time of Christ's and His disciples' preaching, when He was being rejected, when hostility was beginning to grow, "Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus." Now we meet the main character Herod, who rejects Jesus in this passage, the one who is the stony ground.
He is called the tetrarch. Technically, that means 'a ruler of a fourth part.' Tetra means a fourth of something. But it was used to describe any subordinate ruler in a section of the country, and there were many subordinate rulers in Israel at that time. So he wasn't really a king, but only a small potentate.
The name Herod is familiar because if we go back to Matthew 2:1, when Christ was born, we'll see that there was a king then by the name of Herod. That was a different Herod, he was Herod the Great, a descendant of Esau, an Arab. In addition Herod the Great was also married to a Samaritan, so you see how unpopular he was among the Jews.
Yet Herod was their king, appointed by Rome, however he was so fearful when he heard the word that a King had been born, that he slaughtered all of the babies then, in order that he might eliminate anyone who would pose a threat to his throne. But Herod the Great has long been dead by the time that this passage occurs, and this now this Herod is one of his sons.
Herod the Great had three sons by different wives, namely: Archelaus, Philip and Herod Antipas. Archelaus was in the south, Philip was in the north, and Herod got the middle, which was Galilee, and to the east of Galilee, the area known as Parea.
There are still two other Herods, one is named Herod Agrippa, read Acts 12; he declared a 'Herod Day,' to celebrated his power, and didn't give God the glory, so God punished him and he was eaten by worms and died. There is also a Herod Agrippa II, and we find him in Acts 26. Paul preached to him. So basically we have: Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, Herod Agrippa I, and Herod Agrippa II.
Now Herod Antipas was not particularly aware of the ministry of Jesus at first. But finally, he heard of the fame of Jesus. This after the Lord has been ministering, He has trained the Twelve disciples and they are out ministering, so the word is spreading rapidly and the hostility is growing. The combination of all of those things brings this to his attention.
His reaction is quite strange. Matthew 14:2, "He said to his servants, 'This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.'” This was a great concern to him, because he had murdered John the Baptist. The fear of any murderer would be the possibility of the one he murdered coming back from the dead. The guilt he had for murdering John the Baptist convinced him that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead.
Compare this to Luke 9:7 which says, "Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, 8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again." So at first, he got the same report that the disciples gave Jesus in Matthew 16:14, "Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and some say Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
That is an important indication that John also had done some miracles. If he came in the spirit and power of Elijah, that means he has miraculous powers just like Elijah. So when Herod hears that Jesus has this miraculous power, which he knew was in John also, he is assured in his mind that John the Baptist is back from the dead.
Let's look at the reason for that reaction. Here comes the flashback; it is how the story is told. In Matthew 14:1-2, Herod is reacting to Jesus, and here is why he thinks Jesus is similar to John the Baptist. Matthew 14:3-4, "For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 4 Because John had said to him, 'It is not lawful for you to have her.'"
Matthew thinks back to that event and let me introduce you to the characters. First: John the Baptist, the last Old Testament prophet, a great, holy and righteous man of God. Jesus said in Matthew 11:11, "Of them that are born of women, there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” He was an incredible man, the forerunner of the Messiah. This man's job in the world was to announce and introduce the Christ.
In contrast to this man of God, we meet Herod. We've already talked about the biographical data, so let us look now at his character. He was evil, debauched, shameless, pushed around by an overbearing woman, given to all excesses, troubled in his conscience but refusing to obey, and John the Baptist really disturbed him.
So Herod no doubt realized that the best thing to do with this guy was to kill him, just like his father had tried to do with the Messiah originally, when he slaughtered all the babies. He was like every other weak and fearful tyrant who can only think of killing a rival; he had learned a lot from his father.
So he put John in prison, according to verse 3, and behind this was his wife, Herodias, pushing the issue. Archaeologists have dug up a great dungeon there made out of masonry, there were holes in the masonry where wood and iron were attached, in order that a prisoner might be chained to the dungeon wall. They believe that was the place that was the prison of John the Baptist where he was kept for about a year.
Herodias was 'his brother Philip's wife.' The bible does not designate her as his wife, though she was married to Herod. So the Holy Spirit refuses to recognize her marriage to Herod. In Matthew 14:4 it says, "John had said to him, 'It is not lawful for you to have her.'" So now listen to all the facts surrounding that family that are mind boggling.
Herod Antipas was married to the daughter of king Aretas of Nabatean, Arabia. This is where Paul went during those three years when he was silent and God was preparing his heart before he came back to minister. Now Herodias was the daughter of another brother of Herod who is married to Phillip, so Herod Antipas is marrying his brother's daughter, in other words Herodias married her uncle.
They decided each to go through with their divorces and come together in marriage. John the Baptist confronted that situation. After Herod divorced his own wife, king Aretas became so upset that he attacked and destroyed Herod's entire army, and Herod himself would have been killed except that the Romans saved him.
So Herod and Herodias are married by the time we come to this scene, and another Philip, the brother of Herod, dies. This Philip is the one who ruled the northern areas. Immediately, Herodias wanted that area; she wanted to be the queen with more territory. However, Caligula, the Roman Emperor, gave it to Agrippa. She was so upset that she said to Herod, "Go to Rome, and even though you didn't get the other territory, force him to make you a king.” Herod tried to talk her out of it, but because of Herodias’ insistence he finally makes the trip to Rome.
However, Agrippa found out about that, and so he sends a faster messenger to Caligula and tells him that Herod is planning a rebellion and all of this is just a ruse. So when Antipas comes in to ask to be made a king, Caligula already believes he has a rebellion and revolution on his mind, so he takes away his throne and puts him in exile until his death. And on top of that he exiled Herodias with him. But all that happens later.
All of this wretchedness was brought to John's attention, and he tells Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have her." He didn't just say that once, but the Greek text indicates he kept on saying it everywhere. John just said what was true in the spirit and power of Elijah. This made Herod very uncomfortable, and it made Herodias livid. She was furious that John kept saying it, and as a result they threw him in prison.
The mark of greatness; the mark of a man of God is being fearless in confronting the sins of men even though they are the highest leaders in the nation or the world. You don't hesitate with leaders; when there is sin to be confronted, you confront it right away. They hold your life in their hands, but that's OK, you are God's man. Christ, Stephen, Paul, Peter and John the Baptist all confronted this and it is the only right thing to do.
Matthew 14:5, "And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet." Herod Antipas lives by fear; he fears his wife, he fears the loss of his throne, he fears John the Baptist, but he is afraid to kill him because he is afraid of the people. So he just keeps John in prison to try to buy time. In the meantime something interesting happens.
It says in Mark 6:20 that Herod feared John. He knew that John was a righteous, holy man, and he protected him. Herod was listening to John, fascinated by him, so his fear was turning to fascination. But Herodias was seething; she was a woman of immorality, she was vindictive and she wanted John dead. She became so incensed with anger that she would even stain her own child with guilt beyond description.
Matthew 14:6, "But when Herod's birthday was celebrated," and by the way, only non-Jews celebrated birthdays, Jews never did, “the daughter of Herodias,” named Salome, “danced before them and pleased Herod.” Herodias had this all planned; by the end of this party, Herod will be drunk and stuffed and very vulnerable. So when it is time for the dancing girls, she brings in her young 16- or 17-year old daughter to do this dance.
Verse 7, "Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask." In his drunken stupor, he lost all sensibility. He wanted to be the magnificent benefactor and made an oath to himself that she can have anything she wants. Mark 6 says, "Up to half of his whole kingdom." That will tell you how far gone he was.
Verse 8, "So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, 'Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter.'" Herodias didn't want to wait until Herod sobered up; she wanted it now. And Herod was too proud to break his stupid oath. He wanted everyone to think his word was pure gold; that he knew what he was doing and he feared losing his reputation and in fear of his wife, and in fear of the people there, so he filled his cup with iniquity.
Verse 9, "And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.” He was trapped and he knew it, but his pride wouldn't let him do what was right; he was just like Pilate. Pilate also was trying to hold on until they said to him, "If you don't kill Jesus, you're no friend of Caesar." And afraid of losing his name and reputation and throne, he killed the Son of God.
Verse 10, "So he sent and had John beheaded in prison." Silently, in the depth of that dungeon, John the Baptist was murdered. After a year of imprisonment, John the Baptist is dead. His work is done; he has gone to his reward, a faithful and uncompromising man. That is the true prophet of God. Look at a beautiful ending to an ugly scene. Verse 12, "Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus." So John's disciples buried his body.
Jesus knew what had happened, but it was good that his disciples told Him, for John was so beloved to Him. Verse 13, "When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself." Luke tells us that His disciples were with Him and they were alone. The timetable did not involve Herod, so Jesus doesn't go to confront the man.
It would have been a very important time to be alone with the Twelve to talk about what it is going to cost them to preach the Kingdom. They saw the first preacher and he was killed. Christ, the second preacher, would be killed. The majority of the Twelve would be martyred for their faith as well, so this was a very important time to be together to talk about the price, the cost, and a time of instruction.
Herod wanted to see Jesus. But Jesus did not want to see him then. In the intervening period of time He ministered. But Jesus did sent a message to him. In Luke 13:32-33, “Jesus said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’ 33 Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.”
The only time Jesus met Herod was at His trial. Look at Luke 23:8-12, "Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. 9 Then he questioned Him with many words."
“But Jesus never answered. 10And the chief priests and scribes stood and accused Him. 11Then Herod, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate.12 That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other." Common mockery of the Son of God united these two tragic men.
Listen, if you are holding onto your reputation, for fear of what others may think, for fear of the attitude and actions of those who may reject you, for fear of the loss of face or reputation, for intimidation by evil people, you have forfeited Christ and damned your soul. Please do not be fearful of men, only fear God and do not hold on what you cannot keep anyway. Let's pray.