Bible Study series: Mark 6:14-29. Let’s do a deep dive into John’s life.

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Mark 6

At that link, I also have more commentary.

Let’s begin.

Scripture: Mark 6:14-29

¹⁴ Now King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’s name was known. People were saying that John the Baptizer was raised from the dead, and for this reason the powers are working in Jesus. ¹⁵ Others were saying, “He is Elijah.” Others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” ¹⁶ When Herod heard about him, he was saying, “He is the one whom I beheaded—John—he is risen from the dead!”

¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent for and arrested John and bound him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because Herod had married her. ¹⁸ For John was saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!” ¹⁹ But Herodias bore a grudge against him and wanted him killed, yet she was unable, ²⁰ for Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. He protected him. Although he heard him often, he was perplexed and yet he readily listened to him.

²¹ Now when a suitable day arrived, Herod threw a feast on his birthday for his court officials and military commanders and leading people of Galilee. ²² When the daughter of Herodias entered and danced, she pleased Herod and the dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” ²³ And he swore a strong oath to her: “Whatever you request of me, I will give it to you, up to half of my kingdom.” ²⁴ So she went out and told her mother. “What will I request?” She said, “The head of John the Baptizer!” ²⁵ She immediately and hurriedly went back in to the king and requested, “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptizer on a platter, right now!” ²⁶ Although the king was grieved, he did not want to refuse her because of the oaths and the dinner guests. ²⁷ So immediately the king sent and ordered an executioner to bring his head. He left, beheaded him in prison, ²⁸ brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When his disciples heard about this, they came and took his corpse and placed it in a grave. (Mark 6:14-29)

Comments:

A long introduction before we get to the verse by verse comments:

Commentators believe that this long passage is an intercalation or “sandwich” between the sending out of the twelve (vv. 7-13) and their report back (vv. 30-31). The point is that John was the ultimate disciple of God, because he laid down his life for righteousness and integrity and God. It illustrates the cost of discipleship to Mark’s original community or communities (Mark 8:34-35).

This whole scene between John and Herod and Herodias reminds the reader of the conflict between Elijah, Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 16:29-19:3; 21:1-29). Elijah won the battle of wills between him and the queen. It is a sad fact, however, that Herodias got the better of John.

The entire pericope (pronounced puh-RIH-koh-pea) from v. 14 to the end is presented as a flashback.

Let’s review the historical tidbits. Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee and Perea from 4 BC to AD 39). Matthew correctly identified him as a tetrarch. Mark also called him king (v. 14), for that was his popular title locally and in Rome. He was not really a king, however. He was a son of Herod the Great (r. 37 BC to AD 4).

Herodias had married yet another son of Herod the Great, Herod Philip I, whose mother was Mariamne), but he did not rule. Herod Antipas talked Herodias into leaving Herod Philip I, and she did, while Herod Philip I was still living. Both Herod Antipas and Herod Philip I were her uncles. The girl who danced was named Salome and was Herodias’s and Herod Philip I’s daughter. So she was Herod Antipas’s stepdaughter and grandniece. Since this dance was at his birthday party and wine flowed, we can be sure that he was drunk, and her dance, no doubt sexual, pleased him, so he made a rash vow. Her mother knew the dance would please her drunk husband.

The law which Herod and Herodias were breaking is found in Lev. 18:18, which reads: “You shall not uncover the nakedness [i.e. have sexual relations] of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness” (Lev. 18:16, ESV). It was permitted to marry a brother’s wife if he were dead, which is called a levirate marriage (from levir or brother-in-law or husband’s brother) (Deut. 25:5-10).

⁵ “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband’s brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. ⁶ And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. (Deut. 25:5-6, ESV)

If a brother died, his brother, probably the next oldest, was to marry his widow, to carry on his brother’s name.

However, as noted, Herod Philip I was still alive, so this marriage was illegal, by the standards of the Torah. John called out Herod Philip I and Herodias. He paid with his life. John knew the Torah well enough to proclaim it; he was not merely a fiery prophet who did not know the Scriptures.

John’s unjust death explains why so many societies for the past three hundred years revolted against kings and their regimes. They accumulated too much power and money in the hands of the few. Executing a prophet like John after a dance and by the command of a “king” must never be done again. Nowadays, in communist countries a person can be imprisoned and even executed for criticizing the government. In Islamic countries, a person can be imprisoned or executed for criticizing Islam. Both situations are inhumane and unjust and must be fought against. People must have the freedom of speech.

The length of this story indicates how important John was in the story of the Messiah. John handed on the baton to Jesus, so to speak.

All the guesses of who Jesus was agree that Jesus was some sort of prophet.

See my post about Jesus’s prophethood.

2. Titles of Jesus: The Prophet

It is accurate to call him a prophet, just as it was accurate to call Ronald Reagan “governor” (he had been the governor of California). But it does not describe him fully. Accurately, yes, but fully, no. Jesus was much more than a prophet.

14:

Mark uses the substantive participle “baptizing one” or “Baptizer.” I decided to go for it, instead of the “Baptist.”

Mark uses the unspecific “this.” “This” what? It refers to the miracles he was working throughout his ministry.

“The powers are working in him”: Herod didn’t know how to categorize Jesus, so the king would get things wrong, like believing that Jesus was John raised from the dead. Maybe Herod thought Jesus was a ghostly power or a god.

15-19:

The people who thought Jesus was Elijah were alluding to Mal. 3:1; 4:5-6, which says Elijah will come back in spirit and turn the households towards each other in unity and peace.

“bore a grudge”: could be translated as “nursed a grudge” or closer to the Greek Herodias “had it in” for John (France).

20-23:

Herod held or threw (or literally “made”) a feast for himself and invited important people in his petty realm. Jesus, in contrast, the servant king, whose identity had not yet been fully revealed, reached out to everyone, the lowly and high-and-mighty.

In v. 22, there is a complicated debate about Greek manuscripts and the name of the daughter. Is her name also Herodias? Maybe so. I went with what the modern translations say: she was the daughter of Herodias. Matt. 14:6 also says she was Herodias’s daughter. That’s good enough for me and my missional translation and commentary. If anyone wants to dig deeper, then he is invited to read the comments online, at the links, above in the Introduction.

This offer of half of Herod’s kingdom is proverbial. The offer is similar to the offer made by King Ahasuerus to Esther (Esth. 5:3, 6; 7:2). It is hyperbolic (rhetorical exaggeration). Herod is saying, “Ask me for anything. I’m the king! I can give it!” (Strauss).

Herod Antipas swore a strong oath. Jesus teaches us not to do this at all:

³³ Again, you have heard that it has been said to the people of old, “You shall not swear falsely. You shall give back to the Lord the oaths you have sworn” [Lev. 19:12; Deut. 23:22-23]. ³⁴ But I tell you not to swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; ³⁵ neither by the earth because it is the footstool for his feet; neither by Jerusalem because it is the city of the great King; ³⁶ neither should you swear by your head because you are not able to make one hair white or black. ³⁷ But let your word be “yes, yes, no, no.” Anything beyond them is from the evil one. (Matt. 5:33-37)

Keep your life simple and full of integrity. Just keep your word, straightforwardly, without complications.

24-29:

The daughter adds the grim element of a “platter,” reflecting the feast. She also says “right now!”

John’s disciples buried his body. They took a great risk to appear before Herod, but they wanted to honor their dead mentor and prophet.

“disciples”: See v. 1 for more comments.

Now let’s honor John by reviewing his short life.

John’s birth is announced (Luke 1:11-20), and the angel Gabriel announces he will be filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb:

“Don’t be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will birth you a son, and you will call his name ‘John.’ ¹⁴ He will be a joy and rejoicing for you, and many people will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great before the Lord. And he will not drink wine or alcohol, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. (Luke 1:13-15)

His mother Elizabeth conceives (Luke 1:23-25). Her shame of barrenness was removed.

²⁴ After those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived and secluded herself for five months. ²⁵ She said, “And thus the Lord acted for me in the years he looked with favor and removed my shame among the people.” (Luke 1:24-25)

His birth takes place (Luke 1:57-66). People knew he would be special, because of the human-oriented miracles that surrounded his birth:

“No one of your relatives is called by that name.” ⁶² They began to make signs to his father as to what he would want to call him. ⁶³ He asked for a little writing tablet and wrote, saying, “John is his name.” And everyone was surprised. ⁶⁴ Instantly his mouth was opened, and his tongue, and he began speaking and praising God. ⁶⁵ And fear came on all their neighbors; and in the entire hill country of Judea, these words were spoken throughout. ⁶⁶ Everyone who heard tucked it in their hearts, saying, “What will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. (Luke 1:61-66)

He begins his ministry in the wilderness of Judea (southern Israel) He wore austere clothing and ate honey and locusts. He prepared the way of the Lord Messiah (Matt. 3:1-12; Mark 1:2-8).

¹ In those days, John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ² saying, “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near!” ³ For he is the one spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying:

A voice shouting in the wilderness:
“Prepare the road of the Lord
Make straight his paths!” [Is. 40:3]

⁴ John himself had his clothes of camel hair and leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵ Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around Jordan went out to him, ⁶ and they were being baptized in the Jordan River by him, confessing their sins. (Matt. 3:1-5)

He preached the baptism of repentance, which meant that people had to bring forth or do good works in keeping with repentance (Matt. 3:7-12; Luke 3:7-14; Acts 13:24)

⁷ Then, seeing many Pharisees and Sadducees were coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ So then produce fruit in keeping with repentance, ⁹ and do not think to say among yourselves, ‘We have Father Abraham.’ For I tell you that God is able from these rocks to raise up children to Abraham! ¹⁰ Already the axe is being plied to the root of the tree! Therefore, every tree not producing good fruit will be cut down and tossed into fire! ¹¹ On the one hand, I baptize you with water for repentance; in contrast, the one coming after me is stronger than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry! He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire! ¹² The winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear out his threshing floor and gather his wheat in the storehouse, and he will burn the chaff in unquenchable fire! (Matt. 3:7-12)

John’s baptism of repentance did not go far enough. People needed to be filled with the Spirit, and only Jesus the Messiah could do this, and John himself said so:

¹¹ On the one hand, I baptize you with water for repentance; in contrast, the one coming after me is stronger than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry! He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire! ¹² The winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear out his threshing floor and gather his wheat in the storehouse, and he will burn the chaff in unquenchable fire! (Matt. 3:11-12)

Here is how his (ultimately) insufficient baptism of repentance and water had to be supplemented with the fulness of the Spirit. Paul is speaking to certain disciples who had received only John’s baptism:

² He said to them, “Have you received the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They replied to him, “We have not at all heard whether there is the Holy Spirit.” ³ And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴ Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul put his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, they began to speak in Spirit-inspired languages and to prophesy. ⁷ They were about twelve men in total. (Acts 19:2-7, tentative)

As noted, he testified concerning Jesus (Matt. 3:11-12; Mark 1:7-8; John 1:29-36). Here is a key passage from the Gospel of John:

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³ I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:29-34, ESV)

He proclaimed that Jesus was to become greater and he lesser (John 3:25-30). “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

He baptized Jesus (Matt. 3:13-17; Luke 3:21-22), and the Father’s declaration over his Son teaches that the Son really must increase and John must decrease.

¹³ Then Jesus appeared from Galilee to John at the Jordan in order to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ But John was preventing him saying, “I have need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?” ¹⁵ But in reply, Jesus said to him, “Permit it now, for in this way it is appropriate for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John permitted him. ¹⁶ And being baptized, Jesus instantly got up out of the water, and look! the heaven opened up to him and he saw the Spirit of God coming down as a dove and coming upon him. ¹⁷ And listen! A voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I delight!” (Matt. 3:13-17)

He was arrested by Herod (Matt. 4:12; Mark 1:14). Matthew announces this before he described it in more detail in 14:1-12. Herod really did arrest John and kept him in prison soon after Jesus began his ministry. Poor John languished in prison from then on.

In prison, he expressed doubts about Jesus’s Messiahship (Matt. 11:2-6; Luke 7:18-23)

As we just read in this chapter, he was unjustly beheaded by Herod (Matt. 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29), as we see in these twelve verses.

And as noted above, he fulfilled the prophecy about Elijah returning in Spirit (Mal. 4:5-6; Matt. 11:7-19; Mark 9:11-13).

John was a powerful prophet, called of God. His cousin Jesus was called to surpass him, yet John did not mind one bit. In fact, John announced that this would happen, so he was not emotionally insecure about it. He understood his place. It is a sad fact that he died young at the hands of an unjust royal family (of sorts).

I trust that my tribute to him reveals who he was and his high-level character and calling.

GrowApp for Mark 6:14-29

1. It seems everyone misunderstood who Jesus was. How do you view him? Just a good moral teacher? A prophet? An eastern guru?

2. Read John 1:1-4. Who is Jesus more fully?

3. Now what does he mean in your life?

RELATED

10. Eyewitness Testimony in Mark’s Gospel

2. Church Fathers and Mark’s Gospel

2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels

14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels

1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series

SOURCES

For bibliographical data, please click on this link and scroll down to the very bottom:

Mark 6