Season 4 Podcast 121 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 14, “The Beheading of John the Baptist, a Parable for our Day.”

Season 4 Podcast 121 The Stories of the New Testament, Matthew Ch 14, “The Beheading of John the Baptist, a Parable for our Day.”The story of the beheading of John the Baptist is perhaps one of the most famous stories of the New Testament. It has all the aspects of high drama: sex, violence, intrigue, deception, collusion, revenge, power, seduction, manipulation, and murder. It was later elevated to stage drama by such notables as Flaubert, the French novelist, and Wilde, the English dramatist. The dramatists exercise their poetic license and are not historically reliable. From there we got the term “The Dance of the Seven Vails.” And you have the clash of the titans. The ambitious Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, and John the Baptist, a prophet of God, sent to prepare the earth for the coming of Jesus Christ. It is good vs evil, and evil prevails in our unjust world. Herod is referred to by Jesus as “that old fox.” Herod, however, is afraid of John the Baptist who has a huge following, yet he becomes a pawn in the hands of his illegitimate wife, Herodias, who seeks revenge against John for condemning her marriage to Herod. Both Herod and Herodias were divorced and because of Jewish law their marriage was condemned by the bold John the Baptist. Herodias wanted John killed. Herod compromised by putting him in prison; therefore, the battle between Herodias and Herod begins. With all of Herod’s power, he is no match for his subtle wife.Herodias represents the feme fatale. She has a daughter, Salome, probably a teenager, perform a sensuous dance before King Herod for his birthday. He is seduced by her beauty. The dance was almost certainly provocative in a most reprehensible way as she was Herod’s stepdaughter. King Herod was so taken that he promised with an oath to give Salome anything she asked for. That was a foolish oath which cost John the Baptist his life. And King Herod his soul. He was naively unaware of the depths his wife would go to satisfy her revenge. It was Herodias who plotted from the beginning with her daughter to seduce the superstitious Herod into making such a hasty promise. Salome coldly asked for the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter called a charger. 1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.6 But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.Next we have a very chilling story summarized in only 25 words,9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.Herod ordered the murder of an innocent man, merely because of a hasty oath made under the influence of lust for his stepdaughter. A rash act by a petty king which could not be rescinded cost the life of one of the greatest prophets to live on the earth.