Herod’s Lust, John’s Blood: The Weakness of Power.

Class Outline:

Wednesday April 30, 2025

 

Main idea: Herod Antipas was a weak, sensual man whose execution of John represents the rejection of Christ by the pagan elite. 

 

Power is weakness when you assume it is yours alone. The deception to power is when people think it is theirs and not from God. 

 

Intro: Mark’s account (MAR 6:14-29; longer and more detail. 

 

Herod feared John as well as the crowds. He also fears loss of face before his guests (high ranking). 

 

Herod is “perplexed” (aporeo = to be in a confused state of mind, at a loss) about what John teaches. 

 

Text: MAT 14:1-12

 

Matthew puts a spotlight on paganism as adopted by the ruling class. 

 

Character of John and Herod; 

John is bold and courageous - he does not temper his words in the presence of the mighty.

 

Calvin admired John because where “others attacked and cursed Herod behind his back, John alone bluntly rebuked him to his face in an effort to bring him to repentance.” 

 

John called out Herod’s violation of God’s law. 

 

Application: When public opinion polls show how many people differ with the church’s moral and social positions, this should not often make disciples waver. “The way is broad…” 

 

MAT 7:13-14

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

 

2TI 2:24-26

The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Herod Antipas is a sexually weak man (plight on society). 

 

Herod’s sin should not be overlooked. He married his brother’s wife while his brother still lived. (LEV 18:16; 20:21).

 

Christ lifted marriage to where it was always meant to be. 

 

MAT 19:8-9 He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.  9 "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery." 

 

Jesus removed the sexual immorality of men and at the same time gave the world the source of its greatest prosperity - monogamous marriage. 

 

Nazareth - false rationality. Herod - false sensuality. 

 

The cross of Christ crushes these realms of thought. 

 

Herod’s feast sets up Christ’s feast in the next section - the contrasts are striking and wonderful. 

 

Application: Herod wants his lusts satisfied and his world ordered. 

 

Our lusts are not to be satisfied, rather we are to live (heart, spirit, soul, mind, and body) sanctified. 

 

1TH 4:1-8

Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. 2 For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.  7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. 8 So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you. 

 

Maintaining order in Herod’s context is the desire to fulfill lusts without consequences. (There are good ways of maintaining order.)

 

We cannot control our lives - only God can truly control. We can only trust control to our Father in heaven (MAT 6:25-34; ROM 8:28; PHI 4:6; 1PE 5:6-7; JAM 4:15).

 

The pagan elite seek to control their world while they sin against their Creator. It will not work, no matter what it may look like (Psa 73).

 

You and I are to be like John and the Lord. Poor in spirit but rich to God. Finding our joy in doing the will of the one who is Joy (sanctification). Leaving the control of our lives to the one who creates out of nothing.