The Strangest of All Gifts: A Beheading, Part 1

Hello, this is Dave Spiker, reminding you that tomorrow at midnight, Insight for Living will close the books on another ministry year.

To give a much-needed donation before the deadline, go to insight.org. From January 2021 until now, we've embarked on a fascinating journey through the gospel according to Matthew. Chuck Swindoll appropriately titled this teaching series, The King of Kings, because it features the unfolding story of Jesus' unparalleled reign over all the earth. Today on Insight for Living, we are stepping into the third phase of our study. It's the section that moves from Matthew chapters 14 through 20, in which we read about the king's ministry.

And at the close of today's message, we'll explain how you can request materials for this comprehensive study in Matthew. Some passages of Scripture are very encouraging. Others are shocking.

This is one of those. In fact, the scene becomes so evil, you'll almost feel like you need a shower after you've listened to the message. This is one, while inspired, but tragic, tragic story. And at the conclusion of it, there are four lessons that I hope you will never forget, because they tie in perfectly with our lives this day and at this time.

So while difficult to hear, it's necessary that we hear it, come to terms with it, and realize what it means to us. Matthew chapter 14, the first 13 verses, I'll be reading from the New Living Translation. When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus, he said to his advisors, this must be John the Baptist raised from the dead.

That is why he can do such miracles. For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife, Herodias, the former wife of Herod's brother, Philip. John had been telling Herod, it is against God's law for you to marry her. Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot because all the people believed John was a prophet. But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias' daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. At her mother's urging, the girl said, I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray.

Then the king regretted what he had said, but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. So John was beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl who took it to her mother. Later, John's disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened. As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. As you're listening to Insight for Living, to study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll, be sure to download his Searching the Scripture studies by going to insightworld.org slash studies.

And now the message from Chuck that he titled The Strangest of All Gifts, A Beheading. If you think about a piece of work, make that two pieces of work, Herod Antipas and his wicked wife Herodias. There are hardly any words to describe them. I think my favorite would be they're the Bonnie and Clyde of the New Testament.

They are no good. And why would that surprise us? The depravity of their lives can be traced back to their roots. Let's take Herod Antipas, who became the leader or what we would call the governor of the country and province of Galilee. One expositor describes the scene. The true account is actually more incredible than a bizarre soap opera. It is the story of infidelity, incest, political intrigue, jealousy, spite, revenge, lewdness, lust, cold-heartedness, cruelty, brutality, violence, ungodly remorse. Above all, it is the story of godless fear and the power of such fear to confuse, deceive, corrupt, destroy, and damn. Nowhere in scripture is the truth, the fear of man brings a snare more vividly illustrated than here.

That's what we have in front of us. The setting of Matthew 14 takes us back to the mafia family of the first century. In that day, it was known as the Herod, the Herod family. The roots of that family tree were nurtured by the bones and the blood of those the godfather of the family had killed, known as Herod the Great. He gave new meaning to human depravity. Married no less than ten times, each one of them only added to his life of deception, cruelty, and crime. He murdered several of those wives, as well as several of his own sons, which led to the popular saying, it is better to be Herod's sow than Herod's son. His pig had a better chance to live a long life. David McKenna adds this, slaughtering men and flaunting God, Herod the Great deserves a niche in the pantheon of history's villains, along with Caligula, Nero, Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, and Idi Amin. They hold in common the arrogance that led them to commit the most heinous crimes.

That's the background. The story begins in the biblical account of Matthew 14 with a rather, well, shall we say, lucky son. He survived his father.

He lived on and ultimately became the ruler, as we read here, of the region of Galilee. His name is Antipas, Herod Antipas. He's haunted by guilt. His hands are stained by the blood of the baptizer, whom he had murdered in the dungeon of the palace of Herod. When he hears the man Jesus named as the one working miracles, Herod Antipas is haunted, haunted by the thought that John the baptizer must have risen from the dead since such miracles were being performed.

He must have come back. And beginning at verse 2, we have a flashback as we return to the account that occurred sometime earlier. If you really want to see it in full clarity, you need to read it alongside Mark chapter 6. I'll have you turn there in a few moments, but understand that what we're reading has already occurred, but the lessons to be learned from it are yet to be learned.

The account. Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife, Herodias, the former wife of Herod's brother, Philip. It's a good time to turn quickly and look at Mark chapter 6. And you'll see the account that Matthew does not include. Verse 17 of Mark 6, Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip's wife, but Herod had married her.

You see, when Antipas went to visit Philip, he fell in lust with Herodias and they escaped. She left her husband and family. He left his wife and their families and they eloped and they lived in open sin, which in that day was known as adultery. And in that day, it was a shameful act. Among the Jews, it was scandalous. John the baptizer decided not to keep his mouth shut.

He was never known as one to keep his mouth shut, and this was no time to start. So we read in verse 18, he had been telling Herod, it is against God's law for you to marry your brother's wife. So Herodias, look at this, remember it, Herodias, that's the wife, bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod's approval, she was powerless, for Herod respected John and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him. There's a lot of intrigue in that.

Your curiosity runs away with you. I imagine he would go to the cell or he would bring John to his chamber and they would talk privately, secretly, certainly Herodias did not know of it. And he found him curiously fascinating. And he would spend time dialoguing with the baptizer while keeping him in prison.

Even appropriately. We read in Mark 6 21, we'll go back to Matthew in a moment, Herodias' chance finally came on Herod's birthday. Now back to Matthew 14. Verse 6, here is where the plot thickens and gets really ugly, at a birthday party for Herod. Now before you think of your son or daughter's birthday party, I need to stop you and have you think of a stag party. This is no little party with funny hats and whistles and confetti and balloons. This is a group of guys, cronies, that get together for all the things that would include, one man writes, Roman nobles frequently held stag parties in which gluttony, excessive drinking, erotic dancing, and sexual indulgence were common. Verse 6 tells us about it, and we read, at that party for Herod, Herodias' daughter performed a dance. Let me stop there, lest you think they all joined in a square dance, enjoying the party together.

On the contrary, she's a stripper, she's a pole dancer, we would call her today. But what makes it even more intriguing, she's Herod's stepdaughter. The creepy old man begins to lust after his own stepdaughter as she performs an erotic, sexually arousing dance. We read it here, she performed a dance that greatly pleased him. The Greek term is the word for sexually aroused him.

Lost in his lust, his brain full of alcohol, his heart empty of morals, he suddenly in his lustful moment blurts out a stupid statement. He says to her, I vow to give you whatever you want, tell me what you want, Mark adds, up to half my kingdom. She didn't know what to say. By the way, Josephus tells us her name is Salome. We don't read her name in the scriptures, but from his words, the historian's words, we'll call her by that name. Salome, who had greatly pleased him, heard this request and his vow to give her whatever she wanted, and notice verse 8 at her mother's urging. If you go to Mark 6, you'll read that she went back to her mother to find out what she should ask for.

I believe it was at that moment Salome pieced it all together. Surely in her growing up years, she had heard her mother as she spoke with this enormous grudge against the baptizer. And she hears her mother make this request, I want the head of John the baptizer. By the way, check the record for yourself, the mother never says do it immediately, nor does she say bring it on a platter. That was Salome's part.

She gets caught up in the plot when she understands what her mother wants, and she thinks if I have the power to arouse my stepfather, I've got the ability to ask the ultimate, immediately bring on a platter the head of John the baptizer. Please observe in verse 9, a little late, but at least the moment is there, he regretted what he had said. Well then why didn't he take it back?

When you say something stupid, the best thing you can do following it is, that was a stupid statement, and admit it in front of those around, unless of course you're caught in the peer pressure of what others may think. He would lose face, for after all it's his party, he's the king, how could he do that? So Herod, because of the vow he had made, notice how it reads, in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. At this point you have to take a deep breath, because here the scene is brutal. The baptizer is down in his cell, he knows nothing of a dance, or nothing of an oath. He knows nothing of what's transpiring above. There's no warning, there's no note, there's no tap on the shoulder telling him what's coming. Suddenly his door is open, and in walks a man with a blade, and off comes the head with a switch. It hits the stone floor, blood splatters everywhere, as the man is beheaded and his head is brought on a tray. Please observe, not given to Herod Antipas, who made the request, but given to the one who was the reason for the request, she took the head on the tray to her mother.

Your silence is appropriate. It's almost impossible to believe a man as good and godly as John would meet that kind of fate. But we are living in a day of beheadings where the innocent experience that.

But we'll never get used to that kind of thing. The body lay limp on the floor and would have remained there until the stench filled the palace, which would have pleased Herodias all the more. But the disciples heard of the beheading, and we read at the end of verse 12, they came for the body and buried it, and then they went and told Jesus what had happened. What a terrible moment for our Lord. Out of the blue, the disciples come quickly and describe to him the scene. They'd taken that body of the dear man, buried it, and now they tell the savior of the forerunner's death, the one who had baptized him, who had told others, he is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Now gone, voice is now silent. And we read words that describe grief. As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. I think there are times when we read the Bible that we need to stop reading, pause and let the wonder in. Lord, all alone on the little boat out at sea, remembering and mourning, thinking back to those great moments they shared together and the great ministry the baptizer had had.

At times, we wish Insight for Living were 60 minutes in length rather than a half hour. We'd love to continue our study in Matthew 14 right now in order to hear how this scandalous story unfolds. But Chuck Swindoll will resume his message called The Strangest of All Gifts a Beheading on tomorrow's program.

To learn more about this ministry, please visit us online at insightworld.org. We'll hear a closing comment from Chuck in just a moment, so please stay with us. First though, let me offer some context for our current teaching series. For the entire year of 2021, Chuck is guiding us through a verse-by-verse study through Matthew.

The series is called The King of Kings. In addition, you might be surprised to learn that Chuck wrote a commentary on the book of Matthew. And if you're looking to get better acquainted with the real Jesus, when writers like Matthew described, then we highly recommend adding these two volumes to your personal collection. They're called Swindoll's Living Insights on Matthew.

To purchase this two-volume set, go to insight.org slash offer. Well Chuck, we're digging deep into this first book in the New Testament, and already it's been eye-opening. Our current study through the Gospel of Matthew has been absolutely delightful. How refreshing to read this eyewitness account from a man who actually walked alongside Jesus.

In one of our recent studies, we saw Jesus teaching in the public square. To a weary audience, he offered these comforting words when he said, Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light. Oh, we never tire of hearing this calming invitation from Jesus, do we? His soothing words spill over us like a refreshing waterfall of hope, washing away our fatigue, and replacing it with confidence.

After all, the last year has been riddled with unwanted surprises, hasn't it? During this season of hardship, our nation, in fact our entire world, has been bombarded with emotional bombshells, the kind that rattle our spirit and make us feel, well, exhausted. To his listeners, and again to us today, Jesus opens his arms and says, Come to me, and I will give you rest. My friend, this is our mission at Insight for Living Ministries, and it's my promise to you today, as long as God gives me breath, I will declare these promises from God as accurately and enthusiastically as I know how.

But I cannot walk this journey all alone. As we approach the 30th of June, the deadline that we face, I need people like you to come along with me. Now, why, you may ask? Because you and I hold the key to liberating people from their spiritual and emotional exhaustion.

Together, we are stewards of the good news. So, my question to you, will you come alongside Insight for Living Ministries right now with a generous financial gift? When you do, your gift will be used to reach battle-weary listeners, real people who crave real soul rest from Jesus that you and I have come to rely on every day.

Thank you for listening to my heart, and thanks for responding today. Yeah, June 30th is tomorrow, so let me explain how you can respond to Chuck Swindoll right away. The quickest way to give is to go directly to insight.org.

Many prefer using our convenient mobile app, where the process is quite simple. You can also speak with one of our ministry representatives by calling us. If you're listening in the U.S., dial 1-800-772-8888. Our phone number, once again, 1-800-772-8888. Or, to give a contribution today online, go to insight.org. Join us again tomorrow when our study in the book of Matthew continues, right here on Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll. The preceding message, the strangest of all gifts, a beheading, was copyrighted in 2016 and 2021, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.