Daily Devotions
Mark
1 Peter 5:10 "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."
Day 140 – Mark 6
“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” 1 Peter 5:10
HEROD’S FEAR
When the different opinions were presented to Herod Antipas, he insisted that he was right. Firmly, he made his belief known.
“But when Herod heard, he said,
‘This is John, whom I beheaded;
he has been raised from the dead!'”
MARK 6:16
Why was Herod so insistent on expressing this belief about Jesus? What were his reasons for saying that John had risen from the dead?
LOOKING BACK
Herod could not help but recall the circumstances that led to his ordering of the death of John.
1. John was arrested because he had been outspoken
John openly criticized Antipas for his immoral behaviour.
“John had said to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you
to have your brother’s wife.'”
MARK 6:18
2. Herod felt that he had to silence John lest he stirred up more public ill-will.
But deep down, Herod had a great deal of respect for John
“Herod feared John, knowing that he was
a just and holy manâ?¦”
MARK 6:20
3. Herod also felt that he was protecting John
Being in public office, and politics the way it was then, meant that Herod Antipas had to always be on the alert. Some of his cronies might take it upon themselves to kill John in order to curry favour with the ruler. Their excuse to kill John would have been straightforward, for John had spoken against Herod openly.
Herod actually felt that he was doing John a big favour by putting him in prison.
“And he (Herod) protected him.”
MARK 6:20
4. Herod took a personal liking to John the Baptist
Herod would from time to time, actually called John for a private audience.
“And when he heard him (John)
he did many things, and heard him gladly.”
MARK 6:20
For some reason, Herod liked what he had heard from John. He was glad whenever he had a chance to speak to John. Perhaps John was the only one who spoke the truth from his heart. He may not have liked the message John proclaimed, but he liked the man behind the message. He very much wanted to protect John from all harm.