Mark wrote how “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee. And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever you wilt, and I will give it to you. And he swore unto her, Whatsoever you shall ask of me, I will give it to you, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that you give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,”, and in chapter six and verse twenty-eight of his book, Mark wrote how the executioner “brought” John the Baptist's “head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel” where we read:
And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
The verse reads, “And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel:” Mark began with the words, “and brought his head” or “and carried and bore forth John the Baptist's physical head” “in a charger” which means “in a dish, plate or platter”, “and gave it” or “and granted, bestowed, furnished and supplied John the Baptist's head” “to the damsel” or “to the little girl who was Herodias' daughter”. Mark shared how the “executioner” brought Herodias' daughter John the Baptist's head on a “platter”.
The verse goes on to say, “and the damsel gave it to her mother.” Mark continued with the words, “and the damsel” which means “and the little girl who was Herodias' daughter” “gave it to her mother” or “granted, bestowed, furnished and supplied John the Baptist's head to her own mother”. Mark shared how Herodias' daughter gave John the Baptist's head to her mother.
When we meditate upon Mark's words in this verse, we see the progression of this horrific act. Just as Herodias desired, John the Baptist was killed. Though she used her daughter to get her will performed, Herodias got her “revenge” upon John. The problem was that she only had a temporary solution to her problem because John the Baptist went on to live forever. The difference was that John was “eternal”, and he went to live with God, and Herodias lived with the bloodshed of John on her hands all her temporary earthly life. God's desire is to save people from their sinful lives, and those who are wise will yield their lives to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord” so they too will not have just temporary solutions to their problems but think in terms of all eternity for their lives.
Next time Mark shares how John the Baptist's disciples heard of his beheading and, “they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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