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 in chapter six and verse twenty-seven of his book, Mark wrote how King Herod “sent an executioner, and commanded” John's “head to be brought” where we read:
And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought:
and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
The verse reads, “And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought:” Mark began with the words, “and immediately” or “and forthwith and straightway” “the king sent” which means “King Herod ordered one to depart, dismiss and set apart” “an executioner” or “an attendant and member of the body guard, employed as messengers, watchers and slayers”, “and commanded” which means “and enjoined, ordered and charged that” “his head to be brought” or “John the Baptist's physical head was to be carried and borne to him”. Mark shared how King Herod “set apart” one of his servant who would “slay” John the Baptist by cutting off his head and bringing it to Herod.
The verse continues, “and he went and beheaded him in the prison,” Mark added the words, “and he went” which means “and the executioner left and departed” “and beheaded him” or “and cut the head off John the Baptist” “in the prison” which means “within the place where captives are kept, under guard and watched”. Mark shared how the “executioner” left King Herod and cut off John the Baptist's head within the guarded place he was kept.
When we consider Mark's words in this verse, we see how King Herod did as he promised Herodias' daughter. She asked for John the Baptist's head, and Herod complied. This may be a difficult story to understand when we think about God's grace and love toward people. Some may wonder, why would God allow the “fore-runner” of the Messiah to be killed in this fashion? However, God sees from an eternal perspective, and because this action was upon the earth, it doesn't on the surface seem right. God's plan of “salvation” for mankind is an eternal one, and He is concerned with the “everlasting life” of people. When they believe and trust in Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they not only shall have a relationship with God, but shall receive the “everlasting life” He has planned for them.
Next time Mark shares how the executioner brought John's, “head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel”, 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".
No comments:
Post a Comment