Gospel of Matthew Chapter 14 -- John Karmelich

1. I have nicknamed Chapter 14 “The story of two kings”.

a) The first third of the chapter talks about “King” Herod.

b) The second two-thirds of the chapter talks about King Jesus.

c) Herod wanted the title “king” from the Roman government but never got it.

d) Jesus is a true king, but with a few exceptions, nobody was willing to give him that title.

e) The Herod of this chapter went down in history as one of the most immoral and despicable people who ever lived. History records he died by committing suicide.

f) The Jesus of this chapter is another example of how a true king is to live, and gives examples of how we are to follow that king.

i) Remember that the bible says God has made us “kings and priests” to the Lord our God. (See 1^st Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6).

ii) Therefore, studying how a “king” should act is an important issue to a Christian.

2. There are 36 verses in Chapter 14. The first 12 tell the story of why Herod killed John the Baptist.

a) A question I asked is why did Matthew spend so much time on this story?

b) The purpose of Matthew’s gospel is to show Jesus as the promised Messiah to Israel.

c) Yet in the first 12 verses, it is a detailed story behind why Herod had John killed.

d) Why did Matthew spend so much “space” telling this story?

i) My answer is my premise. This is the story of two “kings”.

ii) I believe Matthew wanted to show the contrast of Herod to Jesus.

iii) There are other reasons as well.

a) Maybe Matthew was angry at the injustice of how Herod treated John.

b) Maybe Matthew just wanted to tell the story of how John the Baptist died.

c) The story of the death of John the Baptist leads to Jesus going into seclusion. Maybe it was “all one big intro”.

(1) I’m not sure I accept this last premise, because Matthew could have just said, “After Herod killed John, Jesus went to be by himself.”

(2) Matthew didn’t summarize John’s death that succinctly.

(3) Instead Matthew spends a lot of time telling about why John the Baptist was killed. “Why” Matthew did that is a mystery, because Matthew didn’t explain why he spent so much space describing Herod killing John.

e) For whatever reason Matthew gave these details is not known.

i) My job is simply to talk about what the text means and how it applies to our lives.

ii) With that said, let’s go to verse 1.

3. Verse 1: At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, ² and he said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him."

a) The first thing we have to do is to describe who this Herod is.

i) His father was “Herod the Great”. His father killed the babies at Bethlehem.

ii) This Herod was a governor over the Galilee region. That is what “tetrarch” means. Technically it means “A governor of a 4^th part”. For example, Pontius Pilate was tetrarch over the area around Jerusalem.

b) The next thing to notice about Herod is that he is a “religious” man.

i) This is a man who was ruler over the Galilee territory, which was mostly Jewish.

a) Therefore, he knew about Judaism, but was himself an Edomite. (That was the group that descended from Esau.) He must have had some understanding of Jewish practices and customs.

ii) I believe Herod is a “religious” man, as he believed in reincarnation.

a) In later verses we will read that Herod thought that John was a “righteous man”, but he had John the Baptist killed in order to keep an oath he made in rash at a party.

iii) I have met many people who use the word “religious” or “spiritual” to describe their belief in God. These are people who ignore or reject the Gospel message and then make up their own substitute religion and call it “religious” or “spiritual”.

a) Here was Herod believing John the Baptist was reincarnated:

(1) Did it cause Herod to change his lifestyle?

(2) Did it cause Herod to ask God for forgiveness?

b) Unfortunately, the answer is no. Many people will claim they believe in some sort of god, and most believe in some sort of afterlife. Unfortunately, these same people will not change their lifestyle. They are comfortable believing in a god that doesn’t require much of them. That is the type of attitude Herod has here.

c) The next thing to notice is that Herod believed Jesus was John the Baptist reincarnated.

i) Herod must have heard the reports about Jesus’ miracles.

ii) Herod must also have heard the reports that the Jewish people were looking for a Messiah. You can’t be a governor over a Jewish people and not understand that the Jewish people hoped in a ruling Messiah. Especially when the Jewish people were looking for someone to overthrow Rome.

iii) But Herod couldn’t accept Jesus as the promised Messiah either. Therefore, he looked for other explanations. He came up with “John the Baptist reincarnated”.

iv) I mention this is there are many misconceptions of who Jesus is.

a) When cult members come to my door and ask me do I believe in Jesus, my favorite response is, “Which Jesus?” Which Jesus do you believe in?

b) That makes them think. J A typical response is, “I thought there was only one Jesus”. I say, “oh no. There are lots of Jesus’. The Jesus that Catholics and Protestants believe in is a different Jesus than what the Jehovah Witnesses believe about him and that is different from what the Mormon’s believe and that is different from what other cults teach.

c) My point here is that Herod refused to accept the truth about Jesus. He refused to go learn for himself the truth about Jesus. Instead he came to his own false-conclusions that didn’t require any lifestyle changes.

4. Verse 3: Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, ⁴ for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her." ⁵ Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.

a) It’s time for a little more background on Herod:

i) Herod’s wife at that time was an arranged marriage from a neighboring kingdom

a) This is the Arabian king of the Nabateans.

b) Don’t worry; you don’t have to remember that! J

ii) Herod’s half-brother Phillip lived in Rome.

iii) Herod had an affair with Phillip’s wife and took her away with him to Israel.

a) Phillip’s wife was Herodias. She became Herod’s wife.

b) This woman, Herodias was also Herod’s niece.

c) Not only did he have an affair with his brother’s wife but also his niece!

iv) History records that Herod’s first wife went back to her father. There was a battle between Rome and the Arabian kingdom over this scandal. Rome had to bring in extra troupes in order to defeat the Arabs.

v) Herod and Phillip’s wife were eventually fired as governor and exiled to Gaul, which is modern day France.

vi) History records they eventually committed suicide together.

vii) Source for most of this is Josephus, a 1^st Century Jewish (non-Christian) historian.

b) Notice how Herod handled the guilt of John the Baptist saying, “This isn’t right.”

i) Did Herod say, “Yeah, I know its wrong, now leave me alone”?

ii) Did Herod say, “Who are you to judge the king? Off with your head!”

iii) The point here is Herod was a man of fear.

a) He had John the Baptist arrested and put in jail so he wouldn’t have to hear him preach about what was wrong.

b) Also, out of fear of a people’s revolt, he didn’t have John killed.

(1) The last part is common in politics. You don’t want your enemy killed so he can be a martyr to your enemies’ cause. It is better to lock them up so they can’t preach any more.

iv) Herod in many ways represents people who are neutral on Christianity.

a) They just want Christians to “go away and don’t make me feel guilty.”

b) At the same time, they won’t “kill Christ.” They know Jesus was a righteous man, but they don’t want to change their lifestyle.

c) These are the type of people who go to church every now and then just to alleviate their guilt. Just as Herod went to go listen to John the Baptist preach, but not do anything about it.

5. Verse 6: On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much ⁷ that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

a) The Greek term for “dance” implies a sexual, seductive dance.

b) Let’s talk about Herod’s new wife Herodias:

i) What kind of mother teaches her daughter how to dance sexually?

ii) What kind of mother teachers her daughter to dance sexually in order to sexually entice her husband?

a) This means that Herodias knew her husband has a weakness for beautiful women and was willing to use her own daughter to exploit that weakness.

iii) She wanted John the Baptist killed for proclaiming that their relationship was wrong (See Mark 6:19).

iv) Her husband Herod was still the governor of this territory.

a) She knew Herod didn’t want John killed as to avoid an uprising.

b) Therefore, she had to go after him at a weak point.

c) She had a birthday party for him, as to build his ego.

(1) She probably got him drunk.

(2) Then she used her daughter to entice him sexually.

d) The application to you and I is to “watch out for our weakness”

(1) Satan knows our weakness and attacks us during those moments.

c) You get the impression Herod was a weak man.

i) Further, you get the impression Herodias was an evil, bold, cunning women in the worst sort of way. She is the “Jezebel” of the New Testament!

d) Earlier I described Herod as the type of person who wants to be “neutral” about Jesus.

i) Herod was content having John the Baptist in jail. Herodias wanted him dead.

ii) His wife Herodias represents the type of person who vigorously opposes Christianity. She is the type, (if she existed today) would have a web site attacking Christians and their beliefs. She wanted to live her lifestyle without any guilt and she wanted to kill anyone who said otherwise.

6. Verse 9: The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted ¹⁰ and had John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹ His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.

a) Let’s look at Mark’s Gospel of the same story. Mark adds this comment:

i) So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him. (Mark 6:19-20, NIV)

ii) Herod had a strange fascination with John the Baptist.

a) He knew in his heart John the Baptist was right.

b) It probably calmed his guilt to go to listen to John speak.

c) Yet Herod was not strong enough to do anything about it.

d) He still had John killed out of fear of not keeping his oath.

e) "Like most weak men, Herod feared to be thought weak" (Plumptre).

iii) This follows many who hear the Gospel message.

a) They go to church once in a while in order to calm their guilt.

b) They “lock up” those who preach repentance. This way they only have to hear the message at their convenience, but don’t have to do respond.

b) Let’s talk about Herodias daughter:

i) From the historian Josephus, we know her name was Salome.

ii) What kind of daughter would dance sexually for her stepfather?

a) She agreed to this to whole plot in order to please her mother.

b) Think of what “proper brainwashing” can do to your own children!

(1) It does not make Salome any less guilty. She is not a “victim” of wanting to please her mother. She agreed out of her freewill.

iii) All of this is designed to show what happens when you turn your back on God.

iv) There is an interesting “curse” in the Book of Exodus that fits here:

a) “Yet he (God) does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:7b, NIV).

b) God does not punish children for the sins of their parents. (See Deut. 24:16) He is saying that children and grandchildren suffer the consequences of the sins of their parents and grandparents.

(1) This is a case we have here. Here is an ungodly mother and her daughter follows suit and acts just as wickedly.

c) I also wanted to consider these verses from John the Baptist’s standpoint.

i) The last time we read about John was in Chapter 11.

ii) He was wondering where Jesus was the Messiah or not.

iii) John the Baptist was in jail and sent some of his followers to see Jesus.

iv) I suspect John wanted Jesus to “get the show on the road”.

a) John may have wanted Jesus to overthrow Rome as to get him out of jail.

b) John was cooped up in jail and wanted out.

v) There are Christians out there who think, “We should never criticize other’s behavior, we should just love one another.“

a) Is that what John the Baptist did? No! He knew it was wrong for Herod to divorce his wife just to marry this women and he said so publicly!

b) For speaking God’s truth, it cost John his life.

vi) John’s “earthly” reward for service to Jesus: He was beheaded.

a) For many martyrs of the faith, there is no earthly reward for service.

b) The bible does not guarantee “riches and prosperity” here on earth if you follow Jesus. Many have died simply for preaching the Gospel message.

c) On the positive side, Jesus complimented John as being greater than all the Old Testament prophets. His reward in heaven may be greater than anyone of that time era.

d) It wasn’t until after John was beheaded that he was rewarded for his ministry.

e) “It cost him his head; but it is better to have a head like John the Baptist and lose it than to have an ordinary head and keep it.” A.T. Robertson

7. Verse 12: John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

a) John’s disciples took the headless body and gave John the Baptist a proper Jewish burial. Then they went to tell Jesus what happened.

b) There is a great little application here:

i) When you are hurting, or sorrowful, go and tell Jesus. Cast your cares upon Him.

c) Notice that Jesus didn’t call for a revolution to overthrow Herod for this action.

i) The action was wrong. Jesus has “bigger fish to fry”. The purpose of Jesus 1^st coming is to pay the price for our sins. Jesus will judge Herod for his action, it is simply not the purpose and timing of Jesus 1^st coming to earth.

8. Verse 13a: When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.

a) Just “why” did Jesus withdraw after this incident is a matter of debate. The text does not say why Jesus left after this incident.

i) Maybe Jesus was saddened by the news & needed alone time with God the Father.

ii) Maybe Jesus, who was working in Herod’s territory, needed to get out of Herod’s jurisdiction for safety. Jesus didn’t want to be killed before his time.

iii) The point is we don’t know the reason, just the actions that followed.

9. Verse 13b: Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.

a) The Sea of Galilee is not a very large body of water.

i) At its widest point, it is only 8 miles wide.

b) The townsfolk who lived by the lake had seen Jesus’ miracles and went looking for him.

i) They now heard of the death of John the Baptist.

ii) Now they looked for Jesus, as John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the Messiah.

iii) Since the lake wasn’t that wide, maybe some of them spotted Jesus in the lake.

iv) The crowds started walking/jogging around the lake to see where Jesus landed.

v) As they walked, others probably joined them.

10. Verse 14: When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

a) Remember that Jesus left the scene to be alone. He saw the crowd walking and running around the lake. He had compassion for them and healed the sick among them.

b) Notice what Jesus did not say to the crowd:

i) “Hey, can’t a guy have some peace and quiet for five minutes? I’m grieving over John’s death too you know, now buzz off”. J

c) My point is that as a Christian, there are times, even when we need a break, where God calls us to serve others.

d) The Greek verb for “compassion” implies that Jesus was moved down to his most inward being. His love for helping others outweighed his need for solitude.

i) I am the first to admit this is difficult. There are times when I am so dead tired I don’t feel like helping others. First of all, God does not give you anything you can’t handle. An all-knowing and all-loving God knows when you need a break as well as knows when an opportunity arises for you to help others.

ii) Also, sometimes, helping others is the best thing to get your mind off your problems. When I’m having a “pity-party” for myself, sometimes the best remedy is to do some sort of service for others. It can re-energize you when you are emotionally and physically worn out.

iii) Remember the expression “Where God leads, God provides”. That includes the strength for you to go on when you don’t feel the strength in yourself.

iv) The balance is “boundaries”. One should not help others out of a sense of self-guilt and martyrdom. Make sure it is God calling you to help others and not your own sense of guilt.

11. Verse 15: As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."

a) Besides healing the sick, Mark’s gospel tells us that Jesus “taught them many things”
(See Mark 6:34). This means that Jesus’ taught the crowd, besides healing the sick and the great miracle of feeding everyone. (This is coming up in the story.)

b) Now it is late in the day. The disciples are concerned about the crowd’s welfare. They do the logical thing and ask Jesus to order the crowds away to the local villages to buy food.

12. Verse 16: Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

a) This one verse is teaching a very valuable lesson to us. The key word is “you” as in
“You give them something to eat”.

b) Christian service can summed up in the idea that we, as servants of Christ draw upon Jesus for our strength and our daily instructions. Then we have the power, knowledge and wisdom (the application of knowledge) to go out and help others.

i) Here is Jesus teaching the same lesson.

ii) To paraphrase Jesus, “Hey guys, the whole idea behind Christian service is not to tell the people to go help themselves, but I want you to help them. They will know you are Christians by your love for one another. How much “love” does it take to tell people go buy their own food? You take care of them.”

13. Verse 17: "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

a) The other gospel accounts give more details, but the basic idea is grasped here in Matthew. That idea is “Where God lead, God provides.”

i) In John’s account we learn that the food actually came from a boy (John 6:9).

a) I wondered if the boy voluntarily gave up the food. Imagine his jump in faith when he gave up his only meal and seeing everything multiplied!