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The Death of John the Baptist

Mark 6:14-29

Good News Translation (GNT)

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14  Now King Herod (a) heard about all this,
   because Jesus' reputation had spread
   everywhere. Some people were saying,
   "John the Baptist has come back to life!
   That is why he has this power to perform
   miracles."
15  Others, however, said, "He is Elijah." Others
   said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets
   of long ago."
16  When Herod heard it, he said, "He is John the
   Baptist! I had his head cut off, but he has
   come back to life!"
17  Herod himself had ordered John's arrest, and
   he had him tied up and put in prison. Herod
   did this because of Herodias, whom he had
   married, even though she was the wife of his
   brother Philip.
18  John the Baptist kept telling Herod, "It isn't
   right for you to marry your brother's wife!"
19  So Herodias held a grudge against John and
   wanted to kill him, but she could not because
   of Herod.
20  Herod was afraid of John because he knew
   that John was a good and holy man, and so
   he kept him safe. He liked to listen to him,
   even though he became greatly disturbed
   every time he heard him.
21  Finally Herodias got her chance. It was on
   Herod's birthday, when he gave a feast for all
   the top government officials, the military
   chiefs, and the leading citizens of Galilee.
22  The daughter of Herodias (b) came in and
   danced, and pleased Herod and his guests.
   So the king said to the girl, "What would you
   like to have? I will give you anything you
   want."
23  With many vows he said to her, "I swear that
   I will give you anything you ask for, even as
   much as half my kingdom!"
24  So the girl went out and asked her mother,
   "What shall I ask for?" "The head of John the
   Baptist," she answered.
25  The girl hurried back at once to the king and
   demanded, "I want you to give me here and
   now the head of John the Baptist on a plate!"
26  This made the king very sad, but he could not
   refuse her because of the vows he had made
   in front of all his guests.
27  So he sent off a guard at once with orders to
   bring John's head. The guard left, went to the
   prison, and cut John's head off;
28  then he brought it on a plate and gave it to the
   girl, who gave it to her mother.
29  When John's disciples heard about this, they
   came and got his body, and buried it.

   Footnotes
   Mark 6:14 Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee.

   Mark 6:22 The daughter of Herodias;
   some manuscripts have His daughter
   Herodias.

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Commentary taken from
'The Applied New Testament Commentary'
(Kingsway)

John the Baptist Beheaded

     Mark Chapter 6:14-29

King Herod (Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee).heard about this, that is, about Jesus' fame. This King Herod was the son of King Herod the Great. Herod had been given authority by the Roman Emperor to rule over Galilee.

Therefore, Herod was worried about this Jesus, because as a result of all the miracles Jesus was doing in Galilee, He was becoming more famous than Herod himself.

In New Testament times, people believed that the spirit of a dead person had greater power than the person himself had when he was alive. Therefore, some people supposed that the miracle-working Jesus must be John the Baptist risen from the dead.

Other people thought Jesus was the great Old Testament prophet Elijah. Many Jews believed that Elijah would come again (Malachi 4:5).
Still others thought Jesus was one of the other Old Testament prophets.

But Herod had a special reason for supposing Jesus was, in fact, John the Baptist - because he had killed John. He was afraid that John's spirit had come back to punish him.

Herod had taken his brother's wife Herodias and married her, while his brother was still living. John had spoken against this act of adultery. Therefore, Herodias had become angry with John and sought for an opportunity to kill him.

However, Herod was afraid to put John to death. He feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. Herod also feared the anger of the people, because they considered him a prophet.

Therefore, Herod protected John from the plots of his wife Herodias.
Mark says that Herod liked to listen to John. But though he listened, Herod never believed in John's message; he never repented of his sins. He rejected the word of God given through John. Herod was a hearer of the word, but not a doer of it.

But hearing is not enough. In the end, Herod killed the greatest prophet of them all.

Mark gives a description of the death of John the Baptist.

Other versions are available here

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