October 5: Mark 1-8

Mark 6:14-29 gives an account of the beheading of John the Baptist. (also found in Matthew 14: 1-12)

John had been put in prison because he rebuked Herod for his adulterous affair with his brother's wife, Herodias. Herodias wanted John killed. "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." Herod was torn between his conscience, which prompted him to listen to John the Baptist, and his sin-the adulterous affair with Herodias. He wasn't willing to give up his affair, but was willing to listen to what John had to say. (Kind of like when we're willing to attend church or discuss "spiritual stuff", but aren't willing to repent from or give up our sins that keep us from embracing and living out the Truth.)

When Herodias's daughter danced for Herod and his important guests at a banquet, he was so pleased he swore an oath to give her anything she wanted. After consulting with her mother, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. "The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her." Herod had John beheaded--the man he feared, enjoyed listening to, and who he thought was righteous and HOLY.

If it distressed him, why did Herod go ahead and have John the Baptist killed?

1. He was unwilling to give up his sin-the affair with the girl's mother.
2. He swore an oath and felt obligated to carry through.
3. He did not want to look bad in front of his dinner guests.

Why do we do things that we know in our hearts are wrong?

1. We are unwilling to give up our sin-the act either gives us earthly pleasure or helps us to gain some sort of advantage.
2. We feel obligated to do it (i.e. all of our friends gossipping about someone and we feel obligated to chime in)
3. We don't want to look bad in front of others. We might take another drink when we know we've had too many, we might bad-mouth our spouse when other people are talking down about their own, we might ostracize someone because our friends have decided they are not "cool". We may think peer-pressure is reserved for adolescents, but trust me, it happens among adults (and Christians) far too often.

The lessons we can learn?

• Don't hang on to your sin--it separates you from God, clouds your judgment, and leads to more sin.
• Don't keep an "obligation" that is wrong. (And while you're at it, don't swear oaths--see Matthew 5: 34-37 and James 5:12)
• Don't be afraid to stand up for what is right, even if it means you stand alone.