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The Death of John the Baptist In The Bible.
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The Death of John the Baptist In The Bible.

Behind The Death Of John The Baptist

This morning I shared a message with my congregation entitled “The sad tale of a dysfunctional family”.

It was based on the account of the death of John the Baptist.

The beheading of John the Baptist is a poignant example of what can happen when we allow dysfunctional attitudes and actions to overtake and control our families.

The death of John the Baptist is truly a senseless tragedy brought on by people giving themselves over to their most carnal natures. It is truly a sad tale of a dysfunctional family gone awry.

However, even in this tragedy, we can learn not only how to prevent this from happening in our own families, but we can also find the spiritual principles to help those trapped in the enemy’s snares.

I truly hope that this teaching on the death of John the Baptist will be a blessing to you and help you find the freedom and health only found in Jesus.

John the baptist

The Death of John the Baptist in the Bible.

John the Baptist Beheaded

14 Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”

15 Others said, “It is Elijah.”

And others said, “It is [a]the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.”

16 But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!” 17 For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. 18 Because John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

19 Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

21 Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. 22 And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” 23 He also swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

24 So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?”

And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”

25 Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

Lessons From The Death Of John The Baptist

In the book of John, written by the Apostle John and not to be confused with John the Baptist, we read the words of Jesus in chapter 10 and verse 10 where it says

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

As we look at the family of King Herod we will see where their extreme dysfunction was the work of the enemy.

The results of Herod’s dysfunctional family

  1. King Herod had stolen the wife of his brother Phillip. This is a story straight out of the Jerry Springer show. It was because John the Baptist confronted Herod about this action that Herod put John in jail.
  2. The innocence and purity of Herodias was stolen from from her by her mother. Can you imagine any mother asking her daughter to dance for her stepfather in order to entice him? How unhealthy of a family life is it when it is accepted that a daughter dance in such a way as to encourage lust?
  3. You have the authority and integrity of Herod stolen by his wife by the use of manipulation. It was not Herod’s desire to kill John the Baptist. He had made that clear. However Herodias wanted John the Baptist dead because he had confronted them about their sin. She used manipulation to take away the authority of Herod and his wish to keep John the Baptist alive.
  4. Not only was John the Baptist killed but the sanctity of life and the value placed upon human life was killed as well. Can you imagine what the effect was upon their daughter when she was told to ask for the murder of someone? How much did that de-value human life in her eyes? To have this acceptable in a family is just unthinkable.
  5. Because of all this the health and wholeness of Herod’s family was destroyed. What type of family has a stepfather lusting after a daughter? What type of family destroys the integrity of it’s leader? What type of family leads one of it’s members down the path to insanity?

Applying These Lessons from the Death of John the Baptist

Patterns from the enemy

We need to remember that in our life or the lives of others, when there is a pattern of stealing, killing, and destroying, it is the work of the enemy.

This is not to say that all of us do not make mistakes at times. However, when there is a pattern of this happening, it is the work of the enemy in our lives or those around us.

But it is not all bad news. Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly. There is a way to be set free and to have healthy and whole family relationships.

The desire to be set free

We need to remember that a person needs to want to be set free. It will do no good for Jesus to unlock the jail door if you or the person you are trying to help is not willing to walk out of that jail.

If they are unwilling, then all you can do is pray for them and pray that they will see the light and want to walk out of the darkness.

Replacing our vision of normalcy with God’s healthy vision

Finally in our own lives, when we notice patterns of dysfunction, we need to ask the Lord to give us a healthy vision and understanding of what is normal compared to what we are used to.

We often do not realize we have dysfunction in our life because we think it is normal to be the way we are. It takes God giving us a new vision and a new understanding of what His idea of healthy relationships is really like.

When you see His perspective of wholeness and health then that will set you down the path of freedom yourself!

Blessings

Pastor duke taber
Pastor Duke Taber

Pastor Duke Taber

All articles have been written or reviewed by Pastor Duke Taber.
Pastor Duke Taber is an alumnus of Life Pacific University and Multnomah Biblical Seminary.
He has been in pastoral ministry since 1988.
Today he is the owner and managing editor of 3 successful Christian websites that support missionaries around the world.
He is currently starting a brand new church in Mesquite NV called Mesquite Worship Center, a Non-Denominational Spirit Filled Christian church in Mesquite Nevada.