Matthew – God’s Purposes
JUMPING RIGHT IN TO MATTHEW…
In Matthew 14—20, we will see three groups of people: Christ’s enemies, the needy multitudes, and the disciples. Our passage this morning describes some of Christ’s enemies in the line of Herod. Evil works through and has permeated this leadership over the Jewish nation. This Herod, in the Edomite hereditary line from Esau, beheads John the Baptist at a party at the whim of his wife’s manipulation all because John told the Truth and called them out on the evil of their relationship.One of my favorite commentators, Warren Wierwbe, gives us a history so we can wrap our heads around the world Jesus has come down to save. Jesus, the Messiah, sent from God, to reconcile the world back to God faces the Jewish nation of God’s chosen as misguided, misled, and very lost…without a shepherd.
Warren Wiersbe:
“The Herod family looms large in the four gospels and the book of Acts, and it is easy to confuse the various rulers. Herod the Great founded the dynasty and ruled from 37 BC to 4 BC. He was not a true Jew by birth, but was an Edomite, a descendant of Esau. He was a heathen in practice, and a monster in character. He had nine wives (some say ten), and he thought nothing of slaying his own sons or wives if they got in the way of his plans. It was he who had the infants slain in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:13–18).”
“Herod Antipas, the Herod of this chapter, was a son of Herod the Great. His title was “tetrarch,” which means “ruler over the fourth part of the kingdom.” He ruled from 4 BC to AD 39, and his rule was deceptive and selfish. He loved luxury and was very ambitious to become a great ruler. Herod Agrippa is the Herod who imprisoned Peter and killed James (Acts 12). He was a grandson of Herod the Great.”
“Herod Agrippa II was the Herod who tried Paul (Acts 25:13ff.). He was a son of Agrippa I. All of the Herods had Edomite blood in them, and, like their ancestor Esau, they were hostile to the Jews (Gen. 25:19.). They practiced the Jewish religion when it helped fulfill their plans for gaining more power and wealth.”
“Herod Antipas was guilty of gross sin: He had eloped with Herodias, the wife of his half-brother Philip I, divorcing his own wife and sending her back to her father, the king of Petra (Lev. 18:16; 20:21). Herod listened to the voice of temptation and plunged himself into terrible sin.”
God, the Father knew the evil of this leadership over his people. He created John with one purpose and mission. God gave John, his prophet, the words to say boldly and truthfully, pointing out what evil is and how to repent from it as he “prepared the way” for our Messiah, who would save all people from all sin forever by his sacrifice. This is the world Jesus has come to save.
Matthew 14, NLT
The Death of John the Baptist
14 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus, 2 he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.”3 For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). 4 John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet.
6 But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, 7 so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. 8 At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!” 9 Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. 10 So John was beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.
THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION:
Evil is present in Herod but there is still a conscience that rises to the top of his thoughts as he fearfully says, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.” Amazing that a conscience is bothering such an evil man, but the fear of what he has done is coming back to haunt his thoughts.
Are there some past sins, bad deeds, or words that sent mixed messages to a friend that are unresolved in our lives?
All sin within us can be resolved by remorsefully, humbly repenting of what was said or done to Jesus. Restoring relationships with others begins with repenting to Jesus first. Then He will give you the power and courage to make things right with our friends and family. If they do not accept our request for forgiveness, we have done what we need to do, in Jesus, to make peace. (Romans 12:18)Herod’s conscience was troubling him, and neither his wife nor his friends could console him. The voice of conscience is a powerful voice, and it can be the voice of God to those who will listen. Instead of heeding his conscience, Herod determined to kill Jesus just as he had killed John. Some Pharisees (probably in on the plot) warned Jesus that Herod wanted to kill Him (Luke 13:31–32). But Jesus was not disturbed by the report.
Do we hear God but avoid doing what God wants and choose to live with a troubling conscience?
EPILOGUE – What happens to Herod because of his unrepentant heart?
Herod should have known that he could not get away with his sin. History records that Herod lost prestige and power. His armies were defeated by the Arabs, and his appeals to be made a king (urged by his wife) were refused by Emperor Caligula. Herod was banished to Gaul (France) and then Spain, where he died.
Herod is remembered as a weak ruler whose only concern was his own pleasure and position. He did not serve the people, he served himself. He has the dubious honor of being the man who killed the greatest prophet ever sent to proclaim God’s Word.
How do we want to be remembered?
JESUS RESPONSE TO THE NEWS OF JOHN
One word…CAUTION: He quietly withdrew from that area and went to a “lonely place.” He lived according to a divine timetable (see John 2:4; 7:6, 30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 17:1), and He did not want to deliberately provoke trouble with Herod. Because Herod’s agents were all around, the Lord had to exercise wisdom and caution.
Certainly Jesus was deeply moved when He heard that John had been killed. The Jewish nation permitted John to be slain because they did nothing to assist him. But these same leaders would ask for Jesus to be slain! Jesus would never permit the Jewish rulers to forget the witness of John (Matt. 21:23.). Because they rejected John’s witness, they rejected their own Messiah and King.
Jesus knows our need for repentance and restoration. We are not perfect. We are always in need of Jesus each day. Our focus is so easily distracted by the world’s way of thinking only of ourselves and what we immediately want. We are a selfish lot in need of a Savior and Lord. We need no one else. We need nothing else. Only Jesus.Dear Lord,
Thank you for centering our thoughts on You this morning. That you, by Your Holy Spirit, for calling us out on our own sin that entangles and trips us up until we repent of it. You do, indeed, cut away all that hinders our walk with you. Please continue your work of salvation in and though me. Continue to call me out for my own sin. Restore the joy of my salvation. Renew a right Spirit in me. Save me from my selfish self.
In Jesus Name, Amen
What is more painful than being rejected? It is rejecting the One and Only who suffered pain, agony, and excruciating pain so that we can be redeemed, accepted and loved forever by the God who created us. THAT is what really matters. So when we are rejected, expect it, and learn from it. When we are mocked and ridiculed for our faith in Christ, we are in great company! We are given the power of Christ, extreme power that raised Him from death, to overcome any rejection that this world dishes out. Consider the source of worldly rejection and move on. That’s what Jesus did.
55 Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph,[ Simon, and Judas. 56 All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?” 57 And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.
Parable of the Fishing Net
We are scribes—students—who sit at the feet of Jesus 
Dear Heavenly Father,
The weeds here are so strong they can even tear down structures and fences! Randy and I took on a project of reclaiming a basketball/volleyball court by spending two mornings hacking away at the weeds that produced thorns and stickers that had grown in every crevice of this concrete slab making it unusable. ALL the weeds were thrown in a pile to be burned. SO, when I come to this parable, I GET IT! 
Parable of the Wheat and Weeds Explained
Dear Heavenly Father,
Parable of the Yeast
Jesus used the yeast illustration in two ways. Yeast does permeate the dough. Believers can affect society by permeating it with God’s Word, living lives that reflect His glory, rising above the mediocrity of this life to greater, higher standards of living which is more pleasing to God. We rise above the standards of this world by bearing the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit that lives within us permeating every part of our being. We permeate society by helping others find and follow Jesus, too! It’s not about us but all about the love of God in us.
How am I affecting society with my life? Is the “Kingdom of Heaven” in me affecting people around me?
The disciples ask Jesus why he is telling stories. My response, as a storyteller myself as a teacher is obvious to me, but Jesus responds with answers that take us all back to what God told through the prophets LONG before Jesus came to visit earth. Jesus quotes Isaiah with adding, ““But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.” NOW, disciples, “listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds.”
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
Parable of the Wheat and Weeds
The Sign of Jonah
41 “The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent. 42 The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.
Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love
22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”
30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.
31 “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.
QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT:
CHOICE TWO:
It is not surprising that this occurred while I was passionately preparing sermons for Spiritual Emphasis Week for elementary students. I drew a line in the sand. The battle began. Satan used a disappointing, discouraging situation to propel me into confusion and unrest until I fell on my knees and prayed earnestly for help. No other human could help me in this battle. I needed help beyond humans. 
I needed Jesus and I needed Him quickly. He heard my prayer. He gave me just what I needed…as He always does. The power of Jesus raised me up. The power of Jesus gave me His Words to speak. The power of Jesus overcame all feelings of discouragement. The power of Jesus opened up kids’ hearts to hear from Him who lives in me. Kids came to Jesus! Battle for kids lives were at stake. Devil lost again, praise Jesus!
We are going to camp on this small portion of God’s Word that tells of the fulfillment of prophecy of Isaiah who describes the relationship between God and His Son. This is beautiful, calming, full of love, and brings hope to all who believe. Read carefully and meditate on the love God has for us. Thank God for sending His Son who took away ALL the sin of the world in one final amazing act of love on a cruel cross.
Jesus, God’s Chosen Servant
