[Continuing to read from Mark 6, beginning with verse 22: ] “When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.

“The king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.’ And he promised her with an oath, ‘Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.’

“She went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’

“‘The head of John the Baptist,’ she answered.

“At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: ‘I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter…’”

Boy, this is gruesome! A lot of stories have been made about this, even an opera. All kinds of paintings in the medieval times have been painted concerning this. And I might add right here that if you go to the Bible lands, and then go to Italy, you’ll find three different cathedrals that “have the head of John the Baptist.” Brother Payton [a friend and brother in the Lord to Harvey] asked one of them in Italy—he said, “I just saw this at Rome. Now here’s one in Florence—the head of John the Baptist.” The guy brother Payton was speaking to said, “That one up there [in Rome] was when he was a boy. This one was when he was a man!” Ah, you can tell a tourist anything you want, and they’ll believe it, too!

[Continuing to read from Mark 6, beginning with verse 26: ] “The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her…”

Now, think of this. It means he was greatly distressed. It’s already said that he knew that John was a righteous man.

[Continuing to read from Mark 6, beginning with verse 27: ] “So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison, and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. On hearing of this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.”

We know where this was. There’s a fortress on the other side—on the western side of the Jordan River that’s called “Machaerus.” It was one that Herod had built. The ruins are still there. And someplace, maybe in that area, John was buried. But it’s still there, where probably this scene took place.

Look at this point. Herod had John arrested, bound and put in prison. Bound and put in prison. A good man, preaching, preparing the way for the Lord Jesus Christ, a servant of God, and a man whose preaching was so effective that the whole nation was stirred by what he had to say. And even Herod liked to hear him preach, we’re going to see.

What was the charge that Herod brought against John? Well, it’s not listed. But here’s what I listed. If the king had been honest, he would’ve said, “You’re preaching what my wife doesn’t want to hear.” That put Herod on the spot. “Don’t preach on adultery because we’re in it.” Not only adultery, but also a form of incest, since he married a relative. Herod married his brother’s wife. I think that’s pretty low. Even that society at that time thought it was.

So John said, “It is not lawful…” What’s the law? Well, they knew the law! “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” The Ten Commandments were in effect, and, dear friends, they are still in effect, with the exception of “Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.” Every one of the others are repeated in our NEW TESTAMENT! You STILL can’t kill! So, these are eternal principles for the human family from God Himself! And in most countries, adultery is not tolerated. Even they had a law against it, or feelings against it.

So, verse 19 says, “Herodias nursed a grudge…” That describes her. Have you ever carried a grudge? Boy, that’s a terrible thing to nurse! It eats the heart of the person who carries it. She had to think about John all the time—what he said. She wants him put out of the way. She doesn’t want to see him or hear him anymore. So, she wanted him killed! But she was not able to do so. So, what does that amount to? Well, it was frustrating! Her sweet, dear husband, who had broken up two families to marry her, won’t do now what she wants him to do!

Can the king kill John? Oh, yeah, the king can kill anybody. And I might add that Herod killed two of his favorite wives, and the two sons of his favorite wife, Mariamne. We know where he killed them. The place is still there—at the New Testament city of Jericho, where he built a magnificent palace, and he had a swimming pool there, and he drowned his sons. Roman history tells us that. Boy, what a family!

Politics corrupt a lot of people! Those that are in high office have a double obligation before God—to be honest, to do what the law demands and to recognize that they have the charge of the lives of many, many people. “To whom much is given, much is required,” [Luke 12:48]. That’s an eternal principle.