Well, she runs over to mother. “What shall I ask, Mother?” [Mark 6:24]. You know already what mother will say. I have written this statement by this verse: “Parents are the source of the guidance of life!” We all get our start there from our parents. We all get our earliest impressions there. We choose what is good and what is bad. We learn to make decisions. And if you grew up in a Christian home, you have the best start of all because your parents wanted you to choose what is right before God. Don’t go along with the crowd. Don’t let your fleshly appetites dictate what you always choose. Choose what is right! You want to have a good life, a fulfilled life, a happy life.

Herodias asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter, [Mark 6:24-25]. I’m surprised that television hasn’t made something of this. It likes some grisly things that really shock you. But, here’s a banquet. We’re having a birthday celebration, and they don’t have a cake with candles on it, so they bring in the head of John the Baptist. What would that do for you? I think that could spoil a good appetite! But look at the mother. Herod’s stepdaughter takes John’s head right over to Mother. This is what Mother requested, so she gives it to Mother. What a mother!! [This last sentence is said in a very sarcastic way.] This is real, dear friends! This is real Bible history here!

Now, what about John? He had no defense. He had no trial. He could make no statement. He could not defend himself.

What about the daughter? She was submissive to her wicked mother. She obeyed the wrong voice.

What about Herod? He was trapped! He’d gotten himself out on a limb [he had created a situation he could not, or would not, change]. He said, “Ask anything you want.” Don’t ever say that! I can remember asking my Dad, “Will you give me whatever I ask?” Maybe all of us have tried that at one time or another. He said, “No I won’t give you whatever you ask!! What do you have in mind?” Whatever I had in mind, he’d always say, “NO. You’re not going to get that.” And you knew it—that’s the way it was. That’s the way it ought to be, actually, when whatever I was asking for was out of the ordinary and was foolish.

So, Herod, is there no way out? Yes…there is a way out. Stand for the Truth! Say, “I am not going to kill this righteous and just man! I didn’t include that when I said ‘anything’! I will not do it!” Well, what would your friends think? Well, there might have been some who said he didn’t keep his word. But I would imagine the majority of them would’ve said he’d done the right thing. Would you make your wife mad? OHHH, YES!!!! She’d have been mad! Next time, she’d ask for HIS head!!

What about the daughter? Ah, she’s a pawn in all of this. She doesn’t know what’s going on. She’s just doing what her wicked mother tells her to do.

Hey, is there “peer pressure” here? Yeah, Herod has got an audience of his peers sitting out there, and he doesn’t want to disappoint them! He’s afraid of them! Peer pressure has always been one of the greatest tools of the devil. Boy, it is hard to stand out from the crowd. I know. You know. And he wasn’t going to do it. So the high officials and the commanders and all of the leading men of Galilee, they were high on emotions when they saw the dance, and they shared these emotions with Herod, and Herod is what? Is greatly distressed after this request. I didn’t know this. Here’s an interesting word. The Greek word is [and here the cassette tape is unclear. Working from the King James Version, which translates “greatly distressed” as “exceeding sorry”, the transcriber used An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words by W. E. Vine, and found the Greek word to be the adjective perilupos, which translates to “very sad, deeply grieved, or intense grief”]. And it’s translated deepest grief, and it’s only used one other time in all the Bible. And guess where it is? It’s when Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane, in Mark, the 14th chapter, verse 34, and He is “greatly distressed” [King James Version: “exceedingly sorrowful”].

Boy, what a language we have our New Testament written in!! It’s just as graphic as it can be! The Greeks had a word for it. And that’s really true.

And so Herod immediately sent the guard. The Latin word here is especutator, meaning “those who watch”. Our English word is “spectator”. There was a section [unit] of the Roman soldiers that were called especutators [specutators ?], and they stood watch, and that’s who he sent. That word is used in the Latin version of our New Testament.

So a head was brought to Salome. She gave it to Herodias, and Jesus would later commend John. Jesus had already loved John. Jesus already knew what he was doing. And John baptized our dear Lord.

Herod and Herodias and Salome died in shame. But they’re scheduled for judgment before God. And you and I will be there.

John lived by God’s Word. The principles of Truth mattered more to him than life! And there’s our lesson.