Miracles in the Name of Jesus - The God of Special Providence

What Happened to John the Baptist?

(Mark 6:14-29, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 13, 2018)

[14] King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” [15] But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” [16] But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” [17] For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. [18] For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” [19] And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, [20] for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.

[21] But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. [22] For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” [23] And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” [24] And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” [25] And she came in immediately 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, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. [27] And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison [28] and 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 his body and laid it in a tomb.

Who is Jesus?

As we make good use of this horrifying passage, we must not forget that the context of the recounting of this earlier story has to do with the troubling question of the identity of Jesus. Who was this Man? We are told that “King Herod heard” of something? What was it? From the previous verses we know that the Lord had sent out His disciples two by two in order to preach. He also gave them authority to cast out demons and to heal the sick, which they did. Where did this power shining forth in the Name of Jesus come from? Some were saying that Jesus was really John the Baptist raised from the dead. Others proposed different suggestions.

Herod Antipas was persuaded that it was indeed John. It is intriguing that John would be guessed, since the working of miracles is not particularly associated with his name. Perhaps John's clear message was so convicting that many believed that this new ministry accompanied by signs from heaven must be from John. Herod thought that the story of John was over. Now it seemed that it was not so is to be rid of the truth. Herod was afraid.

Herod's Fear Considered

What was Herod so afraid of? Herod Antipas, the youngest son of Herod the Great, had entered into a relationship with Herodias, his niece and the wife of his half brother, Philip. At the time Antipas and Herodias were both married to other people. Both then divorced their spouses and entered into a new marriage covenant with each other. John said that this was “unlawful,” either because Herodias was the niece of Antipas, or because both Antipas and Herodias had pursued unlawful divorces and then had married unlawfully, or for both of these reasons. In any case Herodias found John's opposition to her uncle impossible to ignore, and she sought to destroy him.

Antipas feared John, but he also protected the prophet from the murderous intentions of Herodias. He was greatly “perplexed” by John's message of repentance and the kingdom of God. We learn that Antipas heard John gladly, but the time soon came when he would deliver John over to death.

The Trap for Herod and John

When the opportunity arose for Herodias, she seized upon it. We have read the story of her daughter's dancing in the presence of dignitaries and all that transpired so quickly after the extravagant public words of Antipas at his own birthday celebration. The daughter of Herodias sought her mother for advice regarding what she might ask Antipas for on this strange occasion. The young dancer relayed the horrific instruction: “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

Herod's excuse in this matter looks pitifully weak. He protected his own pride, and his vicious wife was able to bring about the unjust murder of a righteous man.

Actions have consequences, and one of the results of this horrible episode in history is that Antipas was troubled when he heard that Jesus and those serving in His Name were performing great signs. He determined that John had risen from the dead. Of course, this was not true. What was true was that Herod Antipas was unsettled by the events of the day. It was further true that Jesus was not John, but the Christ, the Son of God.

John the Baptist was an extraordinary servant of God who ended his days on the earth as a martyr. How could this be right? Why would God allow it? Can there be any sense in the teaching of our fathers in the faith that God not only permits, but even ordains all things which come to pass?

Glorious victories for the Lord's children may sometimes appear to be our worst defeats. John's faithfulness to the Lord in the face of powerful opposition was his finest hour.

How do we evaluate tragedies and triumphs in the kingdom of God? More importantly, how does the Almighty look upon His beloved servants who suffer for the sake of Jesus and His righteousness? Consider these two words of God to His children: “Well done.”

Is God really in charge of everything? Yes. (Psalms 33:11, Isaiah 14:24, Acts 2:23, Ephesians 1:11-12). Could God actually being doing great things in the most horrific events of life in a fallen world? Yes, especially for His chosen ones. Notice WCF 5-7. “As the providence of God does, in general, reach to all creatures; so, after a most special manner, it takes care of his Church, and disposes all things to the good thereof. (1Timothy 4:10, Amos 9:8-9, Romans 8:28-29, Isaiah 43:3-5,14)”

Can there be comfort only in persecution, or is there also hope in accident and evil? Yes. Because Jesus was not John sent back to plague Herod, but the God of all providence.

For further meditation, consider Romans 5:1-11, Romans 8:18-39, and James 1:9-11. This world is not all there is. There is something beyond the temporary. Jesus lives.

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 92 – Bearing Christian Fruit in a Fallen World

New Testament Reading—James 1:9-11 – Temporary Glory

Sent Out with Authority

What is Our Mission?

(Mark 6:7-13, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 6, 2018)

[7] And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. [8] He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—[9] but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. [10] And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. [11] And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” [12] So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. [13] And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

The twelve sent out with authority

We join the key apostles/disciples at a time of massive transition. We have already heard in an earlier passage (Mark 3:13-19) about our Lord's choice of “the twelve” to be His disciples. The only reason given for choosing these particular men was that these were “those he desired.” Immediately following the listing of the men, a large crowd follows Jesus home (3:20), and Jesus' family comes to the conclusion that He was “out of His mind.” (3:21) Very soon after that, Jesus reminded those listening to His Word that “whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.” (3:35)

As we see the twelve being sent out on the Israel mission (Mat. 10:5) prior to the much larger Great Commission, we can understand that observers might consider that Jesus was not thinking straight simply based on the people He chose for these key positions of servant leadership. Several of these men were simple fisherman from a part of Israel that was not highly respected by the religious and political leaders in Jerusalem. Another was a tax collector who would have been hated by the crowds that hoped to be out from under the thumb of the Roman authorities. Worst of all, we now know that one of the men was Judas, who would be a traitor to Christ and to the kingdom of God.

These were some of the men that Jesus sent out two by two as His ambassadors. He also gave them amazing spiritual gifts. It was by the command of Jesus that these particular chosen ones had “authority over unclean spirits.” Wow!

The Master's charge

Jesus gave the disciples specific instructions that few mission agencies would consider sensible today. He told them to “take nothing for the journey.” Now we prudently insist that a missionary raise a very high percentage of funds before he or she leaves for the mission field. As Jesus sent out the twelve, He did not insist on meeting minimum fund-raising targets. Instead He told the men the maximum that they could take with them: a walking stick and the clothes they were wearing. Shocking.

What about when they arrived on site? We might be happiest to report the number of different families that hosted us. Without any particular explanation, Jesus insisted that the teams of two not split up, but stay in one house during the whole time spent in that village or town. There was no sense of solid strategic advice that is so popular today, We might have imagined that key cities would have been identified, leaving smaller locations to future teachers and miracle workers. If there was any such planning for this mission we do not have any record of it.

What should they do if their host family or the the town that they were staying in proved to be inhospitable to the message of the kingdom or the activities of the Lord's servants in confronting the works of Satan? There was no loud pronouncement against the offenders. Nor was there was any super-tolerant and polite expression of appreciation for those who had rejected them. The commanded display, “shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them,” was something for God to see. It was not loud but quiet, but it was also not a complement but a divine judicial testimony against them.

So they went out

These were the Lord's men and His instructions, at least for then and there. With this direction they went into an inhospitable world. Would limiting the geographic scope of the mission to Israel give the disciples the advantage of at least being among their own people group? The evidence is exactly the opposite. Gentiles were more receptive than Jews. This was a mission only to Jews, so it was a very challenging assignment.

These men, with these instructions, brought a message that many in Israel had already heard. One would have to assume that those who wanted to respond would have already done so. What was the message? The same as what John the Baptist had proclaimed and Jesus had reiterated. The kingdom of God was at hand. It was time to repent of sin.

I recently listened to the testimony of a Scottish man who had a very challenging upbringing, went to prison, came out unconverted, and eventually was called to faith by the Lord. He found Matthew Henry's six-volume commentary on the Bible somewhere, and thinking at first that it was the Bible itself, he read it all in about two months. He was particularly attracted to Paul's Letter to the Romans. It confronted lies he had been told all his life. Chief among them was the idea that he was at root a good person who was not responsible for his murderous behavior. He saw that God was calling him to repent and to find forgiveness through Jesus alone. This message was true in the days of Mark 6 and is still true today.

Jesus sent out the twelve to call people to repent. He also gave them authority to confront an evil spiritual empire. They “cast out demons” and “anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.” How was it that these signs took place? Brilliant ambassadors? Shockingly intelligent methodology? Or was it just the power and grace of God using weak sinners to extend the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ to other harassed sinners in a way that fit His plan for Israel moving from Old Testament to New Testament life?

Think about it. This band of chosen servants went out. They proclaimed a message: that people should repent. They confronted the devil and his works according to Christ's instruction. The message that He and John had preached and the miracles that He had performed now became the ministry of the disciples throughout the territory of ancient Israel. Not everything they did immediately transfers to us. Still, the church is being sent out in every generation in accord with the teaching of the Scriptures. Will we follow where our Lord leads us by His Word? Every step the twelve took was one step closer to the cross of Christ and His resurrection. Every step the church takes now in obedience to our Master moves us one step closer to the return of the King and the new creation. What is your mission? What is our mission? Shall we trust Him through every change?

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 91 – Show Us Your Salvation

New Testament Reading—James 1:5-8 – Ask God in faith for wisdom from above