Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Just when the story of the Herods seemed to be as sordid as possible, it got worse: And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, ‘Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.’ And he sware unto her, ‘Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.’ And she went forth, and said unto her mother, ‘What shall I ask?’ And she said, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’ And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, ‘I will that thou give me by and by [at once] in a charger [on a platter] the head of John the Baptist.’ And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison. And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb” (Mark 6:21-29). The daughter mentioned here is Salome (based on historical records). Like her mother Herodias, she was a godless woman, as her lasciviousness here demonstrates. Later in life, she would marry Herod Philip II, another son of Herod the Great (who had at least nine wives), a half-brother to Antipas and Philip I (her father), and thus her great-uncle. When he died, she married her first cousin Aristobulus. (I am reminded of the comic country song “I’m My Own Grandpa,” but there is nothing humorous about the Herods.) Clearly, originality was not the strong suit of the Herods. Sin was. Their rampant evil is a sad exposition of the outworkings of sin. Their trespasses ensnared them and reached out to harm others, including the great and godly John the Baptist, of whom Jesus had said that no “greater prophet” (Luke 7:28) had ever lived. May we soberly evaluate these negative examples and resolve to not hurt others through stubborn and selfish sin.