John Whom I Beheaded Has Arisen

In one paragraph

The pastor opened a passage in the middle of Jesus' earthly ministry that most people wouldn't have chosen for a fair service, which is exactly why he saved it for this Sunday. The message traced the execution of John the Baptist through Matthew, Mark, and Luke, then followed Jesus into his grief and back out to the crowd that would not leave him alone. What held it together was a single...

Read together

1. Revelation 22 Opening invitation: let anyone who is thirsty come and drink freely from the water of life
2. John 5:17 Jesus says His Father is always at work and He too is working
3. Psalm 146 Encouragement to praise the Lord as long as one lives and sing praises to God
4. Leviticus 18:16 Cited as the law John invoked against Herod marrying his brother's wife
5. Leviticus 20:21 Cited alongside 18:16 as prohibiting a man from marrying his brother's wife
6. Mark 6 Primary narrative text covering Herod, John the Baptist's death, and Jesus withdrawing and welcoming crowds
7. Matthew 14 Parallel account of Herod, John's death, Jesus withdrawing and healing the crowds
8. Luke 9 Luke's account of Herod's perplexity and Jesus withdrawing privately to Bethsaida
9. Acts 12 Herod Agrippa the first praised as a god, did not give God the glory, struck by an angel and eaten by worms
10. Acts 26 Paul's trial before Herod Agrippa the second, who said 'would thou convince me to be a Christian so soon'
11. John 6 Sets up the feeding of the five thousand, large crowd following Jesus across the Sea of Galilee

Talk about it

1. The pastor walked through the family tree of the Herods to show that power, dynasty, and political maneuvering surrounded Jesus throughout his ministry. How does knowing that context change the way you read the Gospel accounts?
2. Herod recognized John as a righteous and holy man, enjoyed listening to him, and even protected him for a time, yet he still had him killed. What does that tell us about the difference between admiring the truth and actually submitting to it?
3. The pastor pointed out that John the Baptist was beheaded for living rightly, that Jesus was crucified for living rightly, and that most of the apostles were martyred as well. How do you personally wrestle with the reality that faithfulness does not protect us from suffering or tragedy?
4. When Jesus heard the news of John's death he withdrew to a secluded place, and the pastor noted that withdrawing after horrible tragedy is something Jesus did regularly. What does that pattern suggest to you about how we are meant to handle grief and loss?
5. After withdrawing, Jesus saw the crowd, felt compassion, and kept right on healing and teaching. The pastor asked whether we are willing to take a hit on account of others the way Christ took a hit on our account. What does that actually look like in the everyday life of someone in this congregation?