Ryle on Mark 6:14-29

Imported boundary: J. C. Ryle's Expository Thoughts on Mark from the Internet Archive DjVu OCR for the 1858 Robert Carter St. Mark volume. Title pages, preface, contents, running heads, page numbers, OCR boilerplate, and indexes are not mirrored. The source includes Ryle's printed Scripture text and exposition; this scan-derived text remains needs-verification.

Primary passage: Mark 6:14-29.

Source Text

14 And king Herod heard of him: (for his name was spread abroad :) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth them- selves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded : he is risen from the dead.

* The concluding verse in this passage, together with one in the Epistle of James (James v. 14), is generally quoted by Roman Cath- olics, in support of their pretended sacrament of extreme unction. A moment's reflection will show that neither this text nor the other referred to, is any proof at all. In both cases the anointing with oil is expressly connected with the healing of those anointed. Extreme unction, on the contrary, is an anointing administered to a dying person, when there is no hope of his recovery. This discrepancy between the anointing of the apostolic times and the anointing practised by the Church of Rome, is so glaring, that some of the ablest Romish controversalists have been obliged to ac- knowledge, that " extreme unction" is founded on church authority, and not on the authority of Scripture. Lombardus, Bonaventura, Bellarmine, Jansenius, and Tirinius, are all mentioned by Calovius as being of this opinion. 17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and hound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife : for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him ; but she could not : 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 And' when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high cap- tains, and chief estates of Galilee ; 22 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. 23 And he sware unto her, What- soever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. 24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask ? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 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. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought : and he went and beheaded him in prison, 2S And brought his head in a char- ger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb. These verses describe the death of one of the most emi- nent saints of God. They relate the murder of John the Baptist. Of all the evangelists none tells this melan- choly story so fully as St. Mark.

Let us see what prac- tical lessons the passage contains for our own souls.

We see, in the first place, the amazing power of truth over the conscience. Herod "fears" John the Baptist while he lives, and is troubled about him after he dies. A friendless, solitary preacher, with no other weapon than God's truth, disturbs and terrifies a king. Every body has a conscience. Here lies the secret of a faithful minister's power. This is the reason why Felix "trembled," and Agrippa was " almost persuaded," when Paul the prisoner spoke before them. God has not left Himself without witness in the hearts of uncon- verted people. Fallen and corrupt as man is, there are thoughts within him accusing or excusing, according as he lives - 'thoughts that will not be shut out - thoughts that can make even kings, like Herod, restless and afraid. None ought to remember this so much as ministers and teachers. If they preach and teach Christ's truth, they may rest assured that their work is not in vain. Chil- dren may seem inattentive in schools. Hearers may seem careless in congregrations. But in both cases there is often far more going on in the conscience than our eyes see. Seeds often spring up and bear fruit, when the sower, like John the Baptist, is dead or gone.

We see, in the second place, how far people may go in religion, and yet miss salvation by yielding to one master- sin. King Herod went further than many. He "feared John." He "knew that he was a just man and a holy." He " observed" him. He " heard him, and did many things" in consequence. He even " heard him gladly." But there was one thing Herod would not do. He would not cease from adultery. He would not give up Hero- dias. And so he ruined his soul for evermore.

Let us take warning from Herod's case. Let us keep back nothing - cleave to no favorite vice - spare nothing that stands between us and salvation. Let us often look within, and make sure that there is no darling lust or pet transgression, which, Herodias-like, is murdering our souls. Let us rather cut off the right hand, and pluck out the right eye, than go into hell-fire. Let us not be content with admiring favorite preachers, and gladly hearing evangelical sermons. Let us not rest till 119 we can say with David, " I esteem all Thy command- ments concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way." (Psalm cxix. 128.)

We see, in the third j)lace, how boldly a faithful minis- ter of God ought to rebuke sin. John the Baptist spoke plainly to Herod about the wickedness of his life. He did not excuse himself under the plea that it was impru- dent, or impolitic, or untimely, or useless to speak out. He did not say smooth things, and palliate the king's ungodliness by using soft words to describe his offence. He told his royal hearer the plain truth, regardless of all consequences - ■" It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife." Here is a pattern that all ministers ought to follow. Publicly and privately, from the pulpit and in private visits, they ought to rebuke all open sin, and deliver a faithful warning to all who are living in it. It may give offence. It may entail immense unpopularity. With all this they have nothing to do. Duties are theirs. Results are God's. No doubt it requires great grace and courage to do this. No doubt a reprover, like John the Baptist, must go to work wisely and lovingly in carrying out his Master's commission, and rebuking the wicked. But it is a matter in which his character for faithfulness and charity are manifestly at stake. If he believes a man is injuring his soul, he ought surely to tell him so. If he loves him truly and tenderly, he ought not to let him ruin himself unwarned. Great as the present offence may be, in the long run the faithful reprover will generally be respected. " He that rebuketh a man, afterwards shall find more favor than lie that nattereth him with his tongue." (Prov. xxviii. 23.)

We see, 'in the fourth place, how bitterly people hate a reprover, when they are determined to keep their sins. He- rodias, the king's unhappy partner in iniquity, seems to have sunk even deeper in sin than Herod. Hardened and seared in conscience hy her wickedness, she hated John the Baptist for his faithful testimony, and never rested till she had procured his death. We need not wonder at this. When men and women have chosen their line, and resolved to have their own wicked way, they dislike any one who tries to turn them. They would fain be let alone. They are irritated by op- position. They are angry when they are told the truth. The prophet Elijah was called a " man that troubled Israel." The prophet Micaiah was hated by Ahab, " be- cause he never prophesied good of him, but evil." The prophets and faithful preachers of every age have been treated in like manner. They have been hated by some, as well as not believed. Let it never surprise us when we hear of faithful ministers of the Gospel being spoken against, hated, and. reviled. Let us rather remember that they are ordained to bear witness against sin, the world, and the devil, and that if they are faithful, they cannot help giving offence. It is no disgrace to a minister's character to be disliked by the wicked and ungodly. It is no real honor to a minister to be thought well of by everybody. Those words of our Lord are not enough considered - " Woe unto you when all men speak well of you." 121

We see, in the fifth place, how much sin may some- times follow from feasting and revelling. Herod keeps his birth-day with a splendid banquet. Company, drinking, dancing, fill up the day. In a moment of excitement, he grants a wicked girl's request to have the head of John the Baptist cut off. Next day, in all probability, he re- pented bitterly of his conduct. But the deed was done. It was too late. This is a faithful picture of what often results from feasting and merry-making. People do things at such seasons, from heated feelings, which they afterwards deeply repent. Happy are they who keep clear of temptations, and avoid giving occasion to the devil ! Men never know what they may do when they once venture off safe ground. Late hours, and crowded rooms, and splendid entertainments, and mixed company, and music, and dancing, may seem harmless to many people. But the Christian should never forget, that to take part in these things is to open a wider door to temptation.

We see, finally, in these verses, how little reward some of God's best servants receive in this world. An unjust imprisonment and a violent death, were the last fruit that John the Baptist reaped, in return for his labor. Like Stephen and James, and others, of whom the world was not worthy, he was called to seal his testimony with his blood. Histories like these are meant to remind us, that the true Christian's best things are yet to come. His rest, his crown, his wages, his reward, are all on the other side of the grave. Here, in this world, he must walk '5 by faith, and not by sight ; and if he looks for the praise of man, he will be disappointed. Here, in this life, he must sow, and labor, and fight, and endure per- secution ; and if he expects a great earthly reward, lie expects what he will not find. But this life is not all. There is to be a day of retribution. There is a glorious harvest yet to come. Heaven will make amends for all. Eye hath not seen, and ear hath not heard the glorious things that God has laid up for all that love Him. The value of real religion is not to be measured by the things seen, but the things unseen. " The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed." " Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." (Rom. viii. 18 ; 2 Cor. iv. 17.)