As a young person, I was an avid reader. Because of that, I enjoyed the literature classes I had in school. Back then, we were assigned to read different types of classic literature. One author I remember was Edgar Allen Poe.
I read one of his short stories titled “The Tell-tale Heart.” Itis rather ghastly but carries an important lesson. I’ll spare you the gory details, but here’s the plot line. A younger man is convinced that his elderly neighbor has an “evil eye.” To rid himself of this perceived threat, he murders the old man and places his body under the floorboards of his house.
After the older man’s disappearance, the police came to question the murderer. He invited them in and seated them right over the spot on the floor where the victim’s body was concealed.The murderer’s manner is easy and calm, and the police suspect nothing.
However, the perpetrator begins to feel uncomfortable and notices a sound in his ears. He concludes that the old man’s heartbeat comes from under the floorboards. The sound grows louder and louder in his mind, though the officers don’t hear it. Terrified by the violent beating of the heart and convinced that the officers are aware of not only the heartbeat but also of his guilt, the perpetrator breaks down and confesses his crime.
What led to the revelation of the crime? It was the conscience of the perpetrator. Even though no sound existed, his guilty conscience heard the beating of the tell-tale heart and tormented him until he confessed to the crime.
As we resume our journey through Mark’s Gospel, we’ve arrived at the account of John the Baptist’s death. This record is inserted in the narrative following Jesus’ rejection in Nazareth and the sending of the twelve on their mission. There is a theme of rejection throughout these verses. First, Jesus was rejected in Nazareth; then he instructed the Twelve about handling rejection in their ministry, and finally, John’s rejection and death.
The disciples’ mission tour of Galilee awakened the whole region to Jesus’ name and powers. This awakening brought Jesus to Herod Antipas’s attention and led to his mistaken conclusion that John the Baptist had risen from the dead. As we’ll see, Herod’s conscience is awakened by this news, and the narrative provides a flashback of the events that led to John the Baptist’s death.
I’ve titled our study “The Lord’s Messenger.” Now, let’s read the text, Mark 6:14-29.
This text reveals the QUALITIES that must be present in the lives of all who would be the Lord’s messenger.
The First QUALITY of the Lord’s messenger is,
Develop a Godly Reputation
As I said, the disciples’ mission tour of Galilee awakened the whole region to Jesus’ name and power. People were speculating about His identity. Some said he was John the Baptist. Others said he was Elijah, while others said he was like one of the prophets of ancient times. However, when Herod heard about the miraculous happenings, he immediately said, “This is John the Baptist, the man whom I beheaded. He is risen from the dead!”
Herod’s conclusion was the result of a guilty conscience. Like the murderer in Edgar Allen Poe’s “Tell-tale Heart,” Herod knew he had unjustly murdered an innocent man. Verse 20 says, “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and...
