Bible Study: Matthew 14

Posted on December 8, 2021 Updated on December 7, 2021

Bible Study: Matthew 14

By Babatope Babalobi babalobi@yahoo.com +234 80 35 897435

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Commentary: Death of John the Baptist

Matthew 14 starts with the tragic story of how John the Baptist was beheaded to satisfy King Herod, Herodias, the king’s concubine, and her daughter.
John the Baptist was beheaded to entertain the king’s guest on his birthday. May your enemies not rejoice over your obituary in Jesus’ name.
John the Baptist was beheaded to satisfy the wish of a blood-thirsty and adulterous Herodias. Every strange woman in the life of your husband is cut off in Jesus’ name.
John the Baptist died violently because he preached against sin. Any power that wants to waste your life, shall die violently in Jesus’ name.
Adulterous Herodias and her daughter celebrated the death of John the Baptist. Any power waiting to celebrate your premature death shall die suddenly in Jesus’ name.
Every Herod and Herodias planning to behead you shall die suddenly in Jesus’ name.

Commentary: Lessons on the death of John the Baptist

The gospel of Saint Matthew introduced us to the Herods – the first Herod is the king of Judea who sought to kill Jesus (Matthew 2), and the second Herod is Tetrarch who ordered the murder of John the Baptist (Matthew 14).
Jesus escaped death in the hands of Herod the king of Judea, but John the Baptist died in the hands of Herod, the tetrarch.
Herod, King of Judea that sought to kill Jesus died but the second Herod, the tetrarch succeeded in killing John the Baptist.
Why did Jesus survive Herod the king of Judea, but John the Baptist did not survive Herod the Tetrarch?
John the Baptist was a prophet, evangelist, missionary, an epitome of humility, and was recorded as teaching his disciples how to pray. (see Luke 11 vs. 11)
John the Baptist was a bible teacher and fearless teacher, but there is no record that he was a prayer warrior.
John the Baptist taught his disciples how to pray, but the Bible did not record a single incident of how he prayed.
Jesus was recorded as having prayed at night, at Gethsemane, at midnight, on the mountain, and even when his killers were approaching Jesus was at the altar of prayers. The Bible is, however, silent on the prayer life of John the Baptist.
It was prophesized that John would be filled with ‘spirit and power of Elijah’ (Luke 1 vs, 16-17); John the Baptist manifested this power in the missionary field, but not against the enemies of his soul. Unlike Elijah who ordered those 850 prophets of Baal and Jezebel who challenged his ministry, should be slew at the brook of Kishon, John the Baptist allowed himself to be beheaded by his enemies.
Elijah, faced with death, commanded the fire of God to consume two troops of 102 soldiers that came to arrest him (2 Kings 1), whereas John the Baptist allowed himself to be assassinated to suit the wishes of an adulterous woman and her dancing daughter.
Samson in a similar situation did not allow himself to be killed cheaply by His enemies. He refused to go to the grave alone, even when there was no escape road for him. Samson at the point of death in the hands of Delilah and the Philistines conspirators, prayed to God to avenge he would be assassinators.
God granted his prayer and three thousand people died with him. (see Judges 16 vs. 23-31); On the contrary, John the Baptist did not raise a finger against his killers.
John the Baptist was too gentle to a fault. He was too humble even to the point of death. He allowed the messengers of death to catch up with him and kill him cheaply.
Without prejudice to his greatness, humility, and virtue, John the Baptist in a way symbolizes the present generation of Christians and church leaders. We have many great Evangelists around, we have powerful preachers of the word around, we have many righteous and meek Christians around, but tragically we have very few praying Christians around. Most Christians or Pastors can teach or preach the Bible for many hours, but only a few Christians or Pastors can pray without ceasing for even one hour!
We have a lot of dancing, entertaining, and dramatizing Christians, and Churches around, but very few praying Christians or Churches.
It was because of tragedy that befell John the Baptist that Jesus gave an instruction in Matthew 11 vs. 12 that every Christian must become spiritually violent; and henceforth, no Christian should allow his life to be wasted by the enemy, no Christian should allow the kingdom of hell to rejoice over his death, no Christian should allow himself to die in the hands of the enemy, no Christian should allow the messengers of death to kill him cheaply; no Christian should allow his destiny to be wasted, and no Christian should allow his soul to be harvested by harvest destroyers.
Apostle James expatiated this further in James 4 vs. 7 when he called on Christians to resist the devil with the weapons of warfare, pointing out that the devil is a coward, and will surely run away once he feels spiritual heat.
May we not die in the hands of the enemies, and may our enemies never rejoice over our death, may our souls not be harvested by the enemy in Jesus’ name.