Two Responses to Sin

John the Baptist preached a message that attracted multitudes of people. Most of his work was done in wilderness areas but his message was so profound that people would leave their cities to hear him.

What was so special about John’s message? Certainly he preached about the coming of Jesus and his kingdom but he also preached about sin, not just sin generically, but the actual sinful practices of the people. Luke records that he preached about extortion and violence, false accusations and discontent with wages.

John did something else that was huge… he identified persons who were living in sin. Not just any person… he accused King Herod of sin. That’s a practice that no Pharisee in his right mind would engage in. John accused King Herod of violating Leviticus 20:21, he had married his brother Philip’s wife while Philip was still alive.

What happens when you publicly accuse someone of sin? Mark 6:14-29 records two different responses to that accusation.

Herodias, King Herod’s wife, responded by trying to have John killed. She was not sorry for her sin and she did not want it publicized. She tried to have John killed while he was in prison but she “could not” (Mark 6:19). Eventually she trapped Herod into beheading John.

Herod had a different response. When John’s accusation was made Herod, “heard him, was much perplexed; and he heard him gladly”. In addition, he “feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man” (Mark 6:20).

Herod was accused with sin and even though his immediate response was not repentance, he was listening and considering the charge because of his respect for John. Herod imprisoned John because of his wife’s fury but resisted killing him. After Herod was tricked into beheading John, he was “exceeding sorry” for doing it.

When Herod heard about Jesus’ preaching and mighty works he was convinced John had risen from the dead. Herod believed in the resurrection. I don’t know if Herod was relieved that the man he killed was alive again or if he was afraid… maybe both.

There are two responses in this text to the charge of sin; Herodias wanted to silence the accuser and cause him harm while Herod listened to the charge and considered it.

The one who identifies misconduct in our lives is not our enemy… he is our friend. We should always listen to the one who is brave enough to help us clean up our lives.

John the Baptist was a great preacher for many reasons, one of which was that he cared enough about people that he wanted to help them be right with God. We should be willing to travel even to a wilderness to hear that.