Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
Jonii the Baptist Beheaded. MARK VI. Five Thousand People Fed, tist's own disciples—they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb—"and went and told J(«us " (Matthew 14. 12). If tliese disciples liad, up to tliis time, stood apart from Him, as adherents of John (Maltliew 11. 2), perhaps they now came to Jesus, not witliout some secret reflection on Him for His seeming neglect of their master; but perhaps, too, as orphans, to cast in their lot henceforth with the Loi-d's disciples. How Jesus lelt, or wliat He said, on receiving this intelligence, is not recorded; but He of whom it was said, as He stood by tlie grave of His friend Lazarus, "Jesus wept," was not likely to receive such intelligence without deep emotion. And one reason why He might not be unwilling that a small holy of John's disciples should cling to him 1o the last, might be to provide some attached friends who sliould do for his precious body, on a small scale, what was alterwards to be done for His own.
Mfs were within the forbidden degrees of consanguinity
(see Li-yiticiis 2i). 21); Herodias being the (laughter of Arislobulus, tlie brother of botli Herod and Philip [Josephus,
IR. 4]. 19. Therefore Herodias liad a «i«nrrel agn Jiist him—nither, as in the margin, 'had a grudge against hini. Probably she was loo proud to speak to him; still less would she quarrel with him. ami would have killtdhlin; but she could not. 30. For Herod feared .loUn—liut, as Bkn'OEI. notes, John feared not Herod knn«vlnK that he was a just man and an holy. Cf. the tase If Kli.iah with Ahab, after the murder of Naboth
(1 Kings 21. 20). and observed lilm—rather, as in the ni Mrgin, 'kept' or 'saved him:' i. c, from the wicked designs of Herodias, who had been watching for some pretext to get Herod entangled and committed to despatcU liim. and when he heard him, he did many thlagsmany good things under the influence of the Baptist on his conscience—and heard lilm gladly— a striking statement this, for which we are indebted
30-i36. The Twelve, on their Return, having reported THE Success of their Mlssion, Jesus Crcsses THE Sea of Gai-ilee with them. Teaches the People, and miraculously feeds them to the number of Five Thousand — He sends His Disciples by Ship again to the western side, while himself returns AFTERWARDS WALKING ON THE SEA — INCIDENTS ON Landing. (=Matthew 14. 13-36; Luke M. 10-17; Jolm 6. 1- to our grapliic Evangelist alone, illustrating the working of contrary principles in the slaves of passion. But this only shows how far Herodias must have wrought upon liim, as .lezebel upon Ahab, that he should at length agree to what his awakened conscience kept him long from executing. 'Zl. And when a convenient day—(for tlie purposes of Herodias)—was come, that Herod—rather, 'A convenient day being come, when Herod'—on his birth-day, made a slipper to his lords, high captains, ond chief [estates] of Galilee — This graphic minuteness
24.) Here, for the first time, all the four streams of sacred text run parallel. The occasion and all the circumstances of this grand section are tlius brought before us with a vividness quite remarkable.
Five Thousand 3Iiraeulously Fed (v. 30-44). 30. And the apostles gatliered themselves together— probably at Capernaum, on returning from their mission (ti. 7-13) and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had tauglit—Observe the various reasons He had for crossing to the other side. First, JIatthew (14.
ofdi'tail adds much to the interest of the tragic narrative.
Z'i. And when the daughter of the said Herodias—!:. c, —herdaugliter by her proper husband, Herod Philip: Her name was Salome [Josephus, ib.]—came In and danced, and pleased Herod and thein that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel—
' the girl'—(See oh ch.o. 42^— Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give It thee. 33. And he—the king, so called, but only by courtesy (see on t'. U)—sware unto her, Wliatsocver thou Khalt nsk of me, unto the half of my kingdom—Those In whom passion and luxury have destroyed self-command will in a capricious moment say and do what in their cool moments they bitterly regret. 34. And she aid. The head of John the Baptist—Abandoned women are more shameless and heartless than men. The Baptist's fidelity marred the pleasures of Herodias, and this was too good an opportunity of getting rid of him to let slip. 35. I will that thou give me by and by—rather, 'at once'— in a charger— or large flat 'trencher' — the head of John the Baptist. 26. And the king was exceeding sorry—With his feelings regarding John, and the truths which so told upon his conscience from that preacher's lips, and after so often and carefully saving him from his paramour's rage, it must have been very galling to find himself at length entrapped by his own rash lolly, yet for his oath's sake—.See how men of no principle, but troublesome conscience, will stick at breaking a rash oath, while yielding to tlie commission of the worstcrimcs !—and for their sakes witich sat witlk him —under tlx; Influence of that false shame, which could not brook being thought to be troubled with religious or moral scruples. To how many has this proved a fatal snare! — he would not reject her. 37. And immediately tlie king sent an executioner—one of the guards in attendance. The word is Roman, denoting one of the Im-
13) says, that "when Jesus heard" of the murder of His faithful forerunner—from those attached disciples of his who had taken up his body and laid it in a sepulchre (see on V. 29)—" He departed by ship into a desert place apai-t ;" either to avoid some apprehended consequences to Himself, arising from the Baptist's death (Matthew 10. 23), or more probably to be able to indulge in those feelings which that affecting event had doubtless awakened, and to which the bustle of the multitude around Him was very unfavourable. Next, since He must have heard the report of the Twelve with the deepest interest, and probably with something of the emotion wliich He experienced on the return of the Seventy (see on Luke 10. 17-22), He sought privacy for undisturbed reflection on this begun preaching and progress of His kingdom. Once more, He was wearied with the multitude of "comers and goers " — depriving Him even of leisure enough to take His food—and wanted rest: "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while," &c. Under the ;ombined influence of all these considerations, our Lord sought this ch.mge. 33. And they departed into u
place by ship privately—"over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias," says John (0. 1), the only one of the Evangelists who so fully descrilies it; the others having written when their readers were supposed to know something of it, while the last wrote for those at a greater distance of time and place. This "desert place" is more definitely described by Luke (9. 10) as " belonging to the city called Bethsalda." This must not be confounded with the town so called on the western side of the lake (see on Matthew 11. 21). Tliis town lay on its north-eastern side, near where the Jordan empties itself Into it: in Gaulonltis, out of the dominions of Herod Antipas, and within the dominions of Philip the Tetrarcii (Luke 3. 1), who raised it from a village to a city, and called It Julias, \n honour of Julia, thedaugliter of Augustus [Josephus, Antiquities 18. 2, 1]. 33. And the people— 'the multitudes' — saw them departing, and many knew him—The true reading would seem to be: 'And tnany s;iw them departing, and knew or recognized [them]'—and ran afoot—Here, perhaps, it should be rendered ' by land '—running round by the liead of the lake, and taking one of the fords of the river, so as to me«s: ptrial Guard—and commanded his head to be brought: and lie went and beheaded him in tlte prison—after. It would seem, more than twelve months' imprisonment.
Blessed martyr! Dark and cheerless was the end reserved for thee: but now thou hast thy Master's benediction, "Blessed Is he whosoever shall not be offended In Me" ( JIatthew 11. 6), and hast found the life thou gavest away (Matthew 10.39). But where are they In wiiose skirts Is found thy blood? 38. And he brought his head In a charger, and gave It to the tiamsel i and the damsel gave it to her mother—Herodias d id not sited the blood of tile stern reprover ; she only got it done, and then gloated over it, as It streamed from the trunkless head. 39. And when his disciples heard of it— i. <f., the Bap-