Mark 6:14-16 - The Allure of Holiness

Mark 6:14-16
¹⁴ And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” ¹⁵ But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” ¹⁶ But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”
 
Message: The Allure of Holiness

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus arrives in Nazareth, about a 3 day journey from Capernaum. He has made it to his hometown and he speaks in the synagogue, as he has done elsewhere. Many of his people did not accept him; he continued to heal, but maybe not to the extent that he could because of the unbelief present in Nazareth. The message still goes out. Jesus commissions his disciples with the message and send them out with nothing on their backs. Their needs will taken care of on their journeys. But the message of the Gospel--repentance--must go forth.

This passage centers on what happened to John the Baptist, who hasn't been on the scene since chapter 2 when John is mentioned as fasting along with the his disciples (John is not one of the 12 disciples). And King Herod heard - this is Herod Antipas, who inherited one-fourth of his father's kingdom after the death of Herod the great. As the message of the gospel of repentance goes out Herod hears of it - for His name (Jesus) had become well known. Perhaps what people were hearing was a man doing great things. 

And people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”

What is clear is people are fascinated with spiritual men. Even though Herod beheaded John the Baptist, at the request of his daughter, he knew that he was a spiritual man. Even though he had him killed, he still knew he had something special in him. He may have rejected him, but there was still an allure about him.

Our world today is continually marveled at spiritual men. On the heels of the death of Billy Graham, many men, some of faith, some not, have been interviewed and their remarks of Billy Graham are all similar. This passage also reminds me that people everywhere try to come up with explanations for spiritual things that are often not accurate. There are many messages of untruth that get presented and communicated throughout our world regarding spiritual things. We need to be people of discernment, to look to scripture and let it define the truth. I think we all must be careful about attaching to certain people that they are people of the Truth. Just because someone speaks of him does not mean they have a relationship with him. 

Summary - As the message goes forth, we need to realize that many will jump on board. There is an allure to Jesus as a great spiritual leader to some, but his real message is one of repentance and self-denial and following him in our every day life. We must always come back to the scripture and lean on the Holy Spirit and allowing the Truth to shine.

Promise: Even the most ardent skeptics are quick to admit that Jesus is a compelling figure. 

Prayer: Help me Lord to be discerning. Thank you that there is truth and excitement and majesty in who You are. There is a special allure that you have. This is real. Help me to be a person to testify of the truth of who You are. Equip me. Keep me a disciple of truth. Give me understanding and wisdom of who You are as I want to be one who testifies of who You are.