Mark 6:21

Mark 6:21 says, And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;  A convenient day had come, and Herod made a supper for his officials on his birthday.  Sometimes, what may seem to be a convenient day and a time to celebrate can end up being something terrible if we leave God out of it.  Verse twenty-two adds, And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. Herodias's daughter came and danced for Herod and those with him, and this pleased Herod.  He was looking for earthly pleasures in life as he celebrated his birthday, and the dancing had provided that.  People too often are looking only for earthly pleasure in life and when they find it, they neglect to count what it might ultimately cost them.  Verse twenty-three continues, And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.  Herod told Herodias's daughter to ask anything she wanted, and he would give it to her, up to half his kingdom.  He made this promise with very little thought as to what it might really cost him.  We need to make sure that we do not make promises that could lead to real problems.  If we are to make a promise to someone else, we should first pray about it and not just act on impulse because something has put us in a good mood at the time.  Verse twenty-four states, And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.  Verse twenty-five concludes, And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.  She went to her mother and asked her what she should ask for.  Herod had promised up to half his kingdom, but she still went to her mother for advice.  Though I believe children, even those who are nearly grown, should seek the advice of their parents when making a big decision, the advice they get may not always be in accordance with what God would have them do.  We don't have to look very far in the world today to see many people are giving children horrible advice that will alter the rest of their lives, and this advice is certainly not from God's direction. Herodias told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a charger, or serving dish, as we are told in another gospel.  Since John the Baptist had spoken out against her relationship with Herod, she wanted him dead.  We should not be surprised if we speak out against the sins of someone today that they want us dead.  I don't believe that John the Baptist spoke out against them simply to condemn them, but to do as we are told he did when preaching, and that is to call them to repentance. This should be our goal today as well.  Verse twenty-six says, And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. Herod was very sorry, but because of his oath, he was bound by law to do as she asked.  Still, the choice was his.  He could have told her what she asked was more than he was willing to do, even if he had to break his oath.  We may make a promise to someone today, then realize what we promised is not in keeping with God's purpose and laws, and if we do, we have a choice. We can either break the promise or break God's law.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison.  Verse twenty-eight continues, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.  Herod immediately did as she asked and had John the Baptist beheaded and brought his head to the girl on a charger.  He did not take time to think about what the result of what he was doing would mean.  Herod made the promise, the daughter made the request, but it was Herodias who got what she wanted. Sometimes people are manipulated into doing what someone else wants and receive something that has no value to them in return.  We can also say that we often make decisions without thinking through the cost of that decision. 

Mark 6:14

Mark 6:14 says, And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. In Jesus's day, people were trying to figure out Who He really was, and today we must do the same.  Herod thought Jesus was John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded, come back from the dead.  John did not have the power to do so, but Jesus does.  First, when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, He resurrects us from spiritual death, and then one day He will resurrect us to everlasting life where death will never again touch us.  Verse fifteen adds, Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. Other people thought that Jesus was Elijah come back from the dead.  Though Elijah was a great prophet, his time was long past.  We cannot find the truth about Jesus simply by looking into what God had done before Jesus came as the Messiah but must look only to Him in faith that He is indeed the only way to salvation.  Other people at that time only saw Him as a prophet, or one of the prophets.  There are many people today who are willing to acknowledge that Jesus was a prophet, but that He was no more than that.  We have to decide Who Jesus really is.  I know He is the Son of God Who died for the sins of everyone if they will only put their faith in Him.  Verse sixteen states, But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.  Herod was convinced that Jesus was John the Baptist who had come back from the dead no matter what other people might say.  There are more people today who deny that Jesus is Who He says He is than there are people who accept Him for Who He is, the only One Who can save us from sin.  Verse seventeen adds, For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. Herod was feeling guilty and maybe a little terrified because he had John the Baptist beheaded, and now he thought John the Baptist had been resurrected and was preaching again.  Herod should have turned to Jesus for forgiveness, and he would have been forgiven if he had only truly done so.  We have no reason to be afraid that God is going to send someone to get us when we sin today.  Verse seventeen continues, For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. Herod had John the Baptist beheaded after he had imprisoned him for pointing out Herod's sin in marrying his brother's wife.  Verse eighteen continues, For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.  John stood up to Herod to point out his sin and was imprisoned and eventually beheaded because of doing so.  We need to be willing to point out the sins of even the most powerful people, no matter what it cost us.  Verse nineteen states, Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not. Herod's wife, Herodias, would have killed John the Baptist if she had the authority, but she didn't.   Some people today might kill us for preaching the gospel, but lack the authority to do so, so try to get elected officials to pass laws to at least silence us.  Herod feared John, because he knew he was a just and holy man.  Verse twenty adds, For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. Herod feared him but gladly heard him, until he began to speak out against Herod's relationship with his brother's wife.  People today may recognize the truth of the teachings of Jesus until they point out their sins, and then like Herod, they reject him.  If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, as always, my prayer is that you will do so today.

Mark 6:7

Mark 6:7 says. And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; Jesus called the twelve disciples to Him, and sent them out in pairs.  This means that someone was paired with Judas.  So, I guess the question would be if he started out truly following Jesus and then decided He wasn't doing what he expected, or was he acting all along?  We can never know if a person is sincerely following Jesus if they seem to do everything a Christian should do, and it is not our job to judge anyone else anyway.  Verse eight adds, And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:  Jesus gave the disciples specific instructions, which basically said don't carry anything with them for the journey but a staff.  They were to take no money or food.  The question now is how many of us would go under these conditions?  They had to strictly rely on God to provide for them through the generosity of those that they met.  Verse nine continues, But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.  They were even to go in sandals but without an extra coat.  This was indeed to be living simply and was far from private jets and thousand-dollar hotel rooms.  Verse ten states, And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.  They were told to stay with whoever offered them lodging as long as they remained in that place.  This required continual generosity on the part of the host and a willingness to accept help on the part of the disciples.  To borrow a phrase Bro. Scott Gothard used Sunday, "There could know no shame in their game."  We are sometimes too proud to rely on the help of others even when we are doing what God calls us to do.  Verse eleven adds, And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.  The disciples were also told if the people wouldn't receive them, to leave and shake the dust off their feet when they left.  Like the disciples, we cannot force anyone to listen to us as we share the gospel, so sometimes all we can do is leave.  Of course, as Jesus said then, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah would be better off on judgment day than these people were.  The people in these cities had refused to listen to the gospel of Christ when it was presented to them.  Verse twelve says, And they went out, and preached that men should repent. Verse thirteen adds, And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.  The disciples did as Jesus directed them to do, calling for people to repent, casting out devils and healing people.  As Christians, Jesus still sends us out today to share the gospel with those that we meet.  If we go by faith, we can be just as effective as the disciples were. 

Mark 6:1

Mark 6:1 says, And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.  After Jesus healed the ruler of the synagogue's daughter, He returned to His own country with His disciples.  Verse two adds, And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?  On the sabbath, Jesus began to teach in the synagogue. He was doing what the Heavenly Father would expect Him to do, just as He expects Christians to be in His house learning more about Him today.  Jesus was not an elected leader of the synagogue nor was He highly educated in any formal way that we know of.  We today do not have to be either.  We simply need to rely on the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  The people were astonished at the teachings of Jesus, asking where He got this wisdom from.  They acknowledged that Jesus did mighty works but asked how He was able to do so.  If we see someone teaching with the wisdom of God or doing mighty works in God's name today, our first reaction should not be to question them. Verse three continues, Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. The people questioned Jesus because they thought they knew who He was.  He was a carpenter, whose brothers and sisters lived there also.  If all we ever know about Jesus is that He was a historical figure Who actually lived but refuse to acknowledge that He is the source of all wisdom as the Son of God, we will remain just as lost as those who knew Him only in earthly terms were then.  Verse four states, But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.  Jesus's neighbors were offended at Him. If we only see Jesus as a man, and not the only begotten Son of God today, we will also be offended, because what He asks us to do will make no sense.  Veres five adds, And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.  Jesus said a prophet was without honor in his own country, among his own kin, and in his own house.  This I believe was because they always thought they knew the Man and couldn't believe He was capable of any great work for God.  No matter how well we may think we know a person, we should never believe that God is not able to do great things through works, though He was able to heal a few sick people. We need to be careful that our attitude towards those who are following God's calling never keeps Him from being able to do great works in our midst. Verse six adds, And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.  We need to hope that Jesus never marvels at our unbelief.