Who is Jesus Mark 6:14-29
Most people dislike having their sins pointed out, especially in public. Herod Antipas was a man experiencing both guilt and shame. Herod's ruthless ambition was public knowledge, as was his illegal marriage to his brother's wife, Herodias.
One man made Herod's sin a public issue. That man was John the Baptist. John had been preaching in the wilderness, and thousands flocked to hear him. It was no secret that John had rebuked Herod for his adulterous marriage. Herodias (Herod's wife) was particularly anxious to have John silenced. As a solution, Herod had imprisoned John.
Herod liked John. John was probably one of the few people he met who spoke only the truth to him. But the truth about his sin was a bitter pill to swallow, and Herod wavered at the point of conflict: He couldn't afford to have John constantly reminding the people of their leader's sinfulness, but he was afraid to have John killed. He put off the choice. Eventually Herodias forced his hand, and John was executed. Of course, this only served to increase Herod's guilt.
This portion of scripture (Mark 6:16-29) is the story of how Herodias had forced the hand of her husband. She had used her daughter to entice the king into a promise he couldn't back out of. She had asked for the head of John the Baptist. Something the king didn't want to do, but fulfilled her request to keep his word. In doing so he fulfilled John's mission, who was sent for one purpose. His job was to prepare the way for the coming messiah, to get people ready for Jesus.
A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3 NIV)
John was that voice and now he was silent. Jesus was here and Herod had heard of him. Maybe it was the guilt of killing John, but Herod had an opinion about who Jesus was.
King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him." Others said, "He is Elijah." And still others claimed, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago." But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!" (Mark 6:14-16 NIV)
Everyone even in Jesus' day had to answer one fundamental question and that question is one we still are trying to answer to this day. The question is
"Who is Jesus"?
We opened the service with a video, showing the many different views people have of Jesus. Even in today's world it seems people are just as confused as they were when Jesus was walking the earth.
So how do we answer this question, what does the scripture say about Jesus? In the gospel of John it says this…
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3 NIV)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:14 NIV)
Paul says this of Jesus in Colossians
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16 NIV)
Jesus is God in flesh that came for the sole purpose of reconciling himself with all mankind through the shedding of his blood on the cross. He humbled himself and took on human flesh…Jesus
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8 NIV)
We are separated from God because of sin. The Bible says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23 NIV)
and it says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NIV)
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. (John 3:16-18 NIV)
You see scripture is very clear to who Jesus is and why he came. There is no other way to read it. But we all have to make a decision.
Herod wrestled with the question, people all over the world have to wrestle this question, but we all have to make a decision. With Christ there is no middle ground, he forces you to make a decision, and you will either accept or reject him.
So where does this put you?
Herod thought Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead. People throughout the ages have all had different opinions about who Jesus was. Today he is still widely talked about. He still commands attention. Even though he
lived over two thousand years ago, he is still the subject of documentaries, books and movies. Billions have put their faith in Him and still billions have rejected him. But we all have to decide.
On August 16, 1987, Northwest Airlines flight 225 crashed just after taking off from the Detroit airport, killing 155 people. One survived: a four-year-old from Tempe, Arizona, named Cecelia.
News accounts say when rescuers found Cecelia they did not believe she had been on the plane. Investigators first assumed Cecelia had been a passenger in one of the cars on the highway onto which the airliner crashed. But when the passenger register for the flight was checked, there was Cecelia's name.
Cecelia survived because, even as the plane was falling, Cecelia's mother, Paula Chican, unbuckled her own seat belt, got down on her knees in front of her daughter, wrapped her arms and body around Cecelia, and then would not let her go.
Nothing could separate that child from her parent's love—neither tragedy nor disaster, neither the fall nor the flames that followed, neither height nor depth, neither life nor death.
Such is the love of our Savior for us. He left heaven, lowered himself to us, and covered us with the sacrifice of his own body to save us.
So this morning you have been presented with a question one that you will have to answer. It is the question we opened our services with; it is the question Herod wrestled with. It is a question you will have to answer yourself, but there is no way around it, you will answer this question. So how do you answer the question of 'Who is Jesus"?
Prayer…
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