Chapter # 6 Paragraph # 3 Study # 2
November 9, 2021
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: Prophecy's value is undermined when it is given a faulty interpretation.
Introduction: In our study of Mark's introduction to Herod last week, we saw that Mark deliberately focused upon Herod's identity as a "king", when, in reality, he was only a tetrarch, and an illegitimate one at that. I attempted to make the point that this focus upon "being a king" is an extremely dangerous focus because it targets the biblical concept of God as the only true King.
There is a very large underbelly of deceit in the hearts of all men that most men never even "see", let alone see as a danger. It is much like the hidden vastness of a massive iceberg which is both unseen and ill-considered, and woe to all who seek to go through life simply pursuing the "good things" and never consider just how dangerous is our setting. As an illustration, this past week there was a news blurb about one of our most advanced submarines which collided with an undersea obstacle that was "uncharted". The commander of the submarine was relieved of duty and his military career has been destroyed simply because he did not make good use of all of the phenomenal technology that has the ability to "see" in the murk of the deep sea. The point? All men have the superficial knowledge of those tools of life that will enable them to "see" truth and "make good decisions", but few stay alert in the midst of their false sense of security so that when they see the tip of the iceberg they immediately take action to avert the looming disaster.
This evening I want to look into Mark's record of Herod's extreme foolishness by looking at how Mark presented far better alternatives regarding the identity of Jesus than the one upon which Herod settled.
- I. Mark's Record of "Biblical" Alternatives to Herod's Extreme Delusion.
- A. The "absolute delusion of Herod" in review.
- 1. John and Jesus had contemporary ministries for some period of time before Herod took John into custody.
- 2. Under no sense of reason, nor of revelation, could it possibly be said that Jesus was John, raised from the dead.
- a. There were two Old Testament examples of men who were taken out of this world by God in their fleshly bodies (Enoch and Elijah), and the bible contains prophecies of both of these men that they will return to life in the flesh in this world (Malachi 4:5 and Jude 14).
- b. But, in neither case can they be considered to be "raised from the dead", and neither can Jesus be, in any legitimate sense, a "resurrected John".
- 3. For an explanation of the total irrationality of Herod, we must carefully look at Mark's record in this text/context.
- B. The "alternatives" that "others" were presenting in regard to the identity of Jesus.
- 1. Some "were saying" that Jesus "is Elijah".
- a. This is solidly rooted in Malachi 3-4.
- b. That there was some expectation of the coming of Elijah before the Christ is clear from John 1:21.
- 1) This "expectation" was "complicated".
- a) First, by John's flat denial that he was "Elijah" that was to come.
- b) Second, by Mark's own use of the Malachi prophecy to declare that John was, in some sense, that "Elijah" (this entire Gospel rests upon John as the prophesied 'forerunner' of the Lord).
- c) Third, by Jesus' own direct declaration in Matthew 11:14 that John was Elijah.
- d) Fourth, by Jesus' claim that "Elijah" "has indeed come" in a context of the "counter revelation" of the suffering of "the Son of Man".
- 2) But, complicated, or not, Jesus was never identified as "Elijah" because Mark had already identified Him as the "Lord" whom Elijah would precede.
- 2. Others "were saying" that Jesus was "a prophet Who 'stood out from' the prophets.
- a. This "expectation" was also rooted in Old Testament prophecy (Deuteronomy 18:15).
- b. This "expectation" was also the basis for the question regarding John's identity in John 1:21 to which John answered "I am not".
- c. In this case, the "prophecy" did point to Jesus, but not in the sense that the question made: Jesus is "The Christ", not some forerunner.
- II. A Central Issue Of John's Record: "Prophecy" Did Not Have Its Intended Impact.
- A. This is not a blanket reality (some may well have had their lives significantly changed because they "believed" the prophecies).
- B. But, by and large, as long as "prophecy" is "debated", it is not "transformational".
- 1. 1 John 3:1-3 declares that when "prophecy" is at the root of "hope" it changes those who understand and believe it.
- 2. But, 2 Peter 3:1-18 also declares that when "prophecy" is denied its place at the root of hope, it does not change those who debate the issues.
