The Rejection of Truth

Transcript

GR 696
1/13/1985
The Rejection of Truth
Matthew 13:53-14:12
Gil Rugh

The parables of Matthew 13, considered in the last several studies, give added information related to the kingdom of God and indicate that it will not be established immediately by Christ at His first coming. He prepares His disciples for the fact that the people will reject His offer of the kingdom. The parables of the hidden treasure and the costly pearl show that one must have faith in Christ without reservation. One who comes to Christ must recognize that He alone is worthy of our faith. Such an acceptance of Christ results in being prepared for the kingdom that Christ will establish.
After giving them the parables of Matthew 13, Jesus asks the disciples, “‘Have you understood all these things?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.’” The
disciples indicate that they understand what He has been telling them through parables. They also know what the Old Testament revealed about the kingdom. So now they have the new material Christ has revealed to them as well.
The parables of Matthew 13 were offered in the context of the Jews’ rejection of Christ. Matthew picks up that theme of His rejection and shows how serious the situation was; Israel was rejecting Christ, a fact which was clearly seen as He returned to His hometown of Nazareth. There the people of His own hometown were unwilling to acknowledge Him as the Messiah.
Matthew continued recording these events in Matthew 13:53,54: “When Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’” This same visit is recorded in Mark 6. Luke recorded a previous visit of Christ to Nazareth that Matthew did not record. This previous visit occurred at the time of the events described in Matthew 4.
In order to see that the situation in Nazareth has not changed since His previous visit, it is necessary to examine that visit as described in Luke 4:16. “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.” In New Testament times it was customary in the meetings in the synagogues on the Sabbath Day that when a visiting rabbi was present, He was given the opportunity to teach in the synagogue. Jesus is a recognized rabbi in Israel, so when He comes to Nazareth on this occasion, He is given the opportunity to speak in the local synagogue. In so doing, He takes the prophecy of Isaiah and begins reading from Isaiah 61:1,2 which is recorded in Luke 4:18,19: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
It was the custom for the rabbi to stand while reading the Scripture, then to be seated for the teaching. “And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’” (Luke 4:20,21).

The people were amazed that Christ claimed to be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. This was a claim to be Israel’s Messiah. Luke continues in Luke 4:22, “And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, ‘Is this not Joseph’s son?’” They could not understand how Jesus could have such insight and understanding of the Scriptures. After all, Jesus is assumed to be Joseph’s son.
Jesus then proceeded to apply to the Jews of His day the situation of Israel in the days of Elijah as the people of the nation were not responsive to Elijah’s ministry. Only, the widow of Zarephath was responsive to Elijah. This caused great hostility to be manifested toward Christ from the people. Why should He, the son of Joseph the carpenter, speak to them in such a way?
Luke continues the narrative in Luke 4:28-30: “And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, He went His way.” God supernaturally delivered Him on this occasion, but these actions show the animosity that was present toward Him in His hometown of Nazareth.
When Jesus makes a return visit to Nazareth as recorded in Matthew 13, the spiritual climate of the town has not changed at all. “He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’” (v. 54). There is no question about His possessing special wisdom and power. The two questions they have raised are good ones. If they are at all open and sensitive to the Word of God, they should be driven back to examine Christ in light of the Scriptures to consider who He is and the source of His wisdom and power. But rather, they are driven back to consider His human family. As a result of that, they are offended by Him.
The people ask in Matthew 13:55, “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” Mark records in Mark 6:3: “Is not this the carpenter?” Putting these two questions together, Joseph was a carpenter in Nazareth and Jesus had followed him in his trade. Jesus could be referred to both as the carpenter and as the carpenter’s son because He had continued his father’s trade in Nazareth. Matthew continues to record their questions, “Is not His mother called Mary?” (Matt. 13:55). They knew Mary, His mother, as well as Joseph, so there should be nothing unusual about Him. After all, you do not expect a carpenter’s son to become a tremendous personality with extraordinary wisdom and miraculous powers. Since they knew His parents, Joseph being His legal father, although not His physical father, they did not expect anything special to come from Him. And if it is not enough to know His parents, they also knew His brothers and sisters.
The questions continue in Matthew 13:55,56, “Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
Two of these brothers are familiar because they later wrote epistles that are now part of the New Testament. James and Jude wrote epistles which bear their names, so that much is known about them. There is no other information about the other two brothers who are mentioned. In the normal use of the word “brother,” these would be children of Mary and Joseph. There is no problem with such an assumption. The Bible tells that Joseph did not have sexual relations with Mary until after the birth of Jesus Christ, a fact which guaranteed that there would be no question about who was the father of Christ. But there is nothing in Scripture to indicate anything other than a normal physical relationship between Mary and Joseph after the birth of Christ. This passage would further indicate that to be true.
In addition to the four brothers, Jesus had at least three sisters. Though the sisters are not named, the fact that the people asked, “And His sisters, are they not all with us?” (v. 56), indicates there were at least three of them. They are referred to in the plural, so there would be more than one. If there were only two, the common way to refer to them would be to use the word “both. ” The reference to “all” indicates that there were at least three sisters, and there could have been more.

The townspeople knew His four brothers and also His sisters. Jesus came from a large family. In addition to Christ, there were at least seven other children. This is significant because there is some discussion about Joseph having died when Jesus was very young. Evidently he did not die when Jesus was very, very young because he lived long enough to be the father of at least seven later children! Joseph was probably dead by the time Jesus began His public ministry, but Jesus was thirty at that time.
These questions show that Jesus had a rather common, ordinary family. This also says something about the early years of His life that would refute some things told in the apocryphal gospels about the childhood days of Christ. These apocryphal writings indicate that Christ did miraculous things while He was growing up as a little boy. They tell about His supposedly making clay birds, touching them with His finger and watching them fly off. The writings also report an incident in which He was playing with the children one day and a child came running by and banged into Jesus; the apocryphal writers say that Jesus struck the child dead and taught him a lesson! These and other goofy stories are included in these writings. But this passage in Matthew 13 helps to clarify that Jesus was not doing anything miraculous when He was growing up as a little boy. He had wisdom and insight, a fact observed when He was at the temple at the age of twelve instructing the leaders, but by and large, Jesus had an ordinary, normal childhood as He grew into adulthood. The people of His town knew Him and His family, and they did not expect anything marvelous or miraculous from Him.
Because of their observations about Jesus and His normal family and childhood, the people are asking where He got all of His wisdom and miraculous power. They cannot deny the fact that He has special wisdom which goes beyond what would humanly be expected and that He has miraculous powers which cannot be explained. Since they know His parents, His brothers and His sisters, they wonder where these things could come from. These are very good questions. However, the problem is that they do not deal with them. Matthew 13:57 indicates, “And they took offense at Him.” You would think that they would want to find the source of His wisdom and miraculous powers. But they know His parents, His brothers and His sisters, so they are offended that He would have such wisdom and power. That the people did not pursue the source of His wisdom and power shows how irrational people are in their sin. Those people never sought to answer their questions. They were simply offended at Him.
This helps us understand what goes on even in our day. Sometimes people have a hard time overcoming what they know about us as ordinary people. When you became a believer in Jesus Christ, your life was transformed. You became a new person. For many believers the transformation is very obvious. If you share that transformation with your family and tell them that you have believed that Jesus Christ died for you and He has made you a new person within, they are amazed and cannot understand what the change has been. They see you as a different person. As you share the truth with your family, they may become antagonized and angry. Such a response makes no sense. Your life has been transformed, and they have to admit you are a different person. But it makes them angry when you tell them about Christ and about their sinful condition and their need of Him as their Savior.
Your explanation makes no sense at all to them. They do not want to know what really happened to you. They are looking only at the physical things and are ignoring the spiritual. That is why it is so hard to minister effectively with family members and others who are close to us. Parents look at us and tell us they diapered us when we were babies, put food on the table for us, took us to school on our first day, raised us to be religious, and now we are trying to tell them how to get to heaven. It creates tension and antagonism. This is because they keep looking at physical relationships. Those characteristics blind them to the supernatural things that are going on.
That can happen even among believers. When I was in Bible college, one of my professors said, “Don’t be surprised if one of your classmates is used by God some day in a special, supernatural way that you cannot understand.” He indicated that if that happens, our response will probably be: “I can’t believe it. After all, I sat next to him in class and gave answers to him because he was slow. Now the Lord is using him to lead thousands of people to Christ in Africa! It’s hard to believe because that is just Joe. He was the clod who spilled ketchup all over his lap when we were having hot dogs. ” Unfortunately, we begin to zero in on the common things we know about the person. Such an approach causes us to miss what is going on spiritually.
That happens in a body of believers. If the Lord uses somebody in a special way to lead others to Christ, it is easy for us to focus on his problems. We remember the time he lost his temper with his kids. Why should he be getting attention by leading so many people to Christ? We lose sight of the work of God in his life and focus on physical things that tend to pull the person down.

Jesus experienced that at Nazareth. His answer to the problem was very simple. “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household” (Matt. 13:57). A spokesman for God does not find honor among his own people. Even though we no longer have prophets per se, those who share the Word among unbelievers within their own household or family do not find a welcome or receptiveness. That is why you may face difficulties when you share the gospel with your family members. Often it will be your changed life that will make the greatest impact. They will not be able to deny the reality of your changed life. But it may be the testimony of others that is used to bring even our own family members to Christ.
The Jews of Jesus’ hometown took offense at Him. In this passage Christ made it clear that He indeed was a prophet, a spokesman for God. He fulfilled the prophecies of Deuteronomy 18:15-18 where Moses said God will raise up a prophet like him. Jesus was that prophet, but when He spoke the Word of God, it antagonized the people of His own hometown. Their unbelief prevented Him from doing great and mighty works. He did a few miracles there, and Mark records some of them, but by and large their unbelief and unwillingness to be receptive to His ministry and to His miraculous work prohibited Him from working in their midst. This is a good reminder that Jesus Christ was not acceptable to the nation. He was not even acceptable to the people of His own town and His own household. He came to His hometown to minister to the people of His own family and community, yet He was rejected. They were offended by Him. Should we be surprised when we carry the message to those we are closest to and get a similar response?
Matthew now moves to another event that is even more striking which draws attention to the rejection of Christ. This is the execution of John the Baptist. It is a reminder that the setting up of the kingdom at that time, in effect, was prevented by the response of the nation. The very individual who came on the scene for the express purpose of preparing the way for the Messiah and introducing him to the nation was executed by one of the leaders of the nation. That is simply a preview of what will happen to Jesus Christ Himself. The nation rejected the message and ministry of John the Baptist as well as the Messiah he was introducing.
Matthew begins Matthew 14 by introducing Herod the tetrarch: “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, and said to his servants, ‘This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him’” (Matt. 14:1,2). Tetrarch is a term indicating a fourth. Herod inherited one-fourth of his father’s kingdom. He is the most prominent Herod in the gospels and ruled the region of Perea and Galilee. This is where John the Baptist and Christ conducted much of their ministry. Jesus had dealings with Herod on two occasions. Although He did not have a personal confrontation with Herod on the first occasion, there was some discussion about him in Luke 13. “Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, ‘Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.’ And He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox, “Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal”’” (vs. 31,32). A fox is known to be very cunning, but weak. That is a good description of Herod. For his own personal reasons, he was trying to get Christ out of his territory. Herod created such an uproar with the execution of John the Baptist that he was afraid to kill Christ for fear that there would be a revolt in the nation. Yet he did not want to have Christ’s influence in his territory any longer, so he tried to scare Him out. Christ told the Pharisees to go tell that fox what He had to say.
Later on Herod had a face-to-face confrontation with Christ in Luke 23 when Jesus was in Jerusalem and Pilate was confronted with Christ at His trial. Since Pilate knew that Christ was from Herod’s territory, Galilee, he decided to send Christ to Herod and let him have the problem of resolving the dispute. Herod was supposed to be the ruler of the Jews, so Pilate wanted Herod to decide. “And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time. Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him” (Luke 23:7,8). Herod was also plagued by his conscience wondering if Christ could be John the Baptist raised from the dead. But Jesus would not even talk to Herod. He refused to answer him at all.
Luke’s account continues in Luke 23:11: “And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.” It is interesting that a principle emerges in the life of Herod: If a man does not deal with his conscience when his conscience is bothering him, the situation deteriorates further. That is what happened to Herod. He was plagued by his conscience as he sat under the ministry of John the Baptist. He was plagued again by his conscience after John was executed. But he never responded in those situations. Now as he came face to face with Jesus Christ Himself, his only response was contempt and mockery. This man had the tremendous opportunity to sit under the ministry of the greatest prophet who ever lived, the Messiah Himself. He was exposed to Christ personally. Yet Herod will be spending eternity in hell. What an awesome thought!

To understand what is happening in Matthew 14, background information about the Herods is in order. Herod was the family name. This Herod is known as Herod Antipas or Herod the tetrarch. He had married the daughter of King Aretas IV, king of the Nabataeans. Her name was not recorded. Herod ruled under the authority of the Romans, so he went to Rome to pay his respects. On a visit there he visited with his half-brother, Herod Philip, and with Philip’s wife, Herodias. Evidently she was a very attractive and desirable woman, and Herod got attached to Herodias, so he talked her into marrying him. Herodias was an ambitious woman, a fact which is known from a number of events in her life. She saw marriage to Herod Antipas as a chance for her to move up, because her husband, Herod Philip, was not ruling anything of any value, but Herod Antipas was ruling Galilee and Perea. So she decided it would be fine to leave Philip and marry Antipas. But she told Antipas that he would have to divorce his wife, the daughter of Aretas IV of the Nabataeans. Herod said that would be no problem, so he made plans to go back and divorce her.
The daughter of Aretas IV got word that she was going to be divorced by Herod Antipas. She knew that you could not trust the Herods, because sometimes they not only divorced their wives, they also put them to rest, permanently! So she ran home to her father, king of the Nabataeans, for assistance. Fathers do not like to have their daughters come running home mistreated, and Aretas IV was the king. So he marched his army off to war with Herod Antipas and devastated him, destroying his entire army. Only the intervention of the Romans saved Herod Antipas from destruction at the hands of Aretas IV, but that is all a sidelight.
Herod Antipas went ahead and married Herodias. Did they live happily ever after? No, they did not. They had a problem. John the Baptist told Herod, “You can’t have her.” Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21 forbids marrying a relative. Not only was the divorce wrong, but Herod Antipas was marrying a relative which was incest in light of the Law. Not only was Herodias his sister-in-law, she was also his niece. These things really get to be interesting! If you like soap operas, you would enjoy reading about Herod’s family.
Note that John the Baptist is a prophet of God, and he is condemning Herod for his sinful conduct and violation of the Mosaic Law. I do not feel that this establishes a principle that preachers today ought to condemn leaders for their actions. John the Baptist does not preach against the sins of the Roman emperors, but he does preach against the sins of God’s people, Israel, and the rulers of God’s people, the Herods. John condemned him for his sinful activity. Herod did not like that, but there is nothing like the wrath of a woman when it is aroused. And Herodias hated John the Baptist. I must say that, for good or ill, women often have the courage to carry out their convictions when men do not. Herodias is that kind of woman. Herodias’ is bold in carrying out her convictions. But before looking at those events, consider some other aspects of the life of the Herods.
Herod Antipas had a long reign in Galilee from 4 B.C. until A.D. 39, a total of 43 years. A brother of Herodias, Herod Agrippa, is noted as the king before whom Paul defended himself in Acts 23. Herod Agrippa had an incestuous relationship with his sister Bernice. This became a scandal in Palestine and Rome, interesting events to say the least, but not related necessarily to the events regarding John the Baptist.
Herod Agrippa was raised in Rome, so he became a friend of some of the future emperors like Nero, Caligula and others. When he was ruling in that part of the Middle East, he was given the title “king ” by the Roman emperor because they had been friends while growing up. This grated on Herod Antipas. Herodias could not stand it that her brother would be called a king while her husband was only called a tetrarch. So she talked him into going to Rome to ask the emperor to give him the title of “king. ” Such titles had to be approved by Rome. So finally Herod agreed to go ask to be made a king.

Herod Agrippa found out about Herod Antipas’ intention of going to Rome, so he sent a message to the emperor saying that Antipas was getting ready to rebel against him. Part of his rebellion would be seen in his requesting to be made a king. When Herod and Herodias arrived in Rome, the emperor, rather than giving him the title of king, deposed him and sent him into exile. At least Herodias’ was loyal to her husband. The emperor told her that since she was Herod Agrippa’s sister, she could keep all of her wealth, but she chose to go into exile with Herod Antipas where they both died.
When Herod the tetrarch is introduced in Matthew 14:1, Herod and Herodias are married illegally in light of the Law. John the Baptist, the prophet of God, was telling them that their relationship was sinful, so Herod had him imprisoned. “For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. For John had been saying to him, ‘It is not lawful for you to have her.’ Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet” (Matt. 14:3-5). More details of these events are recorded in Mark 6. “For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so” (Mark 6:17-19). Herod had a palace down by the Dead Sea along with a prison, so he imprisoned John there but was afraid to kill him.

Mark 6:20 continues with some interesting facts: “For Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.” Isn’t it amazing the contradictions and paradoxes there are in people’s lives? Here is this godless Herod Antipas, but he sat under the ministry of John the Baptist on a regular basis. He realized John was a holy and righteous man and enjoyed listening to his ministry. Yet Herod Antipas will be in hell through all eternity.
Sometimes I am dumbfounded to see how unbelievers can sit under the ministry of the Word week after week seeming to enjoy it, even saying nice things about the preacher they listen to, yet they have no relationship with the message at all. It is a fearful thing that John would minister the Word to Herod Antipas who would enjoy it, but still reject it. John did not pull any punches. He did not butter up the king. He spoke to him about his sin and the need for righteousness before God. Herod enjoyed John’s preaching but he did not take advantage of his opportunities. Soon Herod got into a position where he could not take advantage of those opportunities. As noted in earlier studies of Matthew’s Gospel, opportunities often go by and are never repeated. That is the way it was with Herod. He sat under the ministry of the greatest prophet who ever lived, but he was responsible for the execution of that prophet.
Matthew 14:6 continues to unfold the sad events: “But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.” The Herods were never noted for their humility, so Herod decided to have a birthday party. What better way to celebrate than to give yourself a party and invite everyone to come. So Herod’s lords, his military commanders and the leading men of Galilee were invited. The daughter of Herodias named Salome, her daughter by her previous marriage to Herod Philip, came and danced for Herod Antipas and his men. They were very pleased by what she did.
Mark continues the account: “And when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.’ And he swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom’” (Mark 6:22,23). That is a remarkable offer with an oath on which Herod cannot go back.
Matthew 14:8 indicates her gruesome request: “Having been prompted by her mother, she said, ‘Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” Mark 6:24 adds, “And she went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask for?’ And she said, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’” Herodias had no need for discussion in determining what Salome should request. Her request of the head of John the Baptist on a platter shows how consumed by her hatred of John and his message she had become. This also shows what sin does to people: they become absorbed by it. Herodias can see nothing but John the Baptist. And she must get rid of him!
For a banquet where you sit, stuff yourself and are entertained, Salome made a rather gross request, “Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, „I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter’” (Mark 6:25). Herod was stumped. He had committed himself, so what could he do? His pride was on the line, and even though he had enjoyed the ministry of John and recognized the superiority of John’s person, his pride came first. The response is described similarly in Matthew and Mark. “And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her. Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother” (Mark 6:26-28).
Can you imagine being at that banquet and in comes a freshly detached head carried on a platter dripping with blood? Salome took the platter with the head on it and gave it to her mother. They had become consumed by their sin so that it blinded them to everything else. Now John was gone and Herodias and Salome were satisfied. But Herod would be plagued by it all.
It amazes me as I consider how God works as evidenced through the ministry of John the Baptist. John was one whom the Old Testament had prophesied regarding his coming and his ministry. Malachi 3 prophesied his ministry. The birth of John the Baptist was announced by none other than Gabriel the angel. In fact when Gabriel announced the birth of John to Zacharias, his father, he said, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God” (Luke 1:19). It is a significant birth announcement when Gabriel comes from the very presence of God to tell about the birth of John the Baptist. It was said in connection with his birth that he would be the one by whose ministry the nation would turn to the Messiah. He is the one about whom Christ Himself said, “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matt. 11:11). Yet John the Baptist spent the closing days of his life on earth in prison, isolated from the nation to whom he ministered, in a fortress by the Dead Sea. He was beheaded by a godless tyrant at the instigation of an immoral woman. How amazing! Humanly speaking you could not evaluate John’s ministry and have any concept of its value and worth in light of eternity. A prophet dressed in camel’s hair, eating the sparse diet he did, closed out his life in prison and was finally beheaded. Yet Jesus said this is the greatest of the prophets. What a remarkable reminder that God’s plans and men’s view of them are often totally different.
We can look back at the ministry of John and understand its end now. But John never did understand. When he was in prison, he sent word to Christ and asked, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” (Matt. 11:3). John was wondering what he was doing in jail. He reminded Christ that he was the one who was to prepare the way for Him in His kingdom. Imagine John’s questions as he languished there in prison. Then can you imagine his questions about the kingdom when they came to behead him? What happened to the promises and prophecies of God? John never knew in this life the answer to his questions. But God’s plan was being worked out even though John did not understand it.
Peter gives valuable insight in his first epistle: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). Peter said we should not be surprised at the problems, difficulties, trials and persecution which come our way as though something unique were happening. The pattern has always been the cross, then the crown; suffering and then glory. We study that and say, “Amen. ” We can see it in the life of John. But when things come into our lives, we ask, “Lord, what’s wrong? I’m trying to serve you the best I can. Why are all these things going wrong? Why does my life seem to be going from bad to worse? Why am I having one trial after another? Why the heartaches and suffering? ” Perhaps it is because God’s plan is being worked out just exactly as He said in His Word that it would be.
We should take heart by the experiences we see in the ministry of Christ and John the Baptist. Opposition, resistance and rejection are to be expected. That does not mean we court resistance or desire it, but it means that when it comes, we do not need to act so surprised. We need not give up. God’s plans and purposes are being worked out in our lives just as they were in the life of John, and in his death. They are being worked out just as they were worked out in the rej ection of Christ by those who were closest to Him on earth. This is all part and parcel of the plan of God. Therefore, we can expect suffering and rejection as we see God’s plans being accomplished. In that we can be encouraged.

Was Jesus Christ a success in His ministry at Nazareth? How can you say that the Son of man had anything but a successful ministry? He faithfully represented His Father in that town to those people. Did John the Baptist have a successful life and ministry? No question about it. The testimony of Christ bears witness to that. Christ said he was the greatest among men. You cannot measure success by human standards.
We need to be encouraged by these examples. If we stand faithfully and represent Jesus Christ wherever we are, we can expect that some will be antagonized. Those who are most antagonistic may even be those who are closest to us humanly speaking. Our testimony for Christ will often bring about rejection, but we can be excited because we are in good company. We are privileged to be identified with Jesus Christ in making Him known by sharing the good news of the Word of God wherever we go.
How much like the people of Jesus’ town are you? How much like Herod Antipas are you? After being exposed to the truth of the Word of God, are you offended by it? Are you offended when you are told that you are a sinner guilty before God and under condemnation, destined for hell? Are you offended when you are told that nothing else matters than recognizing your own sinfulness and placing your faith in Jesus Christ as the One who loves you and died for you? It is a tragedy that Herod Antipas was exposed to the ministry of John the Baptist and ended up in hell. It would also be a tragedy that you should be exposed to the glorious message of the grace of God and spend eternity in hell. You can avoid that consequence by placing your faith in Christ.