Good weekend to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
When you hear the word “martyr” I wonder what images and emotions come into your mind and heart? It’s a terrible word isn’t it, especially when the martyr has died only because they were a follower of Jesus!
Did you know 70 years ago this month, January 1956, five men were speared to death on a river sandbar in the jungles of Ecuador by the vicious Auca Indians?
I’ve just reread this remarkable story written by their friend Frank Drown who led the search party and buried his friends along that river. I had the privilege of meeting Frank and his wife 10 years ago. He and Marie remained in those jungles serving another tribe for 37 years and watched two of those widows return and raise their children among the Aucas.
One of those sons, Steve Saint, traveled across America a few years ago with the man who had killed his father, recounting the story of how Jesus has changed that Indian tribe in the years since!
This picture sits on one of those shelves behind me. 19 missionary martyrs, 6 of them children, killed in 1964 in what was then the Belgian Congo. They served with the same mission organization my wife and I served with. That makes it personal, doesn’t it? And today, let’s take a look at ‘martyrdom’ in the story of Jesus.
Martyrdom is an important part of God’s “Grand Narrative”. It’s found both in the Bible and the pages of the history of many nations. Did you know hundreds of people are ‘martyred’ each week in our world in our day in places which are totally intolerant of Jesus and Christians? “The Voice of the Martyrs” https://www.
This weekend, let’s look at two events with John the Baptist, including his martyrdom. Of course we remember there was a close relationship with John and Jesus going back to when Mary, Jesus’ mother, visited miraculously pregnant Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah, shortly after Mary had received Gabriel’s shocking announcement! (Luke 1:39-45)
Not long after the series of miraculous events we’ve witnessed with Jesus and His disciples over the past few days, Jesus was approached by some friends of John with the sad news that John had been put in prison by Jewish King Herod. Mathew explains it this way: “Now Herod had arrested John and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been saying to Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have her.’ Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.” (Matt. 14:1-5)
John, of course, had no way of knowing what his future would be and as he heard reports about Jesus, John sent his friends to ask Jesus a very significant question: “Are you the one who is to come or should we expect someone else?” (Matt. 11:2,3)
John, like all good Jews, viewed the difficult times they were living in as a perfect time for God to send His Messiah. Perhaps it was the threat of martyrdom that caused John to send this question to Jesus. Jesus’ response was very important for John and all Jews then and now. “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ‘The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of Me.” (Matt. 11:4-6) Oh my, that would be such wonderful news to John’s ears, do you know why?
Those words are in direct fulfillment of God’s prophecy of Messiah recorded in Isaiah 61! It’s the words Jesus read in the Nazareth Synagogue when He was run out of His own hometown. His miracles proved Jesus had the power of God; and Jesus claimed His message were the words of God. (John 12:49,50)
John was greatly encouraged; he was confident Jesus was who he had claimed Jesus to be “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) John took courage and from prison John continued to speak even more boldly!
Did you notice that interesting little statement Jesus had sent to John: “Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of Me”. What do you think Jesus meant? Do you know anyone, Jew or Gentile, who struggles accepting the claims of Jesus and believing Jesus is God the Son? Is their struggle some things Jesus is reported to have said, or is their struggle that Jesus died on the cross, or is their struggle that Jesus did not establish an earthly Kingdom with Himself as King? Is their struggle that people are martyred because of Jesus? What has convinced you, my friend, of the truthfulness of Jesus being Messiah the Son of God and the only Savior for the world?
Not long after this King Herod held a grand dinner party celebrating his birthday. Of course wonderful food and fine wine was in abundance for all the guests who filled the banquet hall. As the night wore on with music, dancing and too much wine, King Herod made an offer he’d regret the rest of his life. He offered the daughter of Herodias anything she’d like since her dancing pleased him so much.
She asked her mother and then came to King Herod with a bold and pitiful request: the head of John the Baptist on a platter! Mark reports the scene this way: “The king was greatly distressed but because of his oath and his dinner guests…he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head! The man went, beheaded John in prison, and brought back his head on a platter…” (Mark 6:22-29) Repulsive isn’t it, my friends?
Matthew tells us “When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Jesus…When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (Matt. 14:13,14)
That amazes me. Jesus was brokenhearted and needed some alone time with God the Father. Alone in a boat out on the lake is certainly one way to find solitude, but the people watched Jesus from the shoreline and disregarding His need for time to grieve, they walked the shoreline to make sure they would be close to wherever Jesus came in, ready to ask Jesus to meet their needs.
Have you ever found yourself dealing with the insensitivity of people who impose their expectations on you regardless of your need for some privacy or quiet or alone time? Jesus understands my friends and the next time you find yourself there, turn to this story in Matthew 14 and Mark 6 and ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen you as He did Jesus on that painful day. And isn’t it a great comfort to know that Jesus understands and extends His great love to us in those situations with great EMPATHY!
On my there are some great “lessons learned” notes in the link below that will help us really ponder the significant lessons God wants us to learn here, and of course a wonderful worship song. And I’ll meet you here again, tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: Luke 7:18-23; Mark 6:14-29.
Choose below to read or listen.
Luke 7:18-23
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Mark 6:14-29
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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