#21 Lu. 3:19-20; THE IMPRISONMENT OF JOHN

Introduction:

Have you ever been in prison? I do not mean, "Have you ever

been arrested?," but have you ever been on the inside of a jail or

prison? I have been inside of the state prison at Huntsville on

two different occasions. The first time I was there I was

pastoring at Jacksonville and we had a girl in our church whose

brother was sent to prison at Huntsville. I visited with him

while he was there and talked to him about being saved. The

second time I was there, I was with a group of preachers who were

on tour through the whole prison. I still remember that on each

occasion, when I heard that great big door clank shut and lock

behind me it was an eerie feeling. I knew within my mind that

within a very short period of time I would be on the outside of

that door again. I could only imagine how much worse it would be

to be locked in not knowing whether you would ever get out alive

or not. That is the experience that John the Baptist had when

Herod the tetrarch arrested and imprisoned him.

I. Herod the tetrarch, the man who imprisoned John

V. 19-20, "But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for

Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which

Herod had done, Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in

prison." This particular Herod is called in Scripture "Herod the

tetrarch." The word, Herod, was a title much like the word,

Caesar. It designated him as a ruler. The word, tetrarch, is

also a title. It is the title of the particular office that he

held. His father had ruled over the entire kingdom of Israel, but

when he died, he left a will which divided his kingdom among his

sons. This son by the name of Antipas was made the tetrarch of

Galilee. His name and full title would be "Herod Antipas,

tetrarch of Galilee."

This man is not the same Herod who killed the babies at

Bethlehem at the birth of Jesus. Nor is he the Herod who

officiated at the trial of Jesus. He is the son of the Herod who

killed the babies and the brother of the Herod who officiated at

the trial of Jesus. He is, however, the Herod whom the Pharisees

later tried to use to throw a scare into Jesus. The Pharisees

told Jesus, "Herod will kill you." By that time he had already

killed John and they thought this would scare Jesus. Of course,

they did not scare Jesus at all. Jesus said, "You go tell that

fox that `Behold I cast out devils.'" This was as if to say, "You

go and tell Herod anything you want to tell him about me. He does

not scare me."

II. The reason that John was imprisoned

Herod Antipas and John the Baptist had a clash publicly. Not

that the two of them had ever met face to face. But John had

publicly denounced what Herod had done in taking his brother's

wife.

Herod Antipas was married and his brother, Herod Philip, was

also married. His brother, Philip, was married to a woman by the

name of Herodias. Herod Antipas went to visit in the home of his

brother, Herod Philip. He must not have carried his own wife with

him, because while he was there he had an affair with Herodias,

his brother's wife. When the time came for him to leave and go

home, he just carried his brother's wife with him. He just took

her into his home as though she were his wife. I have been

interested to find out what he did about his other wife. I have

not been able to find out. I do not know if he kept her and had

two wives or whether he booted out his first wife.

At any rate, John the Baptist had not hesitated to publicly

rebuke Herod Antipas. According to Mark, John sent him a message

saying, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother, Philip's

wife," Mk. 6:18. John, of course, was not talking about the civil

law of the land. John was saying that it was against God's law as

given by Moses for Antipas to have his brother's wife. In our

text, Luke says that John not only rebuked Herod for taking his

brother Philip's wife, but he also rebuked him for many other

things which he did. Apparently, he was a very ungodly man and it

made him no difference what either God or man thought about what

he did. Right or wrong was immaterial to him. If he wanted to do

it, he did. As long as it would not get him in trouble with the

Caesar on the throne, he did whatever he wanted to do. I have an

idea that it made Herod fiery mad when somebody came in and told

him what John had been saying about him publicly.

However, judging by what the other gospel writers say, I think

Herod would have let the matter go if it had not been for his new

wife, Herodias. Herod actually admired John in many respects and

in spite of his anger at John for denouncing him publicly, he

would have let John go if it had not been for that wicked woman he

had taken from his brother. Herodias would not let the matter

drop. She must have nagged Herod until he finally gave in and

arrested John and put him in prison. The reason I say that she

must have been the instigator of John's arrest is that she was the

one who would later be the instigator of John's death. She was a

mean, bitter, hateful, and conniving woman who knew how to get

what she wanted.

At any rate, whether she instigated John's arrest or not,

Herod Antipas was the guilty party. He was the tetrarch, and it

was Herod who ordered the arrest of John. Luke said that for all

the evils which Herod had done that he added yet this above all,

that he shut up John in prison. This was at this time, the worse

thing that Herod had done. It was bad enough that he would break

the law of God in taking his brother's wife away from. It was far

worse for him to take God's man who was doing God's will and God's

work and throw God's man in prison. This could certainly not help

his standing with God.

Now as far as the future was concerned, he would do worse yet.

He would order John beheaded. But at this point the imprisonment

of John was the worst of the sins of Herod.

What I want you to see is that a man who disregards the will

of God for his life will get worse and worse. He will go from bad

to worse. This was true with Herod and it is true with anyone.

Little sins lead to big sins. Then big sins lead to bigger and

bigger sins. There seems to be no stopping until death comes and

stops the person involved.

III. John, the man who was arrested

Let us turn our thoughts away from Herod for a few minutes and

let us focus our attention on John the Baptist. Why was John

arrested? Why was John imprisoned? John was not arrested for

doing any crime. John was not imprisoned for committing a crime.

John was arrested and imprisoned for preaching the word of God.

He was arrested because He spoke the truth and the truth hurt

those who were guilty of breaking God's law.

Last Monday I sat in the District Court Room of the Rusk

County Courthouse. Jurors were selected to hear three criminal

cases. Three defendants were brought before us who had been

arrested and accused of committing a crime. We were very well

informed that even though these men had been arrested and even

though they had been accused of committing a crime, they were

considered innocent under the law until the evidence was presented

which would prove them to be guilty. John was not accused of

breaking a law. He was arrested and imprisoned simply because

Herod had the power to do so. We ought to thank God that we live

in a country where there is a better system of justice than that.

Oh, I am sure that even our system is lacking in many ways, but it

sure beats what John had to face.

We cannot help but wonder about this man of God. Here John

was doing the will of God and yet there was this great tragedy

that came into his life. He was snatched from the walks of life

and thrown into the dark dungeon. Why would God allow a good man

like John to suffer such cruelty at the hands of an ungodly man

like Herod?

Worse yet, John was going great guns. He was having a

tremendously successful ministry. The people were coming out to

hear him preach by the hundreds. He was baptizing hundreds of

people. Why would God allow such a successful ministry for God to

be nipped in the bud and brought to an abrupt halt? If God was

with John, and He was, then why did God not protect him against

Herod? Why did not God just kill Herod or something? Why did He

not at least do something to spare this man of God from this pain,

humiliation, and seeming defeat at the hand of ungodly Herod?

In our effort to answer these questions, let us keep in mind

two things. First, keep in mind that God will protect His man

in every way necessary to allow him to finish the work that God

has sent him to do. God could have protected John from Herod, but

at the time of John's arrest, he had already accomplished what God

had sent him to do. God had sent him to prepare the way for the

ministry of Jesus and John had done that. Now it was time for

John's ministry to come to a close and for the ministry of the

Christ to blossom.

Let us keep in mind a second thing. Doing right never did

keep anybody from being persecuted. It fact, in all of the Bible

record, it is those who do right who suffer persecution. Do not

think that if you live right and do right that all is going to go

well with you in this life and that you are not going to have any

trouble of any kind. To the contrary. The Scripture says, "He

that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

A willingness to live for God and be used of God and do the

work of God means that you must be willing to suffer for God. The

Devil is not going to let God's people alone. In the first place,

he wants to tempt them into doing such evil things that they will

be of no value to God. He wants them to disgrace the cause of

God. He wants them to become a reproach to the very name of God.

But if he cannot get a child of God to be a reproach to the cause

of God, he will seek to bring persecution on him.

Now I am quite aware that this is not the kind of thing that

Christians want. Nobody wants to be persecuted. Not even the

most devoted Christian wants to be mistreated. But this is the

teaching of the Bible. If you are going to be of any value to

God, then you must be willing to suffer for the cause of Christ.

Once you stop to think about it, it is all quite reasonable.

Christ has suffered for us. He has suffered far more exceedingly

for us than we will ever be called on to suffer for Him.

Furthermore, the Scripture says that the servant is not greater

than the Master. We are not greater than Christ our Lord. If

they have persecuted the Christ, then it is only reasonable that

they will persecute us.

But let me caution you about something. The child of God

should never become one who persecutes others. We should never

retaliate against those who persecute us and persecute them in

return. It is never the will of God for us to become hard and

vicious and cruel toward others. Like Christ, we should love the

world and seek to be the right kind of witness to the world. Like

John, however, that does not mean that we have to condone the sin

which the people of the world commit. Indeed, we can condemn

their sin and rebuke them for their sin, but still at the same

time we should love them and seek to lead them to God.

Another thing about John: Don't feel that too sorry for John.

It is true that John suffered at the hands of Herod. He suffered

greatly and eventually lost his life at the hands of Herod. But

John did not have it as bad as it might seem at first.

God has promised those who do His will, "I will never leave

thee nor forsake thee." Even in the prison, John was not alone.

The very presence of God was with him to comfort him and to

strengthen him. His rewards in heaven will be exceedingly great.

IV. The arrest and imprisonment of Christ rejectors

Actually, John was a lot better off than Herod and Herod was

not in prison. If we must pity somebody, let us pity poor Herod.

It was bad enough that he should live with a woman like Herodias.

But like John, whom he cast into prison, the day would come when

he, too, would be arrested and put in prison. The time would come

when Herod would be arrested and thrown in prison. There would

not be any soldiers or deputy sheriffs to go out and arrest him.

Rather the angels of God will make the arrest. They will be put

into prison to stand trial before a just and holy God. Then when

all of the books of God are open and all the facts of the case are

brought to light, it will be made evident that justice will be

served by casting him in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where he

will be punished to the full extent of God's holy law.

God was in the prison with John to give John comfort. Then

when John finally did get out of that prison, he went to be with

God in glory. And he is going to be with God in glory forever and

forever. But when Herod entered into God's prison, he will have

no one to comport him. There will be no lawyer to get him out on

bail. He will never get out of that prison.

The same is true of all who reject Jesus Christ as savior.

Eventually every lost sinner will be arrested and cast into God's

prison. He will be charged of breaking the law of a great and

holy God. The evidence will be presented against him. Beyond all

doubt he is guilty. The lawyers told us that in a court of law it

is not necessary to prove a man guilty beyond all shadow of doubt.

All that is necessary is to prove him guilty beyond all reasonable

doubt. But in God's court, the unsaved will be proven guilty

beyond any shadow of doubt.

What I am saying is that you should not say, "Woe be unto

John." Neither should you say, "Woe unto us Christians because we

suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ." Rather say, "Woe be to those

who do not have the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior." They may

think they have it made, but they don't have it made at all. They

may think they get by with their sin. They may think they get by

with persecuting God's people, but they do not get by at all.

What I would say to you who are saved is that instead of

bemoaning the fact that you must suffer for Christ, just thank God

that you are saved. Thank God that you have the opportunity to

suffer for Christ. In the words of Jesus Christ Himself as found

in Matthew 5:10-12, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for

righteousness' sake: for their's is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and

shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in

heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before

you."

They haven't put you in prison yet. Have they? Rejoice! Be

exceeding glad! They haven't locked you in and thrown away the

key yet have they? They haven't cut you down to bread and water

for your daily sustenance, have they? They haven't laid the lash

on your back until your back is a bloody mess. Have they? They

haven't confiscated your property yet. Have they? Let me tell

you, my friends, we are getting off pretty light as Christians.

There are many Christians who have really suffered for Christ. We

have gotten off real light. The time may come when we, too, may

be called on to give up our liberty for the Lord and be imprisoned

for the Lord. I pray that if that time comes that we will have

the grace take it gracefully and to rejoice and be exceeding glad.

Conclusion:

Are you saved? If you are not saved, then what you need to do

is to repent of your sins and trust Jesus Christ to save your

soul. That is what John the Baptist would tell you to do if

he were here this morning. That is likewise what all the Bible

tells you to do. That is what I am telling you that you need to

do.

I am also telling you that you do not have to repent and trust

Jesus. God could make you do it, but God is not going to make you

repent of your sins. Neither is He going to make you trust His

Son, Jesus Christ. There is nobody else in this whole world who

can make you do it. You certainly do not have to repent and trust

Jesus just because I tell you to do so. God could make you do it,

but He won't. I cannot make you do it. All that I can do is to

tell you that this is what you need to do. It is what you must do

if you are going to stay out of the great prison of God where

everlasting fires will burn. The decision to turn to Jesus and

trust in Him as your Savior must be your's. You must be the one

to decide. Won't you make that your choice today? Won't you make

that your choice right now? Won't you turn to Jesus and call upon

Him and ask Him to save you soul right now?

If you are already saved then I am going to ask you to give

your life for the honor and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ who

suffered and bled for you. Will you present yourself to the Lord

to live for Him and be willing at least to suffer for Him?

We care going to call for our musicians to come at this time

and lead us in an invitation hymn. Then while the congregation

sings, you come and let the Lord have His way with your life.

You who are lost come and trust the Lord and be saved. You

who are saved and you need a church home come and present yourself

for membership on promise of a church letter or as a candidate for

baptism, if that is your need.