“And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. 15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.

17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. 19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not: 20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee; 22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. 23 And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.

24 And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. 25 And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.

27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.” (Mark 6:14-29)

“Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; 8 And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. 9 And Herod said, John have I beheaded: but who is this, of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him.” (Luke 9:7-9)

The curtain is about to rise on one of the most tragic events of the New Testament. The drama you are about to hear will detail the murder of a man of God. I, the narrator, will tell you of a dance of death that took place one-night 2,000 years ago. Before the details of the drama begins you will want to know the scene of the action, and something of the main characters in the drama.

The scene is the castle of Machaerus standing on an isolated ridge, surrounded by deep rocky ravines, overlooking the East Side of the Dead Sea. Those who come to the Castle of Machaerus feel safe for it is one of the most secure fortresses in existence.

While there are many splendors associated with the castle of Machaerus, deep in its bowels, there is a dungeon. A prisoner is there chained to an iron hook in the wall. The prisoner’s name is John. Men call him “The Baptizer” for he pours water upon people who come wanting to be made clean of sin through a ritual of applying water to the body.

John is an unusual person. He likes to live in the wide open spaces where the sun shines and the sky is blue. Some of his disciples are allowed to visit with him. They are saddened to see this giant of a man confined in such a narrow and vile place.

Of course, John has no one to blame but himself for the condition and place he is in. John is in prison because he would not be silent against immorality in the royal family. From the highest echelons of society to the lowest, John has called upon people to repent of their transgressions of the Law of God and be baptized with a view towards righteousness.

Many people have responded to the gospel call.

Some have been soldiers.

Others have been religious figures. Most have been common people who heard John preach with great gladness of heart.

However, there are members of the royal family who do not appreciate the man John or his message. The Baptizer has not kept silent against the immoral relationship between Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, and Herodias. By all accounts Herodias is a very cruel and wicked woman. She is the perfect example of what the Rabbis teach. The Rabbis say that a good woman might marry a bad man, for by so doing she would end by making him as good as herself.

But, said the Rabbi, a good man might never marry a bad woman, for she will always drag him down to her own level.

Herodias is a bad woman. For her sake, not his own, but to please the Queen, Herod Antipas has recently been persuaded to have John arrested. Now, the deed is done and, as you can see, John is in prison. The Baptizer of souls is the only man in the life of Herodias who ever challenged her.

Not only has John challenged her moral integrity, he has voiced his concerns in an open arena. John has shouted as loudly as possible that the relationship between Herod Antipas and Herodias is against nature and against the known will of Almighty God. John actually quoted the precise passage of Scripture to prove his point. You can read the text for yourself in Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21 “Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness.” “And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.”

The improper relationship between the royal couple becomes more alarming when it is realized that Herodias was also the former sister-in-law of Antipas. It was but a few months ago that Herodias was living in Rome as the wife of Herod Philip, the half brother of Antipas.

What happened was that Antipas went to visit his wealthy half brother Philip who was living in Rome as a private citizen. While in Rome, Antipas engaged in an improper relationship with Herodius and persuaded her to leave her husband and marry him. The daughter of Herodias and Philip also left Rome to travel with her mother to Galilee. The daughter’s name is Salome.

Salome is a beautiful young lady. She is lovely and full of passion and life. And she loves to dance.

In just a few moments she is scheduled to dance before the king. Her dancing is just another cause for scandal for it is very sensuous in style. It is common knowledge that Salome enjoys the dancing that is reserved for paid prostitutes.

When Salome is asked how a member of the royal family can expose herself to men in a public place in a provocative manner, she only laughs. Salome knows the power she has over men’s emotions. She also knows her mother approves of her seductive dancing.

Now the drama itself is about to begin. At least you know the setting of the next scene, the Machaerus Castle. You also know the main characters that will now come forth:

John the Baptist.
Herod Antipas.
Herodias.
Herod Philip and Salome.

As the curtain rises, gaze upon the banquet hall in the Machaerus Castle. All the preparations have been made for a lavish banquet. It is the birthday of Herod Antipas. A large number of guests are present and milling about. They are laughing and smiling. The ladies are flirting and the men are drinking one toast after another to their feminine charms. It is a grand occasion for the nobility of Galilee have come to pay their respects to the king on his birthday and to wish him well.

As your eyes wander about the banquet hall, you will observe high ranking military officers.

In one area are some of the wealthiest landowners. In another area the merchants of the land have gathered. The colorful clothing that everyone is wearing adds to the beauty of the pageantry on display.

As the music starts to play, all eyes turn towards a special doorway. The doors open so the queen’s daughter, Salome can enter.

Here she comes now, gliding into the room with the poise and polish of a professional actress. She is wearing several large but revealing thin veils that flutter in the breeze she makes as she moves with grace on mincing feet.

The music plays louder, faster, and the young lady dances.

The lustful eyes of the king are focused upon her. No one misses the meaningful look in his eyes. He is pleased. For the moment, she is the center of his attention. When the dance is done, Salome has captured the heart of the king.

While the crowd applauds wildly, the king raises his hand. He wishes to speak to Salome. All voices suddenly grow silent. All ears are strained. What will Herod Antipas say? Did you catch that? Antipas said unto Salome, “Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee unto the half of my kingdom” (Mark 6:22, 23).
Many in the audience gasp.

The king is too generous.

“Did you hear that? He has offered the girl anything she wants!” Silence descends once more upon the room. What will Salome ask for? She is such a silly young lady for all of her feminine charms and powers to entice men with unbridled passion.

What will she ask for?

She has no idea what to say.

You can see Salome as she requests a private moment with her mother. They lean close together. Herodias whispers something in the ear of her daughter. A look of surprise crosses over the face of the girl, but we see her head nodding up and down in agreement and understanding.

Now Salome returns in haste to the king. Her feet fairly skip over the floor. She is going to ask the pledge of the king be honored. An unholy hush descends once more upon the gathering. Listen now as the child-woman speaks. “Your highness, I will that you give me, at once, on a platter, the head of John the Baptist.”

A collective gasp goes up from the crowd.

The audience is stunned.

The atmosphere has suddenly changed. This is a sober request. It is something that is unheard of in the annals of time. A young woman, offered the wealth of half a kingdom, has not asked for clothing, jewels, or perfume. She has not asked to travel to exotic countries or to be advanced in society. She has asked for the literal head of a man to be served her on a platter.

There is madness in the air! Madness!

But the king will not delay honoring the request. As Antipas looks around, he sees that others are watching for his response. The fatal nod is given. The bizarre request will be granted.

The order is given and a soldier leaves the banquet hall.

It should not take long. 

Somewhere in the darkness of the depth of the dungeon in the castle there is new movement. The door of the cell where John is imprisoned opens. Weakened by hunger, depressed in spirit, anxious of mind, John looks up in the filthy cell. He instinctively knows something terrible is going to happen. Without a word, two hardened guards roughly lift John to his feet. Orders are order. Whatever private thoughts they might have on this whole matter are suppressed. If they do not do what they are told, someone else will and they shall take John’s place in the cell.

The prisoner is taken to another area. Down the hallway he moves. There is an open room. A brighter light shines. John sees a solider with a sharp sword drawn. There is the glistening of light dancing off the blade. Now events move quickly. John is thrown to the ground. He is told to lean forward. And, just as quickly, one of the darkest deeds, spawned in the depths of human depravity, is performed. The head of John the Baptizer is severed from his body.

A silver platter, carried by a sickened servant is set down next to the body. One of the soldiers bends over and picks up the bloody head of the Baptist and sets it roughly on the tray. The tray is lifted and carried from the bowels of the castle to the burning bright banqueting room.

There is Salome—waiting for her request. Amazingly enough, Salome takes the platter herself and brings it and lays at the table of her mother. Despite the matted hair and the carnage of blood, despite the hideous wound at the end of the head where the neck once was, Salome, the sensual serpentine seductress of the souls of men, takes the platter to her hard-hearted mother. It is the gift of a daughter of the Devil to a woman worthy to be his wife.

Mercifully, we shall end the drama here.

A death at the end of a sensual dance is enough to remember. The soul of a saint has been returned to the Creator whom He has served so well. However, there are some lessons of life that are well worth meditating upon. Consider the following.

First, the conscience of a wicked men is capable of feeling the sting of guilt. We read that when king Herod Antipas heard of the ministry of Jesus that his thoughts went immediately to that of John “and he said that John the Baptist was risen from the dead” (Mark 6:14). Dr. William Barclay reminds us that “No man [or woman] can avoid living with himself; and when his inward self is an accusing self, life becomes intolerable. Outwardly, he lives in fear that he will be found out and that some day the consequences of his evil deed will catch up on him.”

Second, the character of individuals can be divided between good and evil. At one and the same time Herod Antipas feared John and respected him. At one and the same time Herod dreaded the rebuke that issued forth from John’s righteousness, but he found pleasure in listening to him.

Boswell, the great English author, wrote in his London Diary, how he sat in church engulfed with joy with the worship of God and yet at the same time was planning how to pick up a prostitute in the streets of London within a few hours.  

Elvis Presley, in the midst of a worldly program would often incorporate a religious song into his repertoire.  

Robert Louis Stevenson writes of people “clutching the remnants of virtue in the brothel or on the scaffold.”  

The apostle James speaks of a “double minded” person. It is a human characteristic that individuals are a strange mixture of vice and virtue.

Third, the grace of God or the gravity of the soul towards self-destruction will dictate the final conduct of a person.  Christians should die well with the hope of heaven in their hearts.

Fourth, the grace of God leads people to mourn over sin and to never rest until the soul is set free (Eph. 2:8,9; Acts 5:31; 11:18). God can make the heart miserable until the voice is forced to cry out for a Sovereign Saviour. When the heart’s cry is desperate enough the Saviour will come to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21)

While some will be saved, others will perish. Herod Antipas perished because he would not cease from adultery, he would not give up Herodias, and so he ruined his soul forever. “You will find no woman,” said C. H. Spurgeon, “however enchanting, and no man upon earth, however admirable, to be at all worth the losing of your soul in order to the winning of their company and their esteem. Cut the bond, if it binds you to ruin. Out with the knife, and cut off that right arm, or pluck out that right eye, sooner than perish in hell fire.”  

Fifth, in this life the message of the gospel is often rejected and the messenger is abused. The best people often receive little reward in this life. Reflecting upon this the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:18, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Sixth, many who do not appear to be listening to the gospel message are hearing more than one might think.  The reason why Herod Antipas was so troubled in his conscience was because he had been listening to what John was saying. Those who present the gospel must not think that their labors are in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

When and where He wills, God shall take the gospel and make it effective to the heart that needs Him the most. Perhaps the Lord will visit some person today and set the soul free from the shackles of sin lest the next dance of dance be the damnation of the soul.