Tale of Two Leaders Matthew 14:1-21
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Intro
Intro
We lost a legendary leader this week
Queen Elizabeth ruled for 70 years and was legendary for her diplomacy and class
She didn’t let her personal feelings get in the way of her duties
You can literally say that she was the end of an era
Some might think that is good, but most people miss the dignity with which she conducted herself
Today we look at a tale of two leader
The first one leads out of fear
The second one leads from compassion
Read Matthew 14:1-4
Read Matthew 14:1-4
Transition
Herod Antipas
Tetrarch: a ruler of a fourth part
Ruler of Galilee and Perea in Jordan
Herod the Great's kingdom divided at death
Archelaus took two parts
Philip took one part
Antipas took one part: the Galilee region
Son of Herod the Great by his fourth wife
His wife a Samaritan
Hated by the Jews
Cold-blooded; murderous
Killed members of the Sanhedrin because they challenged and disagreed with him
Killed one of his wives
Killed two of his sons
“Safer to be Herod's pig than his son”
Lived and ruled in Tiberius
Jesus ministered in the Galilee region
No record of Jesus visiting Tiberius
While in Rome, Herod Antipas seduced Herodius (the wife of Herod Philip)
He divorced his wife
John pointed out it was unlawful: held Antipas to the same standard as a believer
In the land of God, you must follow His rules
John put in prison
From Herod we see 4 signs of a fearful leader
1. The Fearful Leader vs. 1-12
1. The Fearful Leader vs. 1-12
vs. 1-4 Past Haunts them
vs. 1-4 Past Haunts them
The first trait of a fearful leader is that the past haunts them
He hears about the fame of Jesus and he immediately thinks John the Baptist was resurrected
Even though Herod didn’t follow God He knew about the great things God had done
When you are guilty of something in the past and you haven’t made things right with God, it haunts you
Herod knew his relationship with Herodias was wrong
He threw John into prison to appease his wife and make the problem go away
When he hears about Jesus doing miracles he gets anxious
He automatically assumed the worst and became incredibly defensive
Fearful leaders are always looking over their shoulders waiting for their past to catch up with him
The way of the guilty is crooked, but the conduct of the pure is upright.
vs. 5 Consumed by Other Opinions
vs. 5 Consumed by Other Opinions
The second trait of fearful leaders is that they are consumed with the opinions of others
Normally Herod would’ve had John killed like everyone else and not another thought about it
But the people rightfully thought John was a prophet
Herod didn’t want a riot on his hands and he knew enough to know not to mess with the men of God
All of the Herods had Edomite blood in them, and, like their ancestor Esau, they were hostile to the Jews (Gen. 25:19ff).
They practiced the Jewish religion when it helped fulfill their plans for gaining more power and wealth.
The problem of being consumed by the opinions of others is that you can’t think straight
Fearful leaders can’t make a decision without worrying about it
What will others say?
How is so and so going to react to this?
You often put a lot of time and effort into something that should’ve been rather easy
You feel exhausted from over thinking and replying to every comment
vs. 6-7 Tries to Impress w/ Power
vs. 6-7 Tries to Impress w/ Power
The third trait of a fearful leader is that you try to impress others w/ your power
Jewish people did not normally celebrate birthdays in this period
Daughter of Herodias and Philip, Salome, danced
At Herod’s fortress Machaerus, men and women dined in separate halls, so Herodias would not have directly witnessed Herod’s behavior toward her daughter Salome.
Not uncommon for a dancer to ask a special favor
vs. 7 Herod’s oath is a drunken one; as a vassal of Rome, he had no authority to compromise any of his territory.
Fearful leaders always want to impress other people
They will use their position to keep their influence
They will often make claims and promises they can’t keep
Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield!
vs. 8-12 Lives in Constant Regret
vs. 8-12 Lives in Constant Regret
The fourth trait of a fearful leader is that they live in constant regret
Fear and regret is a bad combination
Almost immediately after this boast he regrets it
Salome goes to her mother in the next room and she tells her to ask for John the Baptists head on a platter
Herodias was a cruel woman
Only Jezebel, wife of King Ahab, compares
People like Herodias use people like Herod
It never goes well for people like Herod
He would preside over Jesus’ crucifixtion, but eventually he would be deposed by his nephew Agrippa 1 because of debt and sent into exile
So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
2. Compassionate Christ vs. 13-21
2. Compassionate Christ vs. 13-21
vs. 13 Knows which mountains to die on
vs. 13 Knows which mountains to die on
Now lets contrast the fearful Herod with the Compassionate Christ
Jesus had no position or wealth, yet the the masses followed him
The differences between to the two is immense, but it boils down to two things
First, He is the Christ which means chosen one
He is the one God has promised
His time to rule hasn’t come yet so he is focusing on preaching the Gospel and ministering to the needs of the people
He is smart in that He knows which mountains to die on
When word comes about John’s death and what Herod did, he withdraws from the area.
I’ve never put these two stories together because both have such strong story lines
John beheaded and Feeding five thousand can stand on their own
Matthew tells us that Jesus hears of John and departs to a desolate place by himself
The people follow him on foot and are waiting for him
Not every fight or drama needs two sides
Withdrawing, not answering, taking the high road can eliminate a lot of drama
vs. 14 Meets the Needs of the people
vs. 14 Meets the Needs of the people
The Second trait of Christ is that he is full of compassion
The Jews only know brutal selfish rulers
Jesus sees the crowds he was moved
The Greek language here denotes that Jesus felt it deep in his bowels
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
Jesus saw the people as they were
Matt 9 says they were harassed and helpless
As soon as he steps out of the boat he healed their sick
Jesus didn’t turn people away
He ministers to them until the evening
I want you to imagine for a second what that scene looked like
A long line of people waiting to be touched
People everywhere rejoicing for being healed and set free
They weren’t going anywhere
vs. 15-18 Challenges Followers to Faith
vs. 15-18 Challenges Followers to Faith
Compassion always challenges logic
As the disciples stand around watching the crowds grow and the day getting late they realize they are going to have a problem on their hands
These people are going to be hungry
They respectfully interrupt Jesus and tell him to send the people away
They weren’t expecting his reply
“You give them something to eat!”
John gives a glimpse into their response
He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”
Jesus was challenging their faith
Greg Eisen at the Men’s breakfast
We only have five loaves and two fish
This was the normal diet for jews who lived by the Galilee
Jesus said bring them to me
Are you ready to answer God’s challenge?
Everything God asks you do will be to grow your faith
If you give into too much logic you will what God is doing
And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
vs. 19-21 Expects Great Things from God
vs. 19-21 Expects Great Things from God
The final trait of a compassionate Christ is that He expects great things from God
Jesus orders the crowds to sit down and he takes the takes the food
He looks up to heaven
No grandiose prayer, just a simple blessing
He breaks the bread and gives it to the disciples
A traveler in those days would often have a basket around their shoulder that carried all of their valuables
It is said that this is what the disciples fed the people with
They had to empty out all of their earthly belongings and let Jesus fill their baskets
they did this over and over until 15,000 people were served
After that each disciple had a full basket of leftovers
Imagine the lesson they learned that day
Jesus spent the whole day healing and then fed everyone and they had leftovers
When trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding we discover that God’s leftovers are more than everything we possess