DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

1. Bible Stories

a) The Bible is full of so many great stories, from struggle to triumph and impossible to miraculous. There are many different kinds of famous stories in the Bible. If you have to read and study the verses closely, there is so much to learn about what the story really means. Such story allows us to know God more deeply and helps us grow up in spiritual life.

b) If you are new to the Bible and want to know some of the most famous Bible stories, here is one of them.

2. Death of John the Baptist

a) John the Baptist, well-known for baptizing Jesus in the river Jordan, is commonly referred to as the precursor or forerunner of Jesus.  There are many parallels to the lives of John the Baptist and Jesus, as they both preached about repentance and the Kingdom of God and criticized the religious leaders of their day.  Additionally, they were both considered martyrs persecuted by officials of the Roman Empire.  

b) According to the gospels of Matthew and Mark, John the Baptist had been imprisoned because he condemned Herod Antipas for divorcing his wife and unlawfully taking Herodias, the wife of his brother Herod Philip I.  On Herod's birthday, Herodias' daughter, Salome, danced before the king and his guests and Herod was so pleased that he promised to give her any request she desired.  Out of revenge for criticizing her marriage to Herod, Herodias told Salome to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter.  Although Herod was dismayed by the request, he reluctantly agrees to have John executed in the prison of Machaerus.