Episode 15: The Death of John the Baptist

Why would a king fear a prisoner he could execute at any moment?

In this episode, Pastors Steven, Ben, and Travis welcome newly ordained ruling elder John Cunnings to work through Mark 6:14-29, the haunting story of John the Baptist's execution, sandwiched between the disciples being sent out and their return. The placement creates a profound tension: miraculous healings are happening through Jesus' followers, yet John, the greatest man born of women, dies brutally in Herod's prison. The parallel with Elijah deepens the mystery, since Elijah escaped Jezebel in a chariot of fire while John's head ends up on a platter. This isn't just ancient history. It's a mirror reflecting our own struggles with unanswered prayers and rescue that never seems to come.

What they land on is that faith cannot rest on temporal outcomes but must anchor itself in eternal realities. John's disciples buried him with honor, an act that hints they believed the story wasn't over, and the same verb used for John being raised in Herod's fearful imagination is the exact word Mark 16 uses for Jesus' resurrection. If Christ has been raised, then John's apparent defeat is actually victory, and no trial, however dark, can separate us from God's love. The challenge is to doubt our doubts and trust that the Lord is with us in both the mountaintop and the prison cell. The person in real danger here is not John but Herod, whose self-love outweighs his fear of God, and we’re forced to see how close all of us sit in that same posture.