The Desire of Ages
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 22: Imprisonment and Death of John
This chapter is based on Matt. 11:1-11; 14:1-11; Mark
6:17-28; Luke 7:19-28.
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Though no miraculous deliverance was granted John, he was not
forsaken. He had always the companionship of heavenly angels . . .
Illustration ©
Pacific Press Publ. Assoc. |
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John the Baptist had been first in heralding Christ's
kingdom, and he was first also in suffering. From the free air of the
wilderness and the vast throngs that had hung upon his words, he was now shut
in by the walls of a dungeon cell. He had become a prisoner in the fortress of
Herod Antipas. In the territory east of Jordan, which was under the dominion of
Antipas, much of John's ministry had been spent. Herod himself had listened to
the preaching of the Baptist. The dissolute king had trembled under the call to
repentance. "Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an
holy; . . . and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him
gladly." John dealt with him faithfully, denouncing his iniquitous
alliance with Herodias, his brother's wife. For a time Herod feebly sought to
break the chain of lust that bound him; but Herodias fastened him the more
firmly in her toils, and found revenge upon the Baptist by inducing Herod to
cast him into prison. {DA
214.1}
The life of John had been one of active labor, and the gloom
and inaction of his prison life weighed heavily upon him. As week after week
passed, bringing no change, despondency and doubt crept over him. His disciples
did not forsake him. They were allowed access to the prison, and they brought
him tidings of the works of Jesus, and told how the people were flocking to
Him. But they questioned why, if this [215] new
teacher was the Messiah, He did nothing to effect John's release. How could He
permit His faithful herald to be deprived of liberty and perhaps of life? {DA 214.2}
These questions were not without effect. Doubts which
otherwise would never have arisen were suggested to John. Satan rejoiced to
hear the words of these disciples, and to see how they bruised the soul of the
Lord's messenger. Oh, how often those who think themselves the friends of a
good man, and who are eager to show their fidelity to him, prove to be his most
dangerous enemies! How often, instead of strengthening his faith, their words
depress and dishearten! {DA
215.1}
Like the Saviour's disciples, John the Baptist did not
understand the nature of Christ's kingdom. He expected Jesus to take the throne
of David; and as time passed, and the Saviour made no claim to kingly
authority, John became perplexed and troubled. He had declared to the people
that in order for the way to be prepared before the Lord, the prophecy of
Isaiah must be fulfilled; the mountains and hills must be brought low, the
crooked made straight, and the rough places plain. He had looked for the high
places of human pride and power to be cast down. He had pointed to the Messiah
as the One whose fan was in His hand, and who would thoroughly purge His floor,
who would gather the wheat into His garner, and burn up the chaff with
unquenchable fire. Like the prophet Elijah, in whose spirit and power he had
come to Israel, he looked for the Lord to reveal Himself as a God that
answereth by fire. {DA
215.2}
In his mission the Baptist had stood as a fearless reprover
of iniquity, both in high places and in low. He had dared to face King Herod
with the plain rebuke of sin. He had not counted his life dear unto himself,
that he might fulfill his appointed work. And now from his dungeon he watched
for the Lion of the tribe of Judah to cast down the pride of the oppressor, and
to deliver the poor and him that cried. But Jesus seemed to content Himself
with gathering disciples about Him, and healing and teaching the people. He was
eating at the tables of the publicans, while every day the Roman yoke rested
more heavily upon Israel, while King Herod and his vile paramour worked their
will, and the cries of the poor and suffering went up to heaven. [216]
{DA 215.3}
To the desert prophet all this seemed a mystery beyond his
fathoming. There were hours when the whisperings of demons tortured his spirit,
and the shadow of a terrible fear crept over him. Could it be that the
long-hoped-for Deliverer had not yet appeared? Then what meant the message that
he himself had been impelled to bear? John had been bitterly disappointed in
the result of his mission. He had expected that the message from God would have
the same effect as when the law was read in the days of Josiah and of Ezra (2
Chronicles 34; Nehemiah 8, 9); that there would follow a deep-seated work of
repentance and returning unto the Lord. For the success of this mission his
whole life had been sacrificed. Had it been in vain? {DA 216.1}
John was troubled to see that through love for him, his own
disciples were cherishing unbelief in regard to Jesus. Had his work for them
been fruitless? Had he been unfaithful in his mission, that he was now cut off
from labor? If the promised Deliverer had appeared, and John had been found
true to his calling, would not Jesus now overthrow the oppressor's power, and
set free His herald? {DA
216.2}
But the Baptist did not surrender his faith in Christ. The
memory of the voice from heaven and the descending dove, the spotless purity of
Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit that had rested upon John as he came into
the Saviour's presence, and the testimony of the prophetic scriptures,—all
witnessed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Promised One. {DA 216.3}
John would not discuss his doubts and anxieties with his
companions. He determined to send a message of inquiry to Jesus. This he
entrusted to two of his disciples, hoping that an interview with the Saviour
would confirm their faith, and bring assurance to their brethren. And he longed
for some word from Christ spoken directly for himself. {DA 216.4}
The disciples came to Jesus with their message, "Art
Thou He that should come, or do we look for another?" {DA 216.5}
How short the time since the Baptist had pointed to Jesus,
and proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world." "He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me."
John 1:29, 27. And now the question, "Art Thou He that should come?"
It was keenly bitter and disappointing to human nature. If John, the faithful
forerunner, failed to discern Christ's mission, what could be expected from the
self-seeking multitude? {DA
216.6}
The Saviour did not at once answer the disciples' question.
As they stood wondering at His silence, the sick and afflicted were coming to
Him to be healed. The blind were groping their way through the crowd; [217]
diseased ones of all classes, some urging their own way, some borne by their
friends, were eagerly pressing into the presence of Jesus. The voice of the
mighty Healer penetrated the deaf ear. A word, a touch of His hand, opened the
blind eyes to behold the light of day, the scenes of nature, the faces of
friends, and the face of the Deliverer. Jesus rebuked disease and banished
fever. His voice reached the ears of the dying, and they arose in health and
vigor. Paralyzed demoniacs obeyed His word, their madness left them, and they
worshiped Him. While He healed their diseases, He taught the people. The poor
peasants and laborers, who were shunned by the rabbis as unclean, gathered
close about Him, and He spoke to them the words of eternal life. {DA 216.7}
Thus the day wore away, the disciples of John seeing and
hearing all. At last Jesus called them to Him, and bade them go and tell John
what they had witnessed, adding, "Blessed is he, whosoever shall find none
occasion of stumbling in Me." Luke 7:23, R. V. The evidence of His
divinity was seen in its adaptation to the needs of suffering humanity. His
glory was shown in His condescension to our low estate. {DA 217.1}
The disciples bore the message, and it was enough. John
recalled the prophecy concerning the Messiah, "The Lord hath anointed Me
to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord." Isaiah 61:1, 2. The works of Christ not only declared Him to be the
Messiah, but showed in what manner His kingdom was to be established. To John
was opened the same truth that had come to Elijah in the desert, when "a
great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before
the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake;
but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but
the Lord was not in the fire:" and after the fire, God spoke to the
prophet by "a still small voice." 1 Kings 19:11, 12. So Jesus was to
do His work, not with the clash of arms and the overturning of thrones and
kingdoms, but through speaking to the hearts of men by a life of mercy and
self-sacrifice. [218] {DA 217.2}
The principle of the Baptist's own life of self-abnegation
was the principle of the Messiah's kingdom. John well knew how foreign all this
was to the principles and hopes of the leaders in Israel. That which was to him
convincing evidence of Christ's divinity would be no evidence to them. They
were looking for a Messiah who had not been promised. John saw that the
Saviour's mission could win from them only hatred and condemnation. He, the
forerunner, was but drinking of the cup which Christ Himself must drain to its
dregs. {DA 218.1}
The Saviour's words, "Blessed is he, whosoever shall
find none occasion of stumbling in Me," were a gentle reproof to John. It
was not lost upon him. Understanding more clearly now the nature of Christ's
mission, he yielded himself to God for life or for death, as should best serve
the interests of the cause he loved. {DA 218.2}
After the messengers had departed, Jesus spoke to the people
concerning John. The Saviour's heart went out in sympathy to the faithful
witness now buried in Herod's dungeon. He would not leave the people to conclude
that God had forsaken John, or that his faith had failed in the day of trial.
"What went ye out into the wilderness to see?" He said. "A reed
shaken with the wind?" {DA
218.3}
The tall reeds that grew beside the Jordan, bending before
every breeze, were fitting representatives of the rabbis who had stood as
critics and judges of the Baptist's mission. They were swayed this way and that
by the winds of popular opinion. They would not humble themselves to receive
the heart-searching message of the Baptist, yet for fear of the people they
dared not openly oppose his work. But God's messenger was of no such craven
spirit. The multitudes who were gathered about Christ had been witnesses to the
work of John. They had heard his fearless rebuke of sin. To the self-righteous
Pharisees, the priestly Sadducees, King Herod and his court, princes and
soldiers, publicans and peasants, John had spoken with equal plainness. He was
no trembling reed, swayed by the winds of human praise or prejudice. In the
prison he was the same in his loyalty to God and his zeal for righteousness as
when he preached God's message in the wilderness. In his faithfulness to
principle he was as firm as a rock. {DA 218.4}
Jesus continued, "But what went ye out for to see? A
man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously appareled, and
live delicately, are in kings' courts." John had been called to reprove
the sins and excesses of his time, and his plain dress and self-denying life [219]
were in harmony with the character of his mission. Rich apparel and the
luxuries of this life are not the portion of God's servants, but of those who
live "in kings' courts," the rulers of this world, to whom pertain
its power and its riches. Jesus wished to direct attention to the contrast between
the clothing of John, and that worn by the priests and rulers. These officials
arrayed themselves in rich robes and costly ornaments. They loved display, and
hoped to dazzle the people, and thus command greater consideration. They were
more anxious to gain the admiration of men than to obtain the purity of heart
which would win the approval of God. Thus they revealed that their allegiance
was not given to God, but to the kingdom of this world. {DA 218.5}
"But what," said Jesus, "went ye out for to
see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he,
of whom it is written,—
"Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face,
Which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. {DA 219.1}
"Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of
women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist." In the
announcement to Zacharias before the birth of John, the angel had declared,
"He shall be great in the sight of the Lord." Luke 1:15. In the
estimation of Heaven, what is it that constitutes greatness? Not that which the
world accounts greatness; not wealth, or rank, or noble descent, or
intellectual gifts, in themselves considered. If intellectual greatness, apart
from any higher consideration, is worthy of honor, then our homage is due to
Satan, whose intellectual power no man has ever equaled. But when perverted to
self-serving, the greater the gift, the greater curse it becomes. It is moral
worth that God values. Love and purity are the attributes He prizes most. John
was great in the sight of the Lord, when, before the messengers from the
Sanhedrin, before the people, and before his own disciples, he refrained from
seeking honor for himself, but pointed all to Jesus as the Promised One. His
unselfish joy in the ministry of Christ presents the highest type of nobility
ever revealed in man. {DA
219.2}
The witness borne of him after his death, by those who had
heard his testimony to Jesus, was, "John did no miracle: but all things
that John spake of this Man were true." John 10:41. It was not given to
John to call down fire from heaven, or to raise the dead, as Elijah did, nor [220]
to wield Moses' rod of power in the name of God. He was sent to herald the
Saviour's advent, and to call upon the people to prepare for His coming. So
faithfully did he fulfill his mission, that as the people recalled what he had
taught them of Jesus, they could say, "All things that John spake of this
Man were true." Such witness to Christ every disciple of the Master is
called upon to bear. {DA
219.3}
As the Messiah's herald, John was "much more than a
prophet." For while prophets had seen from afar Christ's advent, to John
it was given to behold Him, to hear the testimony from heaven to His
Messiahship, and to present Him to Israel as the Sent of God. Yet Jesus said,
"He that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." {DA 220.1}
The prophet John was the connecting link between the two
dispensations. As God's representative he stood forth to show the relation of
the law and the prophets to the Christian dispensation. He was the lesser
light, which was to be followed by a greater. The mind of John was illuminated
by the Holy Spirit, that he might shed light upon his people; but no other
light ever has shone or ever will shine so clearly upon fallen man as that
which emanated from the teaching and example of Jesus. Christ and His mission
had been but dimly understood as typified in the shadowy sacrifices. Even John
had not fully comprehended the future, immortal life through the Saviour. {DA 220.2}
Aside from the joy that John found in his mission, his life
had been one of sorrow. His voice had been seldom heard except in the
wilderness. His was a lonely lot. And he was not permitted to see the result of
his own labors. It was not his privilege to be with Christ and witness the
manifestation of divine power attending the greater light. It was not for him
to see the blind restored to sight, the sick healed, and the dead raised to
life. He did not behold the light that shone through every word of Christ,
shedding glory upon the promises of prophecy. The least disciple who saw
Christ's mighty works and heard His words was in this sense more highly
privileged than John the Baptist, and therefore is said to have been greater
than he. {DA 220.3}
Through the vast throngs that had listened to John's
preaching, his fame had spread throughout the land. A deep interest was felt as
to the result of his imprisonment. Yet his blameless life, and the strong
public sentiment in his favor, led to the belief that no violent measures would
be taken against him. {DA
220.4}
Herod believed John to be a prophet of God, and he fully
intended [221] to set him at liberty. But he delayed his
purpose from fear of Herodias. {DA 220.5}
Herodias knew that by direct measures she could never win
Herod's consent to the death of John, and she resolved to accomplish her
purpose by stratagem. On the king's birthday an entertainment was to be given
to the officers of state and the nobles of the court. There would be feasting
and drunkenness. Herod would thus be thrown off his guard, and might then be
influenced according to her will. {DA 221.1}
When the great day arrived, and the king with his lords was
feasting and drinking, Herodias sent her daughter into the banqueting hall to
dance for the entertainment of the guests. Salome was in the first flush of
womanhood, and her voluptuous beauty captivated the senses of the lordly
revelers. It was not customary for the ladies of the court to appear at these
festivities, and a flattering compliment was paid to Herod when this daughter
of Israel's priests and princes danced for the amusement of his guests. {DA 221.2}
The king was dazed with wine. Passion held sway, and reason
was dethroned. He saw only the hall of pleasure, with its reveling guests, the
banquet table, the sparkling wine and the flashing lights, and the young girl
dancing before him. In the recklessness of the moment, he desired to make some
display that would exalt him before the great men of his realm. With an oath he
promised to give the daughter of Herodias whatever she might ask, even to the
half of his kingdom. {DA
221.3}
Salome hastened to her mother, to know what she should ask.
The answer was ready,—the head of John the Baptist. Salome knew not
of the thirst for revenge in her mother's heart, and she shrank from presenting
the request; but the determination of Herodias prevailed. The girl returned
with the terrible petition, "I will that thou forthwith give me in a
charger the head of John the Baptist." Mark 6:25, R. V. {DA 221.4}
Herod was astonished and confounded. The riotous mirth
ceased, and an ominous silence settled down upon the scene of revelry. The king
was horror-stricken at the thought of taking the life of John. Yet his word was
pledged, and he was unwilling to appear fickle or rash. The oath had been made
in honor of his guests, and if one of them had offered a word against the
fulfillment of his promise, he would gladly have spared the prophet. He gave
them opportunity to speak in the prisoner's behalf. They had traveled long
distances in order to hear the preaching of John, and they knew him to be a man
without crime, and a servant of God. But though shocked at the girl's demand,
they were [222] too besotted to interpose a remonstrance. No
voice was raised to save the life of Heaven's messenger. These men occupied
high positions of trust in the nation, and upon them rested grave
responsibilities; yet they had given themselves up to feasting and drunkenness
until the senses were benumbed. Their heads were turned with the giddy scene of
music and dancing, and conscience lay dormant. By their silence they pronounced
the sentence of death upon the prophet of God to satisfy the revenge of an
abandoned woman. {DA
221.5}
Herod waited in vain to be released from his oath; then he
reluctantly commanded the execution of the prophet. Soon the head of John was
brought in before the king and his guests. Forever sealed were those lips that
had faithfully warned Herod to turn from his life of sin. Never more would that
voice be heard calling men to repentance. The revels of one night had cost the
life of one of the greatest of the prophets. {DA 222.1}
Oh, how often has the life of the innocent been sacrificed
through the intemperance of those who should have been guardians of justice! He
who puts the intoxicating cup to his lips makes himself responsible for all the
injustice he may commit under its besotting power. By benumbing his senses he
makes it impossible for him to judge calmly or to have a clear perception of
right and wrong. He opens the way for Satan to work through him in oppressing
and destroying the innocent. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging:
and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Proverbs 20:1. Thus it is
that "judgment is turned away backward, . . . and he that
departeth from evil maketh himself a prey." Isaiah 59:14, 15. Those who
have jurisdiction over the lives of their fellow men should be held guilty of a
crime when they yield to intemperance. All who execute the laws should be
lawkeepers. They should be men of self-control. They need to have full command
of their physical, mental, and moral powers, that they may possess vigor of
intellect, and a high sense of justice. {DA 222.2}
The head of John the Baptist was carried to Herodias, who
received it with fiendish satisfaction. She exulted in her revenge, and
flattered herself that Herod's conscience would no longer be troubled. But no
happiness resulted to her from her sin. Her name became notorious and abhorred,
while Herod was more tormented by remorse than he had been by the warnings of
the prophet. The influence of John's teachings was not silenced; it was to
extend to every generation till the close of time. [223] {DA 222.3}
Herod's sin was ever before him. He was constantly seeking
to find relief from the accusings of a guilty conscience. His confidence in
John was unshaken. As he recalled his life of self-denial, his solemn, earnest
appeals, his sound judgment in counsel, and then remembered how he had come to
his death, Herod could find no rest. Engaged in the affairs of the state,
receiving honors from men, he bore a smiling face and dignified mien, while he
concealed an anxious heart, ever oppressed with the fear that a curse was upon
him. {DA 223.1}
Herod had been deeply impressed by the words of John, that
nothing can be hidden from God. He was convinced that God was present in every
place, that He had witnessed the revelry of the banqueting room, that He had
heard the command to behead John, and had seen the exultation of Herodias, and
the insult she offered to the severed head of her reprover. And many things
that Herod had heard from the lips of the prophet now spoke to his conscience
more distinctly than had the preaching in the wilderness. {DA 223.2}
When Herod heard of the works of Christ, he was exceedingly
troubled. He thought that God had raised John from the dead, and sent him forth
with still greater power to condemn sin. He was in constant fear that John
would avenge his death by passing condemnation upon him and his house. Herod
was reaping that which God had declared to be the result of a course of sin,—"a
trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: and thy life shall
hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have
none assurance of thy life: in the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were
even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of
thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which
thou shalt see." Deuteronomy 28:65-67. The sinner's own thoughts are his
accusers; and there can be no torture keener than the stings of a guilty
conscience, which give him no rest day nor night. {DA 223.3}
To many minds a deep mystery surrounds the fate of John the
Baptist. They question why he should have been left to languish and die in
prison. The mystery of this dark providence our human vision cannot penetrate;
but it can never shake our confidence in God when we remember that John was but
a sharer in the sufferings of Christ. All who follow Christ will wear the crown
of sacrifice. They will surely be misunderstood by selfish men, and will be
made a mark for the fierce assaults of Satan. It is this principle of
self-sacrifice that his kingdom is established to destroy, and he will war
against it wherever manifested. [224] {DA 223.4}
The childhood, youth, and manhood of John had been
characterized by firmness and moral power. When his voice was heard in the
wilderness saying, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths
straight" (Matthew 3:3), Satan feared for the safety of his kingdom. The
sinfulness of sin was revealed in such a manner that men trembled. Satan's
power over many who had been under his control was broken. He had been
unwearied in his efforts to draw away the Baptist from a life of unreserved
surrender to God; but he had failed. And he had failed to overcome Jesus. In
the temptation in the wilderness, Satan had been defeated, and his rage was
great. Now he determined to bring sorrow upon Christ by striking John. The One
whom he could not entice to sin he would cause to suffer. {DA 224.1}
Jesus did not interpose to deliver His servant. He knew that
John would bear the test. Gladly would the Saviour have come to John, to
brighten the dungeon gloom with His own presence. But He was not to place
Himself in the hands of enemies and imperil His own mission. Gladly would He
have delivered His faithful servant. But for the sake of thousands who in after
years must pass from prison to death, John was to drink the cup of martyrdom.
As the followers of Jesus should languish in lonely cells, or perish by the
sword, the rack, or the fagot, apparently forsaken by God and man, what a stay
to their hearts would be the thought that John the Baptist, to whose faithfulness
Christ Himself had borne witness, had passed through a similar experience! {DA 224.2}
Satan was permitted to cut short the earthly life of God's
messenger; but that life which "is hid with Christ in God," the
destroyer could not reach. Colossians 3:3. He exulted that he had brought
sorrow upon Christ, but he had failed of conquering John. Death itself only
placed him forever beyond the power of temptation. In this warfare, Satan was
revealing his own character. Before the witnessing universe he made manifest
his enmity toward God and man. {DA 224.3}
Though no miraculous deliverance was granted John, he was
not forsaken. He had always the companionship of heavenly angels, who opened to
him the prophecies concerning Christ, and the precious promises of Scripture.
These were his stay, as they were to be the stay of God's people through the
coming ages. To John the Baptist, as to those that came after him, was given
the assurance, "Lo, I am with you all the days, even unto the end."
Matthew 28:20, R. V., margin. {DA 224.4}
God never leads His children otherwise than they would
choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the
glory [225]
of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him. Not Enoch, who
was translated to heaven, not Elijah, who ascended in a chariot of fire, was
greater or more honored than John the Baptist, who perished alone in the
dungeon. "Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to
believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake." Philippians 1:29. And of
all the gifts that Heaven can bestow upon men, fellowship with Christ in His
sufferings is the most weighty trust and the highest honor. {DA 224.5}
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