What is the meaning of Mark 6:20? Herod feared John • Scripture says, “Herod feared John” (Mark 6:20). The powerful tetrarch trembles before an austere desert preacher. • This fear springs from conscience. Herod knows John speaks for God, and “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). • Matthew 14:5 adds that Herod also feared the crowd, “because they regarded John as a prophet,” revealing a man caught between public opinion and personal guilt. • The scene reminds us that rank and title offer no shelter from the moral authority of God’s word (2 Samuel 12:7; Hebrews 4:12). Herod protected John • Mark notes that Herod “kept him safe.” Ironically, the king who will soon authorize John’s death presently guards him from Herodias’ rage (Mark 6:19). • God often restrains evil through unlikely instruments; Gamaliel’s intervention in Acts 5:34-39 is a parallel. • John’s temporary safety illustrates divine timing: “My times are in Your hands” (Psalm 31:15). Nothing can shorten or lengthen a servant’s ministry apart from God’s sovereign plan (Jeremiah 1:19). He knew John was righteous and holy • Herod’s conscience discerns what his heart resists; he “knew that he was a righteous and holy man.” • Righteous speaks of John’s integrity with people; holy points to his devotion to God. The combination mirrors Noah (Genesis 6:9) and Joseph (Genesis 41:38-39). • Even unbelievers recognize genuine holiness (Luke 23:47). Herod’s acknowledgment condemns him later when he trades righteous blood for a dance and an oath (Mark 6:26-27). Herod was greatly perplexed by John’s words • “When he heard John’s words, he was greatly perplexed.” Truth unsettles a double mind (James 1:8). • John confronted Herod’s unlawful marriage to Herodias (Luke 3:19). Conviction pierces, but without repentance it only confuses and torments (Acts 24:25). • Herod’s perplexity shows that hearing truth without obeying it multiplies inner turmoil (Psalm 32:3-4). He listened to John gladly • Paradoxically, Herod “listened to him gladly.” People often enjoy inspirational preaching while ignoring its demands (Ezekiel 33:31-32). • The crowd “enjoyed” Jesus’ teaching (Mark 12:37), yet many walked away when the cost became clear (John 6:60-66). • Herod’s pleasant interest never ripened into repentance. His delight ends in disaster, proving that agreeable feelings are no substitute for obedience (Matthew 7:26-27). summary Mark 6:20 paints a conflicted ruler: awed by a prophet’s holiness, quick to shelter him, intrigued by his message, yet unwilling to surrender his sin. Fear, protection, recognition, perplexity, and enjoyment swirl in Herod’s heart, but without repentance every positive impulse stalls. The verse stands as a sober reminder that admiring truth is not the same as submitting to it; only a yielded heart escapes the tragic fate that later overtook Herod when he silenced the very voice God sent to save him. |
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