“Prison” (Luke 3:20)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 4/29/2026 10:07 AM

My Worship Time                                                                                                 Focus:  “Prison”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                       Reference:  Luke 3:20

            Message of the verse:  “Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.”

            This morning we come to the last section from John MacArthur’s commentary on Luke where he will cover just the first five chapters of Luke in this first volume of Luke’s gospel. In this SD we will look at what will happen to John the Baptist after his preaching is concluded.  I think that it is good to know that when we look at John’s preaching here that it is kind of a summary of what he had been preaching about for around six months.

            MacArthur begins his commentary on this verse by writing about Antipas’s marriage to Herodias, as it was wrong on several counts.  “First, they divorced their spouses to marry each other.  Second, their relationship was also incestuous, since she as his niece. Finally, Antipas’s marriage to her was a flagrant violation of the Mosaic law, which explicitly prohibited a man from marrying his brother’ wife (Lev. 20:21).”

 (Lev. 20:21)

“21  If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.”

“The only exception was to produce offspring if his brother died (Levirate marriage).  But Philip already had offspring (Salome; see the discussion below).  Moreover, he was still alive.

            “Although he was calling Herod to repent out of concern for his soul, John’s uncompromising rebuke of the couple’s illicit marriage was explosive politically.  As noted above, Aretas was already infuriated that Antipas had divorced his daughter to marry Herodias.  Now the widely popular John the Baptist was denouncing his sin.  Moving to silence the bold preacher, Herod added to his already lengthy list of iniquities the most public one of them all: he locked John up in prison.”

            This is the end of Luke’s story about John the Baptist, but there is more to this story as Matthew and Mark record the grim final episode of his life.  Wanting to execute John, but Herod was actually afraid of the people’s reaction as seen in Matthew 14:5 “5  And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.”  So Herod kept him in prison.  However more imprisonment was not enough for the vindictive Herodias who “had a grudge against [John] and she wanted to put him to death as seen in Mark 6:19 “19  And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not.”  Eventually, she found a way to manipulate her husband and get what she wanted, as that was the kind of woman she was.  At a gala celebration of Antipas’s birthday Herodias’s daughter from her marriage to Philip, and in the writings of Josephus he states her name as Salome, and Salome performed a lude and immoral dance before Herod and his guests.  Herod and his guests were seduced by her performance, wanting to play the magnanimous ruler before his guests, and the truth is that Herod and his guest were probably very drunk, and so because of that Herod “promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked” (Matthew 14:7).  Prompted by her vengeful mother, the girl replied, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist (v. 8).  Grieved over the outcome of his foolish promise but too proud to break it, Herod reluctantly ordered John’s decapitation (Matthew. 14:10).  “10  He sent and had John beheaded in the prison.”

            Now actually in the end killing John did not accomplish anything for Herod and Herodias, for in my last SD I wrote about how they lost everything and went into exile.  MacArthur writes “And Herod was haunted by guilt over what he had done.  Thus when reports of Jesus’ ministry reached him, Herod exclaimed, ‘This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him’ (Matthew 14:2).  And Herod would add to his guilt by playing a role in the trial of Jesus (Luke 23:7-12).”

(Luke 23:7-12)

“7  And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8  When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9  So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10  The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11  And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12  And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.”

            MacArthur concludes “John’s humble acceptance of his subordinate role is an example for all preachers (and all believers) of humility.  John confrontively and fearlessly spoke the truth, thus faithfully carrying out his ministry. He boldly called for repentance no matter what it cost him. In an age of ear-tickling preaching (2 Tim. 4:3) and self-promoting preachers (Phil. 1:17), the church desperately needs more bold, yet humble preachers like the Baptist.”

(2 Tim. 4:3)

“3  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,”

(Phil. 1:17)

“17  The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  Learn from John the Baptist and be bold in speaking the truth no matter what it may cost me.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am trusting the Lord to give my wife help from the new doctor that we will see this Friday.

4/29/2026 10:45 AM