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The Life of ChristEvent 34 / 50
Section 039 · Bread of Life & Withdrawal

The Death of John the Baptist

Herod Antipas hears of the mighty works of Jesus, and his guilty conscience leaps to one conclusion — “It is John, whom I beheaded; he is risen from the dead.” The Gospels then tell how it came to be: John imprisoned for naming Herod’s marriage unlawful, the oath at the birthday feast, the dance of Herodias’ daughter, and the prophet’s head brought in upon a dish.

Matt 14:1–12; Mark 6:14–29; Luke 9:7–93 of 5 accountsReading: CCE

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The reading is the Covenant Christian Edition — the Joseph Smith Translation reading — carried beside each Gospel and set against the King James baseline. Headers give both numbering systems: the CCE chapter and verse, and the traditional KJV reference.

JST
Green — Joseph Smith Translation. Where the Covenant Christian Edition departs in substance from the King James text and the change is in the JST (confirmed against the parallel-column edition). Modernized English (“has” for “hath,” “you” for “thou”) is not marked.
CCE
Burgundy — Covenant Christian Edition. Where the CCE’s reading departs from the King James but the change is not in the Joseph Smith Translation — the CCE’s own editorial reading (e.g. “this day I have begotten you” at the baptism).
DS
Plum — Testimony of St. John. The TSJ (a separate scripture text) and Denver Snuffer’s later commentary share the plum mark.
MatthewKJVMatthew 14:1–12CCEMatthew 8:1–2NT 1NT 2

1At that time, Herod, the tetrarch, heard of the fame of Jesus 2and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. 3For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake (his brother Philip’s wife); 4for John said unto him, It is not lawful for you to have her. 5And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude because they counted him as a prophet.

6But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, 7whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she would ask. 8And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a dish. 9And the king was sorry; nevertheless, for the oath’s sake, and them that sat with him at a meal, he commanded it to be given. 10And he sent and beheaded John in the prison. 11And his head was brought in a dish and given to the damsel, and she brought it to her mother. 12And his disciples came and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

MarkKJVMark 6:14–29CCEMark 3:8–11NT 2

14And king Herod heard of Jesus (for his name was spread abroad) and he said that John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. 15Others said that it is Elijah. And others said that it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. 16But when Herod heard of him, he said, It is John whom I beheaded; he is risen from the dead.

17For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake (his brother Philip’s wife), for he had married her; 18for John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife. 19Therefore, Herodias had a quarrel against him and would have killed him, but she could not; 20for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and a holy man, and one who feared God and observed to worship him; and when he heard him, he did many things for him and heard him gladly.

21But when Herod’s birthday had come, he made a supper for his lords, high captains, and the chief priests of Galilee. 22And when the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatever you desire, and I will give you. 23And he swore unto her, Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give you, unto the half of my kingdom. 24And she went forth and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

25And she came in directly with haste unto the king and asked, saying, I desire that you give me, immediately, in a dish, the head of John the Baptist. 26And the king was exceedingly sorry. But for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes who sat with him, he would not reject her. 27And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28and brought his head in a dish and gave it to the damsel, and the damsel gave it to her mother. 29And when John’s disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

LukeKJVLuke 9:7–9CCELuke 7:2NT 2

7Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Jesus, and he was perplexed because it was said of some that John was risen from the dead, 8and of some that Elijah had appeared, and of others that one of the old prophets was risen again. 9And Herod said, John have I beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things? And he desired to see him.

Cross-references · other works
Leviticus 18:16 — uncover not thy brother’s wife↗Leviticus 20:21 — if a man take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing↗1 Kings 19:2 — Jezebel’s threat against Elijah↗Matthew 17:12 — Elias is come, and they have done unto him whatever they desired↗
Joseph Smith on the Death of John

Slain Between the Porch and the Altar

The Heritage of the Righteous

Recounting how the prophets in every age have been persecuted, Joseph Smith filled in what the Gospels leave untold of John — the boy hidden from Herod’s slaughter, his father Zacharias the high priest slain at the Temple, and at the last the prophet’s head carried to “the son of this infant murderer” upon a dish.

“Persecution the Heritage of the Righteous,” editorial, Times and Seasons, 1 September 1842, Nauvoo · Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 261 · Joseph Smith Papers ↗

We will commence with John the Baptist. When Herod’s edict went forth to destroy the young children, John was about six months older than Jesus, and came under this hellish edict, and Zacharias caused his mother to take him into the mountains, where he was raised on locusts and wild honey.

When his father refused to disclose his hiding place, and being the officiating high priest at the Temple that year, was slain by Herod’s order, between the porch and the altar, as Jesus said. John’s head was taken to Herod, the son of this infant murderer, in a charger — notwithstanding there was never a greater prophet born of a woman than him!

Margaret Barker · the world of the temple

A World That Expected the Prophets to Return

Barker sets Herod’s dread in its own world — a world that looked for the ancient prophets to reappear, so that the question “who is this?” naturally answered itself with the names of John, Elijah, and Jeremiah.

Christmas: The Original Story© Margaret Barker, 2008
They expected angels, and they expected the ancient prophets to reappear. When Jesus asked his disciples what people were saying about him, they said: “Some say [you are] John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (Matt. 16.14). Mark records Herod’s fear: Some said, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard it he said: “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

Bracketed words are Barker’s; the indented lines are her quotation of Mark 6:14–16.

Points to Ponder
  • Herod’s first thought on hearing of Jesus is the man he killed: “It is John, whom I beheaded.” What does it say that a guilty conscience recognized the power of God before the believing crowds did?
  • John dies for naming a marriage unlawful; he is the forerunner in his death as in his preaching, going before the Lord even to a prophet’s end. How does his fate prepare the reader for what is coming to Jesus?
  • A rash oath at a drunken feast costs a prophet his life, and Herod kills against his own conscience “for the oath’s sake.” How does a man come to do the thing he least wants to do, and call it honor?