Matthew 14: Gross Stories of the Bible

Matthew 14 introduces us to one of the “gross stories of the Bible.” Here, we find the end of the life of John the Baptist. First arrested for speaking out against Herod’s inappropriate marriage, Herod is later conned into putting John to death—giving John’s head on a platter to the daughter of his wife!

This is the kind of stuff parents don’t let their kids watch on TV, but it’s right there in the Gospel story. What are we to make of this?

First, Matthew was not writing his story for little kids. If he was, it would probably rhyme more often and be much shorter. But second, Matthew was clear to share the full story, not just the nice parts, which to me makes Matthew’s Gospel come across in an even more authentic way.

Think about it: If Matthew had said, “John rode off into the sunset on a horse and lived happily ever after,” I would be a bit more suspicious. Instead, he includes a beheading, the part about himself as a former tax collector, and Peter denying Jesus three times. There are a lot of embarrassing moments in here, heightening the drama of the already powerful story of the resurrected Messiah.

Looking more broadly, we find the Bible is not all nice and neat and includes some very graphic accounts at times. Leviticus is pretty bloody, especially if you are into animal rights. Judges includes a story of a woman using a hammer to drive a tent peg through a guy’s head. And don’t even get started on the Song of Solomon—it’s far too graphic to discuss among the children!

The Bible shares from the full range of life experience, whether pleasant or unpleasant at times. That Matthew does so makes his Gospel feel authentically human as well as divine. Jesus cares about the high and low points of life and every moment in between.

Let us seek to walk in his presence in the ordinary moments of our journey today.

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Dillon Burroughs has written, co-written, or edited over 60 books, including the upcoming devotional work Thirst No More (October 2011). He served as an associate editor for The Apologetics Study Bible for Students and is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. Find out more at DillonBurroughs.org.