{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"288. Exposition of Matthew 14: 1-12, "Herod's Dilemma"","description":" How to Support the Rob Skinner Podcast.  If you would like to help support my mission to multiply disciples, leaders and churches, click here:  https:\/\/www.buymeacoffee.com\/robskinner Herod\u2019s Dilemma Introduction How do airplane crashes happen? Malcolm Gladwell describes the 1997 crash of Korean Air Flight 801. The pilot was experienced and in good health. The aircraft was in perfect working order. As the flight approached Guam, the Ground Proximity Warning System alerted the pilot that the plane was within five hundred feet of the ground. Unable to see the runway in the rain, the first officer suggested aborting the landing and circling around for another attempt. The captain, however, was slow to respond. Before the plane could recover altitude, it hit the side of nearby Nimitz Hill, killing 228 of the 254 passengers. It\u2019s not just plane crashes.  How do\u2026 \u00b7         People end up homeless on the street \u00b7         End up in terrible disfunctional relationships \u00b7         End up deeply in debt and in a terrible financial situation \u00b7         End up slaves to alcohol, drugs or porn \u00b7         End up in jail or prison This chapter offers insight in how we can end up in a situation we never dreamed could happen to us\u2026 1.      The Death of John the Baptist, 14:1-12 14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2 and he said to his attendants, \u201cThis is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.\u201d 3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip\u2019s wife, 4 for John had been saying to him: \u201cIt is not lawful for you to have her.\u201d 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet. 6 On Herod\u2019s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, \u201cGive me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.\u201d 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10 and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12 John\u2019s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. \u00b7         This is a sidebar in the narrative about Jesus.  Its importance is in closing the loop on what happened to John and also to foreshadow what would happen to Jesus.  Matthew 17:12, 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.\u201d \u00b7         1-3  John\u2019s death is recounted in a \u201cflashback\u201d formula.  Herod hears about Jesus and immediately connects Jesus to John whom he had murdered.  Herod had hosted a feast, which contrasts with the feast Jesus provides in the following section.  Herod is freaking out and imagining Jesus has reappeared.  This happens today with people who have passed away, like sightings of Elvis. \u00b7         Anatomy of a bad decision. o   Herod and Herodias are like Ahab and Jezebel part two.  Their marriage is a sham.  John the Baptist had continually told Herod that it wasn\u2019t right to marry this woman, but he did it anyway.  This kind of stubbornness led to one of the worst decisions on record, murdering John the Baptist.  John is the guy Jesus praised as the greatest prophet of all time.  I don\u2019t want to think about what happened to Herod when he faced Jesus.  But I think this points out something that commonly happens today on a smaller scale.  Now I want to talk specifically to guys today.  o   Guys are on the run.  James Dobson highlighted this about twenty years ago in his book \u201cBringing Up Boys\u201d when he titled a chapter, \u201cMen \u201cR\u201d Dumb.\u201d  Society is going after guys.  They are easy targets.  Look at recent movies like Frozen, Twisters and others.  Who is the hero?  Is it the man?  No!  The man is often the bad guy or lovable loser.   Go through the bookstore and pick out a bestseller.  Chances are the hero is going to be a woman.  This is a big shift. o   Herod comes across as a fool in this story, why?  Let\u2019s take it apart: \u00a7  He commits adultery.  He marries his brothers wife while his brother is still alive. \u00a7  He messes with the wrong woman.  Herodias.  She is the boss, she\u2019s the one in charge, the one organizing the \u201chit.\u201d Herod is simply a puppet in her hands. \u00a7  He\u2019s passive, he lets things happen. \u00a7  Sexuality is involved  \u00a7  Alcohol is involved \u00a7  Peer pressure is at play \u00a7  He doesn\u2019t control his words \u00a7  Pride.  He doesn\u2019t back out when he\u2019s made a mistake, he allows pride to guide him down the road of destruction.  He should have said, this is stupid, I\u2019m being manipulated.  Instead, he does something so wrong, it\u2019s impossible to take back. \u00a7  The momentum and inertia from too many mistakes takes over.  Malcolm Gladwell talks about this in one of his books.  Most air disasters don\u2019t happen after just one mistake.  There is one mistake, then another and they slowly compile until something massive goes wrong and the plane goes down. \u00b7         \u201cIn a typical crash, for example, the weather is poor\u2014not terrible, necessarily, but bad enough that the pilot feels a little bit more stressed than usual. In an overwhelming number of crashes, the plane is behind schedule, so the pilots are hurrying. In 52 percent of crashes, the pilot at the time of the accident has been awake for twelve hours or more, meaning that he is tired and not thinking sharply. And 44 percent of the time, the two pilots have never flown together before, so they\u2019re not comfortable with each other. Then the errors start\u2014and it\u2019s not just one error. The typical accident involves seven consecutive human errors. One of the pilots does something wrong that by itself is not a problem. Then one of them makes another error on top of that, which combined with the first error still does not amount to catastrophe. But then they make a third error on top of that, and then another and another and another and another, and it is the combination of all those errors that leads to disaster.\u201d o   For men today, we can end up following the same path: \u00a7  We mess with the wrong woman.  Instead of a godly woman, we start dating those who don\u2019t follow Jesus passionately.  Women are like Kryptonite to men.  All the greats have been taken down by women:  David, Soloman, Samson.  \u00a7  We are passive.  We let the woman lead us instead of leading as God desires and designed.  Go to many churches and who do you find?  Women.  Where are the guys?  At home worshipping at St. Mattresses or St. Maddens.  We don\u2019t stand up and do what\u2019s right.  Slowly we are led to a place that we can\u2019t get out of. \u00a7  Sexuality.  Porn, impurity, temptation weakens us. \u00a7  Alcohol.  Paul says \u201cDo not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery.\u201d  Alcohol leads to bad decisions.  \u00a7  Peer pressure.  Once we allow our friends or family to guide our decision making, it\u2019s nearly impossible to make changes.  \u00a7  Rash words.  We say things and make promises that are foolish.  Then we get held to those stupid words.  \u00a7  Pride is the final nail in the coffin.  Pride keeps us from making a change when we know we are way off course.  Instead of backing out, we plunge into destruction.  \u00b7         Examples:  I was counting the cost with a young man and asked him, \u201cWhat do you see as the biggest challenge facing you?  If Satan wanted to take you out spiritually, what would he do?\u201d  The man answered, \u201cSend a woman into my life.\u201d  A few months later, this man started dating a woman and he abandoned his relationship with Christ.\u201d  He knew it in advance and still fell. \u00b7         Challenge: o   What situation are you caught in?  Do you feel trapped, closed in, boxed in with limited options.  That\u2019s a sign you may be stuck in Herod\u2019s dilemma. o   Some of us are falling right into Herod\u2019s dilemma.  We are involved with the wrong woman or man.  We are drifting away from God, passively allowing it to happen.  Sexuality and alcohol may be contributing toward it.  We\u2019ve said things that were stupid and now we\u2019re afraid of making a change and looking foolish.  So we are stuck in a situation of our own making. o   If you want to be strong, you have to stand up, step back and look at your situation with fresh eyes.  Renounce the words you\u2019ve spoken.  Break up with the wrong woman and turn back toward God. o   Get some help. Gladwell goes on to say, \u00a7  \u201cThese seven errors, furthermore, are rarely problems of knowledge or flying skill. It\u2019s not that the pilot has to negotiate some critical technical maneuver and fails. The kinds of errors that cause plane crashes are invariably errors of teamwork and communication. One pilot knows something important and somehow doesn\u2019t tell the other pilot. One pilot does something wrong, and the other pilot doesn\u2019t catch the error.\u201d  The copilot told the pilot they were too low, but the pilot refused to listen. \u00a7  Herod had no one in his life.  He didn\u2019t have a copilot.  If you are a disciple and you need help you can reach out for help.  Unfortunately, when we get into bad situations, we often try to hide it and keep it from others.  We get prideful  That\u2019s where discipling can make all the difference.  One spiritual talk with another disciple can often make all the difference.  Don\u2019t be like Herod.  Don\u2019t get caught in Herod\u2019s dilemma.  Stubborn, isolated, compounding mistakes until he finally crashes and burns and commits the worst sin imaginable.  ","author_name":"The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count","author_url":"https:\/\/robskinner.com\/","html":"