What Happened to John the Baptist? Matthew 4:12–17 (Bible Study with Hank Hanegraaff)

Hank Hanegraaff, the host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, offers a refresher on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6) and goes on to read and discuss Matthew 4:12–17. Matthew says that when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he left Nazareth. Thus, the question, What happened to John? (For a color commentary, go to Mark 6:14ff). In short, following the baptism of Jesus, St. John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas, governor of Galilee (the son of Herod who murdered the infants in Bethlehem). On his birthday Herod threw a party at which Salome, the daughter of Herodias, asked for the head of St. John on a platter. (Unrighteous Salome is not mentioned by name in the Bible—we know her name courtesy of the historian Josephus. There is, of course, another Salome—the mother of James and John and follower of Jesus who is identified by St. Matthew in chapter 27.) Herodias had been determined to find a way to kill John because he denounced her marriage to Herod as unlawful. As such, the beheading of St. John was brought about by the despotism of Herodias and the depravity of Herod. To this day, the Holy Orthodox Church commemorates the Beheading of John the Baptist every August 29 by a strict fast.

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