30. John the Baptist died

<p>Mt 14.1-13

<b>Mark 6:27 (ESV)&nbsp;</b>

²⁷&nbsp;And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison

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<p>Mk 6.27b, "He went and beheaded him in the prison."&nbsp; John came to the end of his life and his soul and spirit departed from the earth suddenly and without fanfare.&nbsp; Our earthly, fleshly instincts recoil with sorrow: such a faithful servant of the Lord and to the Jews, to be so ignominously dealt with!&nbsp; Yet these feelings do not fit the reality: like Christ's children today, John was an ambassador of a foreign power (Christ) and from a foreign land (heaven).&nbsp;

Consider earthly ambassadors.&nbsp; When their foreign term is abruptly ended, such as when they are expelled by the country in which they are serving due to the vicissitudes of international diplomacy, their departure is usually quick and without fanfare.&nbsp; This is to be expected; they are not appreciated or valued by the country expelling them.&nbsp; Yet their arrival back home is quite different.&nbsp; There they are received by the Secretary of State and often by the President, congratulated for their faithful and valuable service, medaled, and rewarded.&nbsp;

John's experience can be considered in a similar vein.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Scriptures tell us that his execution was unplanned and abruptly carried out.&nbsp; So all we know was He was sitting in Herod's prison, probably not yet hearing the approaching footsteps of the executioner, and likely not aware he was in the last minutes of his life.&nbsp; Yet we can speculate about how our Lord prepared John for his sudden departure from this earth.&nbsp; We know the Lord loves John with a perfect love and allows no trial to befall His beloved ones without gaining from it a good benefit for the loved one.&nbsp; So also with John:&nbsp;&nbsp;a quick, quiet departure from the earth -- but what a difference we can visualize for his arrival in Heaven!&nbsp; Honored as a faithful servant, praised for the&nbsp;good return on the talents placed in his stewardship, embraced as the beloved son finally home!

We should be encouraged by this.&nbsp; There is no pressure on us to obtain notoriety on earth or arrange a significant departure.&nbsp; We are ambassadors of the Lord.&nbsp; We are from Heaven.&nbsp; The significant event is not our departure, but our arrival -- and what a glorious experience that will be!&nbsp; Anticipate that and have joy in it all the time.</p>