Moments of melody coming your way. A five-minute capsule to send you on your way with a song. A man sent a number of books, among them a copy of the New Testament, to the bookbinder. He was surprised on the return of the books to find on the backbone of the New Testament a label in gilt letters, TNT. There was no room to spell out the New Testament, and so the book binder inscribed merely TNT. Well, that's not a bad name for the New Testament just now to the Gospel according to Saint Mark. Reading from the translation of Monsignor Ronald Knox. And then, as his name grew better known, King Herod came to hear of it. It was John the Baptist, he said, risen from the dead, and that's why these powers are active in him. Others were saying it is Elias, and others, it's a prophet like one of the old prophets. But when Herod heard of it, he declared, he has risen from the dead, John the Baptist, whom I beheaded. Herod himself had sent and arrested John and put him in prison in chains for love of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married. Because John had told Herod, it is wrong for thee to take thy brother's wife. Herodias was always plotting against him and was willingly have murdered him, but could not because Herod was afraid of John, recognizing him as an upright and holy man, so that he kept him carefully and followed his advice in many things and was glad to listen to him. And now came a fitting occasion upon which Herod gave a birthday feast to his lords and officers and to the chief men of Galilee. Herodias' own daughter came in and danced and gave such pleasure to Herod and his guests that the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever thou wilt, and thou shalt have it." And he even bound himself by an oath, "I will grant whatever request thou makest, though it were half of my kingdom." Thereupon she went out and said to her mother, what shall I ask for? She answered, the head of John the Baptist. With that, she hastened into the king's presence and made a request. My will, she said, that thou shouldst give me the head of John the Baptist. Give it to me now on a dish. The king was full of remorse, but out of respect for his oath to those who sat with him at table, he would not disappoint her. And so he sent one of his guards with the orders that the head should be brought on a dish. This soldier cut off his head in the prison and brought it on a dish and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When John's disciples heard of it, they came and carried off his body and laid it in a tomb. One word could be written over this: sin. Man loses his head because of a sinful king and a sinful woman. Those two went out into a lost eternity. But I want to tell you that John the Baptist is in heaven. As we read the gospel, the gospel according to Mark and the other gospels, we're reminded that the Lord Jesus came to take away sin. Before it's too late, we urge you to confess your sin to the Lord Jesus and trust in him for salvation.