Matthew 14:1-12 (NASB) ~
"14 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, 2 and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3 For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4 For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet.
6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, 7 so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8 Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus."
This is the story of a king named Herod Antipas who was haunted by 4 kinds of fears.
First, he feared not having what he desired (his brother's wife) and so, he arrested John the Baptist for condemning his marriage to Herodias. Perhaps, he even feared God (and His punishment) through fearing John, who after all was a prophet. John's words must have been provocative, assaulting Herod's pride and deepening the inner conflict that bit his conscience as he divorced his first wife, Phasaelis, in favour of an illegitimate marriage to Herodias. And indeed, while Herod's actions were "unlawful" and unethical, the divorce was also a disaster waiting to happen. The first marriage had been a diplomatic one in order to settle disputes over a strip of land in between Herod's Perea and the neighbouring Nabatea. Phasaelis' daddy, king of Nabatea, would later wreck vengeance on Herod for the sake of his girl - he defeated Herod's army and invaded his territories. Herod's life went downhill from there forth.
Drowning John's voice and retaliating over his rebuke by prison seemed like the best idea - at least for a while.
Secondly, as the ruler of Galilee and Perea, he feared losing favour with the Jewish people in those regions, who regarded John as a prophet. Civil rebellion could follow. And so, Herod did not put John to death even though he craved doing so.
Thirdly, he feared having to break his oath and thus, losing his reputation among his dinner guests - the crème de la crème of Galilee - probably the most influential, the wealthiest and the most powerful in Herod's army, etc - and so, he was forced to give in to the dancer's sociopathic request, which was actually her mother's. I wonder what his dinner guests thought of his doing, though. What a birthday! A freaky sort of banquet with a freaky ending.
Finally, he feared for his life when he heard the news about Jesus (14:1). Had John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded, risen from the dead? Jesus' miraculous powers seemed to evidence it. Would John's ghost hunt him down now?
Herod Antipas. What a wretched life you lived. If only you had known that Jesus had come to die for your sins... to give you a life of abundance... an eternity of pardon. If only you had listened to the prophet you beheaded - and repented - for the Kingdom of God was at hand.
You needed to be liked - to be approved even while it meant committing deadly sins - and that made all the difference to how you turned out to be.
Today, I am considering my failings in light of yours. I pray for God's mercy and grace that I'll never have to end up on the paths you took.
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