Herod’s Reasons – Part 1

From the desk of Pastor Ben

“Although he was grieved, the king commanded it [John’s head] to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests.” (Matthew 14:9)

As yesterday’s study revealed, Herod’s reaction to Jesus stemmed from an irrational fear that He was actually Joh the Baptist come back to confront Herod again. So, Herod’s wavering response to Christ directly flowed from his earlier feelings toward John. Even as John the Baptist feared nothing and no person but God, Herod feared everything except the Father and His Son. In addition to John and the multitudes, Herod was paranoid of his family and friends and feared potential threats to his position by Rome and other nations.
Herod felt ambivalence toward John, being both afraid and fascinated — feelings he undoubtedly now had toward Jesus. Mark’s gospel says, “Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him” (6:20). From this and his being grieved about agreeing to the beheading of John, Herod seemed to have developed a fondness for the Baptist, or at least a more respectful fear — both of which he could have transferred to Jesus.
Although Herod “was grieved,” such grief had nothing to do with sadness for sin or authentic repentance. Similar to Pilate, who should have released Jesus but caved in to Jewish intimidation (Luke 23:22-25; John 19:12), Herod cowardly gave in to the injustice and revenge favored by his wicked wife and stepdaughter and let an innocent man be executed. His foolish excesses and complicity in evil now haunted him and prompted a faithless interest in and faulty analysis of Jesus’ works.

Ask Yourself:
Do you operate with any irrational fears that motivate your decision-making and perhaps alter your ability to follow Christ as fully as you should? What are you doing to counteract them? How could you keep yourself more accountable to those who help you see life in perspective?