One Sin Leads to Another
“At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist: he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodia’s sake, his brother Philip’s wife.” Matthew 14:1-3
We know that John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ because he introduced Jesus to the multitudes when Jesus began His earthly ministry. John had preached repentance, but he knew that One mightier than him would come on the scene who would not only preach repentance but also be the One who would bring salvation to people. Herod, the governor over Galilee and Perea, a province northeast of the Dead Sea. was not the same Herod who sought to kill Jesus after He was born. This Herod was one of Herod the Great’s sons, Herod Antipas, who was a very sly and cunning ruler, called a “fox” by Jesus when Herod threatened to kill Him.
“At that time” is believed to be about two years after Jesus began His ministry. Herod Antipas was considered to be so cunning and “in the know” about everything that was happening in his province, thus why was he just now hearing about Jesus? I guess we shouldn’t be too shocked about that. It is really not surprising because Jesus has been in existence since the beginning of time, yet multitudes have failed to notice Him. Or even some who have heard of Jesus don’t consider knowing Him worth their time, sad to say.
When the fame of Jesus’ teaching, healing, and drawing large crowds finally fell upon Herod’s ears, he immediately identified this Miracle Worker as John the Baptist and assumed that he had risen from the dead. How did John die? I am glad that you asked that question because the answer indicates how far sin can go in folks who are so full of pride and hatred. I believe that Herod had a huge guilt complex concerning John the Baptist, for it was John who pointed out the sin that was in Herod’s life and Herod had him executed. Because of the guilt Herod suffered in ordering John put to death, he assumed this One who was walking about doing miracles was John, resurrected from the dead. Perhaps Herod thought that John was a ghost who had come back to haunt him.
What was the specific sin that John identified in Herod’s life that caused him to kill John? Rulers were to execute wrath upon evildoers (Romans 13:1-7), but John had done no evil. He was a righteous man who was zealous for people to live righteously. John found out that Herod was committing adultery with the wife of his half-brother, Philip. (Philip and Herod had the same father, but different mothers.) Herodias was a granddaughter of Herod the Great making her a niece of Herod Antipas. Therefore, not only was Herod guilty of adultery, but also incest. John, being a man of integrity and also one of God’s prophets, the first prophet in over 400 years, would not remain silent when this man in a position of authority was committing sin and breaking the law. Herod Antipas was a descendant of Esau, Jacob’s brother and Isaac’s son, making him a descendant of Abraham. Since he had Jewish blood running through his veins, he was subject to the law, the same as any other Jew who descended from Abraham.
John bluntly told Herod that it was unlawful for him to have another man’s wife. It’s not right, but it is a fact that people in authority sometimes circumvent the law because they believe that it doesn’t apply to them. How many times do we hear politicians scream that “no one is above the law” when they, themselves, are violating the law? Herod likely became very angry when John confronted him with his sin. People don’t like to be called out for their wrongdoing. Herod wanted to execute John immediately, but he feared the people because they knew John to be a prophet. Herod should have feared God’s judgment that would come upon him for murdering an innocent man. However, it was actually Herodias who desired John to be put to death more so that Herod. Mark 6:20 tells us that Herod feared John because he knew that he was a just and holy man and enjoyed hearing him speak. Apparently, Herod feared Herodias (a woman scorned) more than he feared God or anyone else. Herod reminds me of Pontius Pilate who tried to get out of having to sentence Jesus to death, but he feared the people more than standing for justice.
Herod had John locked up in prison believing that this would pacify Herodias, his unlawful wife, and make John keep his mouth shut. However, being the wicked person that she was, she would find a way to fulfill her desire to put John to death. John, as he sat in prison, likely didn’t know that his execution was being planned. He probably thought that he would go on trial, his ministry would diminish, as he had foretold, and Jesus’ ministry would flourish. Some believe that John was imprisoned for about a year and a half. Did he regret his charge against Herod? If he had only chosen to remain silent about Herod’s adultery, he would still have been preaching and walking among the people. But he was too good of a man to remain silent.
Next time: John faces the executioner.