Matthew 14:1-12
¹At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, ²and 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.”
³For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. ⁴For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
⁵Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet. ⁶But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, ⁷so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.
⁸Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
⁹Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths, and because of his dinner guests. ¹⁰He sent and had John beheaded in the prison.
¹¹And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.
¹²His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus.
Devotional
King Herod Antipas (Ruled from 4 BC Ruled to 39 AD) recognizes something of John the Baptist in Jesus. His wisdom and power (Matthew 3: 1-12). In such a strong measure that he thinks the prophet lives again. But that thought is born out of fear.
This is evident from the way he had murdered John. His blunt criticism of his adulterous behavior (Eq. Leviticus 18:16, 20:21) was not accepted (vs. 3.4). The only reason why the prophet was not killed immediately, was the fear of the people, because they saw in John a prophet (verse 5). He wanted to stay liked by the people.
But the shaky foundation for keeping John alive quickly turns.
At a party, Herod let the beautiful daughter of Herodias, Salome, which would have been about 18 years old, dance for them. He is so foolish to give her the promise that he would give her anything she would ask him. Such a promise does not demonstrate prudence. It shows how Herod let himself be manipulated by prestige and by others. John loses his head because of it.
But it is the question of who really lost his head.
Yes, John lost his life by the power that Herod had over him, but he remained true to his message of repentance. He did not yield to the king to retain his life. But Herod had no basis for his faith and was therefore swinging back and forth between fear, foolishness and personal pleasure . He lost the head by the desire of a vengeful woman. He managed to survive, but he was actually living dead; he did not turn to God.
▪︎What basis do we have in dealing with others?
▪︎What goals do we pursue?
▪︎Do we quickly let others take us in, or do we seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness first, like John?
Even if there is opposition to God’s way, we must stick to it. Only then can we truly live.
Question
How can you remain true to the way of God in situations of resistance or threat? (Eq John 16: 1-4).
Prayer suggestion
Ask God to help you to persevere in His way
About Author
