Matthew 14:1-12
At that time Herod
the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus; and he said to his servants,
"This is John the Baptist, he has been raised from the dead; that is why
these powers are at work in him." For Herod had seized John and bound him
and put him in prison, for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; because
John said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." And though
he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to
be a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced
before the company, and pleased Herod, so that he promised with an oath to give
her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the
head of John the Baptist here on a platter." And the king was sorry; but
because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given; he sent and
had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and
given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and
took the body and buried it; and they went and told Jesus.
--------------------------
Do you ever feel
haunted by a past failure or a guilty conscience? King Herod, the most powerful
and wealthy man in Judea, had everything he wanted, except a clear conscience
and peace with God. Herod had respected and feared John the Baptist as a great
prophet and servant of God. John, however did not fear to rebuke Herod for his
adulterous relationship with his brother's wife. He ended up in prison
because of Herodias' jealousy. Herod, out of impulse and a desire to please his
family and friends, had John beheaded. Now his conscience is pricked when
he hears that all the people are going to Jesus to hear his message of
repentance and to see his mighty works. Herod is now haunted by the thought
that the prophet he murdered might now be raised from the dead!
Unfortunately for
Herod, he could not rid himself of sin by ridding himself of the man who
confronted him with his sin. Herod's power and influence was badly flawed. He
could take a strong stand on the wrong things when he knew the right.
Such a stand, however, was a sign of weakness and cowardice. Where do you get
the strength of will and heart to choose what is right and to reject what is
bad? The Lord gives grace and help to the humble, to those who acknowledge
their weaknesses and their sinfulness, and who look to God for his mercy and
pardon, wisdom and strength. His grace and pardon not only frees us from a
guilty conscience, it enables us to pursue holiness in every area of our lives,
in our thoughts and intentions as well as our words and actions. God's grace
enables us to fight fear with faith and to overcome the temptation to
compromise good with evil. Do you rely on God's grace and help to choose his
way of holiness and to reject whatever would weaken your faith and loyalty to
Christ?
--------------------------
"Heavenly
Father, form in me the likeness of your Son Jesus that I may imitate him in
word and deed. Help me to live the gospel faithfully and give me the strength
and courage I need to not shrink back in the face of hardship and
temptation."
---
No comments:
Post a Comment