Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
There was something about the way that John the Baptist spoke that even Herod couldn't ignore entirely. He didn't pull any punches and he didn't care what anyone thought about him. One doesn't wear camel's hair for fashion, or live in the desert for the sake of popularity. This probably appealed to Herod because, though king, he very much felt bound by what others thought of him.
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
It is not enough to become curious about the truth but to keep it at arm's length out of fear, as Herod did for John. He listened, but not in a way that put his way of life at risk. He kept John in custody so as to constrain the challenge that his voice could present. He listened to him, but only enough to be perplexed, because in this he found entertainment.
And yet John left such an impression on Herod that he couldn't shake the fact that, even though he had him put to death, that there was something eternal in him that could not be killed. The truth he represented, the truth under which Herod stood condemned, was still alive.
But when Herod learned of it, he said,
“It [Jesus] is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”
What do we do with sources of truth in our lives? Do we keep them in custody where we are safe, where we can be entertained, but remain fundamentally unchanged? The truth will never comfortably conform with the restrictions we place upon it. It will always say things that challenge us and emerge again in new and unexpected ways to speak to us. This is because God is persistent. He wants us to know the truth, because he himself is the truth, and the truth can set us free.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (see John 14:6)
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (see John 8:32)
The martyrs who give witness help us to appreciate the fact that the truth is more than a matter of preference, comfort, or consensus. It is not meant to be a matter of indifference. John the Baptist and Agatha reveal that it is not merely some distant abstraction, but rather finally reveals a person, the One in whom the deepest desires of our hearts find fulfillment.
Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
From the fact the Jesus himself is unchanging in his identity, that he is love incarnate, we must learn to be consistent on our own attitude toward the truth, and consistent in the way that attitude affects our behavior.
Let brotherly love continue.
Once we realize that the truth is a person we need not be frightened of it as was Herod. The truth may convict, but it also empowers.
but be content with what you have,
for he has said, I will never forsake you or abandon you.
Thus we may say with confidence:
The Lord is my helper,
and I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?
No comments:
Post a Comment