At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus 2 and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”
3 Now Herod had arrested John, bound [him], and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, 4 for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. 6 But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod 7 so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, 10 and he had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.
Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee and Perea, a territory east of the Jordan River, hears about the growing reputation of Jesus. Remembering the man he murdered, Herod reaches the fearful conclusion that Jesus must be John the Baptist raised from the dead and that this explains the mighty powers at work in Him.
Matthew then looks back and tells us how John died. John had directly confronted Herod about his unlawful union with Herodias, the wife of his brother. The Law prohibited a man from taking his brother’s wife while his brother was still living (Leviticus 18:16; 20:21). John did not remain silent merely because the offender was powerful. He called Herod to recognize his sin and repent.
Herod’s response reveals a man controlled by fear. He wanted to kill John, but he feared the reaction of the people because they regarded John as a prophet. His restraint did not arise from respect for John’s innocence or obedience to God. He spared John only because he feared what the people might do. Then, at his birthday celebration, Herod made a reckless oath before his guests. Prompted by her mother, the daughter of Herodias requested John’s head. Herod was distressed, but he valued his oath and his reputation before the guests more than the life of an innocent man.
Jesus taught His disciples to speak truthfully and avoid careless oaths: “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’” (Matthew 5:37). A promise to commit evil must not be kept. Herod should have admitted that his oath was wrong and refused the request. Instead, he allowed pride to turn one sin into another. His unlawful union led him to reject correction; his resentment led to imprisonment; his reckless oath placed him in a difficult position; and his fear of humiliation ended in murder.
John was arrested, bound, killed by order of a political ruler, and buried by his disciples. His suffering foreshadows the Passion of Jesus, who would also be arrested, bound, condemned by compromised rulers, killed, and buried by His disciples. Jesus later says that those in authority “did to him whatever they pleased,” adding that the Son of Man would suffer in the same way (Matthew 17:12). Herod silenced John’s voice, but he could not erase John’s witness. John remained faithful to the mission God had given him, even when that faithfulness cost him his life. As Jesus teaches, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).
Pride often tells us to defend our reputation even when we know that we are wrong. Repentance requires the courage to admit our sin, accept correction, and change our course before one wrong choice leads to another. When pride demands that we protect our reputation, faith calls us to humble ourselves and do what is right.
Heavenly Father, give us the humility to accept correction, the courage to turn away from sin, and the strength to remain faithful to You when doing what is right is costly. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
––––––––––––––––
Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Notes on Matthew 14:1–12.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Notes on Matthew 14:1–12, 32–33.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Notes on Matthew 14:1–12, 97–98.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 657, paragraph 95.
- Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010. 187–88.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 938.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd fully rev. ed. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1201.
Comments