Jesus Herod and John's Beheading

Jesus Herod and John's beheading

“At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus,  and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 
Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,  for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.”  
Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet. 
On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much  that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.  Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”  
The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison.  
His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.  
John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.” 
Matthew14:1-12
A quick History lesson, Heodias, was at the time of John the Baptist beheading the wife of Herod Antipas. However she’d been the wife of his brother. Herod had convinced her to marry him. Something forbidden under Jewish law while the brother was living.
It was their relationship that John was speaking against.
His actions obviously upset Herodias enough to want to kill him.
Scripture records, “Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.”
Still he had him in prison.
It was only after the daughter of Herodias danced for Herod that he gave her what she asked for, John’s head on a platter.
What I think is important here is how Jesus reacts. Matthew records,
“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.”
Matthew 14:13a.
Jesus did not as they say come out swinging. He didn’t call Herod a murderer. Instead he left the area.
There were probably two reasons. One the obvious being that Jesus didn’t want to upset Herod and incur his wrath because it wasn’t time for him to go to the cross yet.
The other could have been as simple, although it is not said in scripture, Jesus forgave Herod.
Jesus knew that John’s ministry had to diminish as his increased and unfortunately this is the way it went.
This was obviously a crisis for Jesus but he handled it well. He moved away from the area and continued with his ministry.
There’s a lesson to be learned here for Christians. It concerns how we handle a crisis in our life.
Some complain and say why me. Some blame it on the devil. Others simply pick things up and continue on.
I know when our house burned down. It was a tragic event. We lost all our earthly possessions in less than an hour. Making it worse we had no insurance.
I was working night shift at the time a hundred twenty kilometres away from home.
I remember my wife calling me and leaving work in a hurry.
I also remember that for the almost two hours it took to get there I prayed like I have never prayed before.
But believe it or not today I joke and say it was the easiest move we ever made. It was as it turned out the best.
We moved over a hundred fifty kilometres that day to what is now our home.
The fire happened on Friday morning and by Sunday afternoon we were calling people to tell them to stop giving us things.
In less than thirty-six hours we had a new place to live, someone had donated a livingroom suite. Others beds and clothing as well as dishes plates and cooking utensils. Everything we needed to start our lives over. God had provided. For which I am very thankful.
At the time our children were young and really don’t remember it. Which is good.
What our kids do remember is being brought up in and excellent Church with strong Christian principles that encourage living the Christian lifestyle  here in St. Catharines. It may not have happened where we lived previously.
Today not only my wife and I are serving the Lord, but our now adult Children are also. Both work diligently as volunteers in their church. Sometimes I think they live there.
Our youngest son now a carpenter uses his skills by going on a missions trip every year for a month to help various missions. He helps in the building of Schools and orphanages as well as other things.
He even helped in the rebuilding of some homes after hurricane Katriana.
Jesus I believe set the example for us.
He faced adversity yet he didn’t complain he simply did what God called him to do.
Are you?
Think about it.