The Allure of Hard Truth
Herod's ambivalence toward John is mirrored in many people's ambivalence
toward any agent of conscience that dares to clearly indict one of sin.
Mark 6:20 is a
particularly intriguing verse, commenting on Herod Antipas' ambivalence toward
John the Baptist: "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.." On the one hand, Herod had been
the one to imprison John in the first place because he had spoken out against
his immoral union with Herodias. But on the other hand, in spite of himself,
Herod undeniably felt the attraction of John's preaching of the truth.
Herod, of course,
was a thoroughly wicked man and hated tyrant, and so it's unpleasant to think
that perhaps you and I share some of his character traits. Yet I think Herod's
ambivalence toward John is mirrored in many people's ambivalence toward any
agent of conscience that dares to clearly indict one of sin. For, although the
first reaction generally is to shut up or shut out the troublesome charges, yet
some interior force often stalks one with haunting reminders that the truth
simply should not be ignored.
Although he was
once drawn by that intrinsic allure of truth, Herod eventually compounded his
sins when he was driven to behead the Baptist. But you and I still can yet
avail ourselves of Christ's grace, which would embolden us to not merely listen
occasionally to the hard truth, but rather, to have the courage to repent of
the reality of our sins and make the changes necessary in our own lives in
order to get ahead virtuously!