Mark 6:17-20 (NIV): For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.
Herod had arrested John under pressure from the woman in his life, Herodias. She had been the wife of Herod’s brother, Philip, whom she left for Herod. The law of Moses clearly states that one who marries his brother’s wife (while the brother is still living) dishonors his brother, and the couple will be childless (Leviticus 20:21). But Herodias was ambitious (as shown by her leaving Philip to be with Herod, who was the king), and was afraid that John would persuade Herod to send her away. So she pressured Herod to imprison John, and tried to have him executed.
But Herod knew that John was a holy and righteous man. Even though John’s words puzzled Herod and often made Him fearful of God’s judgment, he was so fascinated by John that he went down to the prison frequently to listen to him. This freaked out Herodias even more. She could see that John’s influence on Herod was growing stronger every day, and grew more determined to do something about it before it was too late.
As for John, he understood from the outset that the role of prophet was almost always an unpopular one, especially when dealing with ungodly monarchs. The Scriptures are full of the histories of God’s prophets who were imprisoned, and even executed, merely for speaking God’s truth to their rulers. So when John was arrested, he took it in stride. He never stopped telling Herod about God and His kingdom, and the righteousness that He requires of His people. He also knew that his primary task of preparing the way for the Messiah, and identifying Him when He came, had already been accomplished. He knew that he would soon be exiting the stage as Jesus’ renown grew. Even though John had no death wish, he knew that he was likely to be leaving the world very soon, and so his focus was on staying faithful and true to God and to his calling, so that when his life was over, he could stand unashamed in the presence of his Lord.
Father, we all need to be focused on that kind of faithfulness. Our message, even though it is a message of hope and grace, is still not popular with many today, even with many in leadership roles, because Your word is “living and active” and “sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV) And that makes people uncomfortable, even to the point of making them want to silence us. Lord, help us to stay faithful, and to keep on preaching the word “in season and out of season;” to “correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2 NIV), just like John. Help us to be faithful to Your commission, regardless of personal consequences, all the way to the end. Amen.