Herod Antipas was wary and leery. He was suspicious by nature. He trusted few among men. He believed strongly in fate and he had faith in all manners of magic. He believed in healers and feared greatly prophetic voices and especially tellers of fortune, both good and bad. With age, he found himself increasingly superstitious. He had managed to survive this long and it was because he was careful. He was very careful.
Oh sure, he could be ruthless, there were many a man that he treated with complete disdain without fear of reprisal.
But of some men, you had to be cautious. You had to pick your battles, even as King.
Did I mention that Herod feared greatly the whole spiritual realm and the spiritual plain? Spirits are among us. Both good and evil. Demons and angels roamed the world, as did the dead. Ghosts were often attested to in the world of literature.
You always have to be on your guard.
Some men have “a way” with words. Their words can be balm or salve for the soul. They can captivate you or hypnotize you with their voice and their cadence.
Beware of the man who can beguile you. Beware of becoming spellbound. Some people can seemingly hold you riveted in their grip. You can become transfixed. Avoid them like the plague.
Beware of individuals like these. Be very cautious.
The baptizer was like that. Oh he was rough around the edges, but he did have a way with his words. The words he spoke were almost musical.
He was a fascinating individual alright…many faceted and that is why, Antipas was worried, scared and suspicious of him. No one knows what lurks in the heart and the mind of a man such as him.
He was more than a god fearer – he knew the will and the mind of his god.
He was a wild man, a man of the wilderness. Who knew what lurked out there in the desert? John was a survivor. He lived in the desert regions with the wild beasts and demons and he lived to tell about it. It had to be because of his god. He was protected.
One had to be careful of a man like him.
He himself witnessed John’s severed head on a silver banquet platter. It was creepy, it was horrendous, but there was nothing that he could do about it.
John was decapitated. Decapitated at the word of Herod Antipas, Tetrarch and son of Herod the Great. One word and he breathes no more. Herod was responsible. He would wish it were otherwise, but only he could give that word. And gave it he did.
It was a haunting image, the blood, the gore, the jagged flesh, the eyes still filled with terror and opened.
It was nightmarish, alright. Many a sleepless night was spent looking into those eyes….and listening for that silenced voice.
Would his ghost appear to Herod? Would the spirit of the man torment him all of his days?
That’s why it was not much of a stretch when he first learned about Jesus. Jesus was saying some of the exact same things that John had said. He too, was an itinerant preacher. Many people said there was a resemblance in their looks.
And now this Jesus was attracting the same people to himself. The crowds he had been told were enormous. Whole villages turned out to hear him.
And it was even said of him that he performed feats of wonder…great signs and miracles were attributed to him. He was a healer, but more than a healer. He was a prophet, but more than a prophet. And he too, talked about his god.
It had to be John. There could be no doubt. John who had been beheaded has been raised. He has returned with a vengeance. He has come back to even the score with Herod and his entire household, maybe even his entire kingdom.
Here was a man to be greatly feared. Here was a man to be watched.
You do not mess with righteous and holy men. You keep your distance. But if you are wise, you keep yourself informed about their whereabouts, what they are saying and what they are doing.
Many people thought this man named Jesus was Elijah reincarnated. Still others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”
But Antipas knew better, he could sense it…this was none other than John the Baptizer raised. He was convinced of it. He was scared! From now on, he would have to be very careful. And this time around, he was even more formidable. Of that, Herod had no doubt.