Nougat 9

Hello,

I pray you well. Today’s Holy Nougat invites us to think about those in leadership.

“Herod Antipas, the king, soon heard about Jesus, because everyone was talking about him. Some were saying, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead. That is why he can do such miracles.”” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Truly, I cannot begin to imagine how Herod Antipas must have felt. It was bad enough that Jesus, a roaming evangelist, was featured in the news all around and not him. But it could not have been easy to hear people thinking that Jesus was John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded! That must have been scary.

I digress to point out that Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great, under whose reign Jesus was likely to have been born. Of course, it also clarifies that the propagation of the Gospel was a serious thorn in the flesh of rulers (secular and religious).

This Herod was consumed by the lust of the flesh, married his sister-in-law, who, one surmises, was still married to his brother when the Herod relationship began. It is possible that the confusion may have caused John’s warnings to echo in Herod’s head and think about what he had done.

But despite Herod’s fondness for John as an evangelist (which didn’t save John’s life), we are not told that the news of Jesus, whether as himself or John, moved Herod Antipas to repentance. And for me, that’s the rub. Because most of the world has heard the message of Jesus for a while. Yet so many are not persuaded to become transformed.

It’s true, that may be about how we live our faith; but for some, Christianity is not convenient to their current pursuits. Perhaps it’s too basic, too simple, too parochial. It asks too much of them. It requires an alternative mindset to whatever they hold near and dear.

Of a truth, that may also be our reality. But we opted to press on. That is commendable but we also need to arrive (or remain) at the place where God’s will IS ours. Easier said than done. Hence the need to plant ourselves in the Word, and grow where we’re planted.

And more critically, we continue praying for the Herods of our era, especially when their truth does not align with God’s.

In Christ’s love and grace . . .