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Explanation for:
Matthew
14
:
1
At the time Herod the Tetrarch heard the fame of Jesus.
8
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Certain interpreters within the Church inquire why Herod harbored the suspicion that John the Baptist had risen from the dead, believing that miraculous abilities were present in him. However, must we justify another's misguided thoughts? Additionally, can we establish a basis for a prolonged understanding of the transmigration of souls from these statements when it is evident that at the time of John's beheading, the Lord was only thirty years old? The doctrine of transmigration asserts that souls are transferred into various bodies after many years have passed."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"For Herod Antipas, this grim occurrence became a source of ongoing anxiety and regret. Upon learning about the ministry of Jesus Christ, he began to question whether John the Baptist, whom he had executed, had returned to exact vengeance upon him. Consequently, he desired to meet Christ to alleviate his fears, but he could only fulfill this wish much later, as the Savior deliberately avoided an encounter with him. This avoidance seemed intended to force Herod to confront the anguish of his guilty conscience, deeply unsettled by his heinous act."},{"author-name":"Paul Matwejewski","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8969f5be0d592d5a10576_Paul%20Matwejewski.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Following the solemn witness of Christ, the significant herald of the Gospel, having executed his mission, soon found himself deprived of freedom. In the territory governed by Herod Antipas, a capricious and morally weak ruler of Galilee and Perea, John sparked suspicion. Herod was apprehensive that the multitude drawn to hear John might incite unrest during those turbulent times, and thus believed it prudent to shield himself from unforeseen upheaval and regret. Furthermore, John, a stern critic of the era's moral failings and an unyielding messenger of truth, had incurred the enmity of Herodias, Herod's unlawful wife. Like the ancient prophet Elijah, who rebuked the transgressions of Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 21:21, 23), John confronted Herod, declaring: “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (Mark 6:18). Herod’s brother, Herod Philip, who lived in Rome as a private citizen, was legally wed to Herodias, but she abandoned him out of ambition and, in defiance of the law forbidding a brother from marrying his sibling’s wife while he was still living (Deuteronomy 25:5-10), became the wife of Herod Antipas. This immoral woman sought to have John executed swiftly for denouncing her illicit union, but she only succeeded in persuading Herod Antipas to imprison him. Herod hesitated to execute the bloody command of Herodias out of fear of the populace (Matthew 14:5), being aware that John was a righteous and holy man (Mark 6:20), whose death might invite divine retribution on the perpetrators. Because of this terror, Herod valued his captive, treated him with care, and derived pleasure from listening to him (v. 20). Such regard for the prisoner explains why John was afforded a degree of freedom even in confinement: he maintained unhindered contact with his disciples, receiving updates about Christ's works and sending messages to Him (Matthew 11:2).\\n\\nAs the proclamation of the Gospel expanded, John the Forerunner and Baptist of Christ, confined in prison, met a martyr’s end. Herodias, incited by John's denunciation of her illicit marriage, nurtured a deep-seated resentment towards the prophet. She realized that if Herod heeded John's admonitions and divorced her, she would lose her status and influence, prompting her desire to eliminate this witness of truth. Unable to enact her vengeance alone, she schemed insidiously, manipulating her weak, volatile, and capricious husband. Herod, initially respectful of John as a holy man and receptive to his counsel, ultimately succumbed to the pressure to sacrifice him. However, fearing the backlash of the people who regarded John as a prophet, Herod postponed the grim execution; Herodias, meanwhile, awaited the chance to exact her revenge.\\n\\nAntipas had long been aware of Christ’s name and actions due to the widespread rumors circulating about Him (Matthew 14:1; Mark 6:14; Luke 9:7). Confused, he questioned, “Who is this about whom I hear such things?” (Luke 9:9) and speculated that this miracle worker might be the risen John the Baptist whom he had beheaded (Matthew 14:2; Mark 6:14, 16). In his quest for certainty, he sought an opportunity to encounter Jesus (Luke 9:9)."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Herod Antipas became aware of the activities of Jesus and sought to learn more about His identity. Reports circulated, with some claiming that John had been raised from the dead, others suggesting that Elijah had returned, and still others asserting that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. When Jesus inquired of His apostles, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ (Mark 8:24), they relayed similar views. Amid these various beliefs, Herod found himself particularly disturbed by one notion: ‘Is this not John, whom I beheaded? Will he not seek retribution against me?’ Consequently, he sought an opportunity to encounter Jesus to confirm the truth of his suspicions."},{"author-name":"Theophan the Recluse","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8983a6e0f4c3aecaae3fc_Theophan%20the%20Recluse.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Upon hearing of the Lord's deeds, Herod instinctively assumed that John had risen from the dead. There was little else for him to reflect upon! Yet his thoughts were solely occupied with John. What was it that directed his mind in this way? His conscience. One cannot conceal treacherous actions from it, and it remains unyielding. By executing John, Herod usurped authority he did not rightfully possess, and while others might not dispute this authority, his conscience had its own voice that he could not silence. Thus, he envisioned John. How many instances do we recognize where conscience relentlessly follows a sinner, vividly illustrating the nature and consequences of sin until they are visible even in the outside world? Within us, there exists a voice that we must identify as not originating from us. Whose is it? It belongs to God. Since our very essence comes from Him, so too does this voice. If it is indeed God's, we must heed it, for the created cannot contradict the Creator. This voice proclaims the existence of God and our complete reliance on Him, thus instilling in us a profound reverence that compels us to fulfill His will as our conscience guides us. This forms the divine word encoded in our nature, accessible to us to read and understand, and we observe that people throughout history and across cultures engage with this truth. Universally, they acknowledge God and listen to their conscience while anticipating life after death. It is only in recent times that denying these foundational truths has become trendy. This is the stance taken by naturalists, and they advocate a doctrine that is in essence, unnatural."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"During the period when Jesus Christ was delivering His teachings along the banks of the Lake of Galilee, news of Him spread to Herod Antipas, the governor of Galilee, known for killing John, the Lord's Forerunner. Herod likely had some prior knowledge of Jesus, though due to his arrogance and indifference, he dismissed Him as merely a common teacher from Nazareth."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"At that time, see the note on Matthew 3:1. The term Herod refers to Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, who reigned during Christ's birth (Matthew 2) and died shortly after the Resurrection of Christ. Upon his father’s death, Antipas inherited Galilee and Perea in accordance with his father's will, as confirmed in Rome, bearing the title of tetrarch. This title originally indicated the ruler of a quarter of the provinces in Palestine or among the Jewish people; however, it later came to refer more generally to any regional leader. Antipas was known to be a weak, indulgent, and negligent ruler. \\n\\nHaving heard the news about Jesus, while residing in Tiberias—a location within the area where Christ performed numerous miracles and where His renown had already spread—Herod had not previously learned about this remarkable teacher and miracle worker. This lack of awareness appears unusual, and some speculate he may have been journeying to Rome or engaged in military actions against the Arab king Arete during that time, yet no historical records substantiate these claims. A more plausible explanation comes from Chrysostom, who indicates that the Evangelist's mention of time is intentional, illustrating the vanity and negligence of the ruler, who only comes to know of Christ’s deeds considerably later. For those in positions of power often regard such matters with little concern and thus find out about them only after a significant delay (cf. Theophilus)."},{"author-name":"Bogolepow D.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In his narration, Luke is notably more concise when compared to Matthew and Mark regarding the events surrounding John the Baptist. While Matthew and Mark elaborate on the details of the Baptist's imprisonment and martyrdom, Luke briefly touches upon his imprisonment during his discussion of the Baptist's ministry (3:19-20) but omits it from this context entirely. Instead, Luke only presents the account of John’s death through Herod's contemplation: “John I beheaded; who is Jesus?” This results in the depiction of mere speculation regarding Jesus within Herod's court. Although Matthew and Mark similarly recount this narrative, Matthew is characterized by a more succinct representation than Mark.\\n\\nLuke does not indicate that Herod reached any definitive conclusion about Jesus; instead, he describes Herod as bewildered, intrigued by the various opinions circulating in the populace and pondering the identity of the one about whom he had heard such things. Driven by a desire to understand better, Herod sought to see Jesus. Luke, who mentions this desire and its outcome, conveys it through a point of view relevant to his audience. In contrast, Matthew does not recount the public opinions regarding Jesus but focuses solely on Herod's belief that Jesus might be the resurrected John the Baptist. Mark, however, includes both perspectives. It appears that among the multitude of views regarding Jesus, Herod leaned more towards the notion that Jesus was indeed the risen John, though this remained merely an assumption prompted by his troubled conscience, compelling him to seek an audience with Jesus."}]}
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