“At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4 because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” (Matthew 14:1–3 ESV)
Returning to our study of the Gospel of Matthew, the apostle reminds believers in Christ about the cost of following the Lord. Sometimes we may find ourselves suffering persecution because of our faith. This is a recurring theme in the Scriptures (Dan. 1; 3; Matt. 5:10-12). This truth is illustrated in the life of John the Baptist.
Today’s text states that John was dead. This occurred when Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the Great (Matt. 2) was tetrarch in Galliee and Perea. He was one of four rulers following the death of his father. A tetrarch (τετραάρχης; tetraaarches) was a ruler with a rank and authority lower than that of a king and one who ruled only with the approval of Roman authorities.
“Antipas appears in the New Testament more frequently than any other member of the Herodian dynasty—his rule coincided with the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus. The gospel writers refer to Antipas only as “Herod”—Antipas adopted this name in ad 6,” explains the Lexham Bible Dictionary.
Herod heard what was being said about Jesus. He said to his servants, ““This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” Perhaps there is a tone of fear in Herod’s exclamation to his attendants. This was because Herod had seized John, bound him and put him in prison. The reason for Herod’s behavior toward John was because John spoke out against Herod because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.
Philip the Tetrarch was also a son of Herod the Great and Cleopatra of Jerusalem. Along with his brother, he too ruled over a portion of his father’s former kingdom Phillip was married to Herodias but began an affair with her brother-in-law Herod Antipas.
“Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus, another son of Herod the Great; so when she married Philip, she was marrying her own father’s nephew. What precipitated the arrest of John the Baptist was that Herod Antipas (another of Herodias’s cousins) talked Herodias into leaving her husband (his brother) in order to marry him (Mark 6:17)—thus compounding the incest, as well as violating Lev. 18:16. John was outraged that a ruler in Israel would commit such a sin openly, so he rebuked Herod severely (Matt. 14:4). For this, he was imprisoned and later killed (Mark 6:14–29),” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
Rebuking sin (Luke 17:3-4) is not to be taken lightly. It may result in retaliation by the one you rebuke. However, humbly confronting sin is the Lord’s will, in spite of the consequences.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 