Luke 9:7-9
"Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him, and he was perplexed, because it had been said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen. Herod said, 'John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?' So he sought to see Him."
Herod's arrogance, self-absorption, and evilness drips from his words. Luke's sharing of this connective passage of scripture nestled between the sending out of the Apostles with power and authority and the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 is curiously overlooked. Lots of such verses are overlooked because they do not contain doctrine or teaching. Yet, as it is with all scripture it is rich with illustration and is the truth.
So, what can we glean from this? Herod has no idea who Jesus is. He also totally underestimates Christ's power and authority. Many people today still do the same thing. They write off Jesus or mock His claims. Remember, the Herods have been doing everything feasible, including killing babies to keep a Messiah from interrupting their reign. It does not end well for them. Resisting God or blowing off His relevance does not deal with the ultimate truth. You can behead as many as you possibly can and the gospel will not be deterred. Herod or anybody else throughout all history, have all died and all those today will too. Yet God reigns forever.
Do not be dismayed by blowhards, despots, dictators or the notoriously famous or powerful. They all and we all will answer to God, one way or the other. He will judge and every knee will bow. Don't take my word for it, read His Word. God is Who He says He is. Period. So join me in putting all the naysayers and "know it alls" in perspective. God is sovereign, trusting that gives me tremendous peace.
Pastor Fred
"Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him, and he was perplexed, because it had been said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen. Herod said, 'John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?' So he sought to see Him."
Herod's arrogance, self-absorption, and evilness drips from his words. Luke's sharing of this connective passage of scripture nestled between the sending out of the Apostles with power and authority and the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 is curiously overlooked. Lots of such verses are overlooked because they do not contain doctrine or teaching. Yet, as it is with all scripture it is rich with illustration and is the truth.
So, what can we glean from this? Herod has no idea who Jesus is. He also totally underestimates Christ's power and authority. Many people today still do the same thing. They write off Jesus or mock His claims. Remember, the Herods have been doing everything feasible, including killing babies to keep a Messiah from interrupting their reign. It does not end well for them. Resisting God or blowing off His relevance does not deal with the ultimate truth. You can behead as many as you possibly can and the gospel will not be deterred. Herod or anybody else throughout all history, have all died and all those today will too. Yet God reigns forever.
Do not be dismayed by blowhards, despots, dictators or the notoriously famous or powerful. They all and we all will answer to God, one way or the other. He will judge and every knee will bow. Don't take my word for it, read His Word. God is Who He says He is. Period. So join me in putting all the naysayers and "know it alls" in perspective. God is sovereign, trusting that gives me tremendous peace.
Pastor Fred
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