Mark 6:17-20 17For Herod himself, having sent orders, arrested John and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not permitted for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19But Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted him to killed, but she could not. 20For Herod feared John because he knew he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him, and when he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and he heard him gladly.
Herod tried to be a people pleaser but it backfired on him. He tried to straddle the fence. On the one hand, he knew John was some type of prophet, yet on the other hand, had him arrested and put in prison. This passage also shows how he wanted his brother’s wife even though he knew it was wrong and felt convicted by John’s preaching. Herod broke the Jewish law by marrying his brother’s wife in an adulterous affair (Leviticus 18:16; 20:21). The Herodian family was badly messed up with broken marriages and murders. Herod was afraid of John yet liked to listen to him. He found himself being perplexed (ēporei), a word that means confused, uncertain, or not knowing what to do. He liked sin but was also aware of righteousness. He feared John while at the same time loved his message. He could not free himself from the bonds of his conscience.
The villain of the story is Herodias who wanted to kill John but could not legally do it. Apparently, she had no conscience that bothered her, just ambitions that had hardened her against feeling convicted of her adultery and murderous thoughts. Sin had grown in her life until she saw a righteous prophet as her enemy. Her problem was that she nurtured a grudge until it consumed her thoughts and motives. She had to find a way to remove John from her life. If she got rid of the righteous prophet, then her conscience–whatever was left of it–could be free and she could continue on in her sin.
Both Herod and Herodias had major character issues. They lacked integrity to follow what they knew deep down was right. Herod had not gone as far as Heridias but still had an awareness of right and wrong. He tried to do have both: live in sin but also marvel at righteousness. He knew what was right but caved to the pressure of his new wife. Herodias had already gone past the point and shows no interest in righteousness. Her heart was already hardened and her mind made up about getting rid of John, the obstacle keeping her from possessing Herod’s full affection. Perhaps she was jealous of John’s influence over Herod. She thought her solution of killing John would take care of the issue, and perhaps John’s death did give her some degree of freedom. But sin always has consequences, in this life and in eternity. Herod and Herodias represent what unconfessed sin can do to people.
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