Matthew 14:1-5 1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the word about Jesus, 2and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead, and because of this, these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3For Herod, having seized John, bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother. 4For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they considered him a prophet.
Matthew pauses in his account of Jesus’ teaching to interject the story about the situation of John the Baptist. Herod’s rejection of John has a similar sense to how Jesus was being rejected. This was an opportunity for Herod to find out about Jesus and even put his faith in him. The Herod mentioned here was Herod Antipas, also called Tetrarch, and ruled Galilee and Perea. He is often associated with Jesus’ crucifixion as recorded in Luke 23, although Matthew does not record Herod’s participation in the death of Jesus. Matthew has already recounted in 11:2-19 how John was imprisoned and now gives the rest of the story. This is more than simply a flashback to fill in missing information. Verse 2 hints at the reason Matthew includes this story here in his narrative.
Herod’s response to Jesus’ ministry suggests he felt guilty and was haunted by his decision to behead John. Herod feared how people would react to Jesus’ ministry and possible association with John. The people knew John was a prophet, but Herod could not bring himself to the point of accepting the divine authority in John’s ministry. He was more concerned about keeping his power than honoring God. He did not want to kill John but gave into peer pressure. He heard about Jesus and saw the same power at work but again, could not come to the point of belief. Matthew records the aside in verses 3-12 to explain Herod’s denial of divine authority. The Jewish leaders had the same problem by failing to see God at work in Jesus.
People are fascinated with Jesus, as Herod was fascinated by John, but they fail to come to the point of acceptance and faith. They are more concerned about themselves and their positions of power and influence. When the decision for faith comes, they turn to self. Matthew gives Herod as an example of what not to do when meeting Jesus.
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