It is interesting to note that in today’s Gospel, from the start, Herod acknowledges the “mighty powers” that are at work in Christ, whom he assumes to be John raised from the dead. Though this assumption is obviously incorrect, we right away know that Herod recognizes John to be mighty, and this sets the stage for the rest of today’s reading.
John tells Herod that it is not lawful to have his brother’s wife; though Herodias wanted to kill him because of this comment, Herod kept him in custody because he feared him. The Gospel even says that Herod liked listening to John. Being called out for something you are doing wrong is never a pleasant feeling; we often run away from it as Herodias does. In reality, though, acknowledging the areas where we fall short can help us fear God, meaning that we follow His commands, more. Herodias wanted to run away from what she knew was right, but one could say that Herod feared doing what he knew was wrong in a way that mirrored the love of God that was meant for him. Think about it - he liked listening to John preach. He enjoyed listening to the truth. Fundamentally, that is what we are made for: to listen to and to enjoy the Lord’s commands, because ultimately, they will lead to fullness of life.
When Herodias goes to the extreme and essentially requests that John be killed, we can see our own attitudes in this instance. Christ bore the weight of all of the sins of humanity when He died on the Cross for us. The people were running from what they knew was right, so much so that a man ended up dying because of it. In today’s Gospel, Herodias is running so much from what she knows is right that a man ends up dying because of it. When we do something wrong, we almost want to blame God without realizing that it is our own fault. God doesn’t give His commandments to condemn us, but He gives them to fulfill us. The king was distressed when the head of John the Baptist was requested because he knew he was going against what would fulfill him.
Really insightful read. The distinction between Herodias running from truth versus Herod being drawn to it despite knowing it condemned him captures something important about how we respond to conviction. I've experienced that pull myself, where part of you genuinely wants to align with what's right even tho another part resists the cost of actualy changing.