Matthew 14:10

Herod “had John beheaded.”

The scene shifts from Jesus’ intimate conversation with his disciples about the radical Kingdom of God among them to Jesus’ pain upon hearing about the horrid and senseless killing of the one who announced his appearance as the Lamb of God.

Matthew catches the dilemma of the conflicted Herod the Tetrarch. In a moment of irresponsibility Herod had John the Baptist killed, a deed he knew would sour his relationships with many of the Jews who generally thought highly of John.  It was not a happy moment for this Herod whose job was to placate the Jews.

John’s disciples buried the headless body and reported to Jesus what happened. The news affected Jesus profoundly, so much so that he sought solitude where he and his Father could share. A question he may have dealt with had to do with why John, his friend and close relative, had to die, while he went free? Or why John needed to die like that.

I find myself sympathizing with Jesus because I, too, am at times perplexed about why this or that happened.  I need to retire to my “solitary place” as Jesus did, abandon myself to the ways of God, and then move on, understanding or not, mostly “not.”  That is just fine because God knows. I admit that at times I struggle to leave it at that. Then I remind myself that the Father of Jesus is God Almighty, my all-knowing Lord and Master. I do not need to have all my questions answered. Not as long as I rest in the Lord.

What I must not do is to allow doubts to flood my head and paralyze me so that I can not get on with doing what he wants me to do and being what he wants me to be.