Misplaced Hatred

Misplaced Hatred

Herodias

Read: Mark 6:14-20

Every time Herodias thought about John the Baptist, she seethed with hatred and a desire for revenge. How dare he rebuke her and her husband in public? Herodias must have known that her marriage with Herod was unlawful; they had both left their spouses. But since Herod ruled over two provinces in Israel, it’s likely that no one dared to point that out until this outspoken prophet came along. To make matters worse, Herod had some strange fascination with John. He actually liked listening to him. Herod had finally thrown John into prison, but he still refused to execute him. We can imagine Herodias gritting her teeth and thinking, Imprisonment is not enough to pay him back for the embarrassment he caused me. I’ll find a way.

Instead of hating the sin in her life, Herodias hated the one who pointed it out to her. John’s words troubled what remained of her conscience. Rather than face the truth of his reprimand, she wanted to shut him up. John’s willingness to be bold in speaking God’s message about her life offered Herodias the opportunity to seek forgiveness from God and make a correction in her behavior. But she poured all her attention and energy into devising a way to get rid of the messenger.

When someone criticizes our behavior, we usually respond defensively. We find it easier to get angry at the person than to evaluate the message to see if it’s true. We may not realize that our anger is merely covering up our guilty consciences. Instead of instantly reacting on the basis of our emotions, a much wiser response would be to examine our lives prayerfully in light of the criticism. God sometimes uses other people to get our attention and point out areas in our lives that need correction. We don’t want to be like Herodias and hate the wrong things.

If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.

Proverbs 15:31