Now King Herod heard [of Him], for His name had become well known. And he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.” 15 Others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.” 16 But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!” 17 For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. 18 Because John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he [was] a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

– Mark 6:14-20 (NKJV)

When John preached it brought a reverential fear to Herod but hate to Herodias. The same message landed different ways. Herodias’ heart was stone cold and the message didn’t effect her other than to generate a hatred in her heart for John. Herod on the other hand was in fear of John. Herod had a foot in both worlds. He tried to please his wife, but he also kept John alive despite her.

As we’ve been going through the Gospel of Mark, we are noting the ways that the words of Jesus and the call to repentance generate different responses. Here we see in Herod a man who is torn because he is living in sin yet, also has some respect for the word of God. He tried to straddle the fence between the word of God and his sinful lifestyle with Herodias.

As we see in tomorrow’s reading, there is no way that this set up could last. Speaking of the lust for wealth and a full commitment to God Jesus shares that, “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). We may fool ourselves into thinking that we can compromise with wicked habits or lifestyles, but the truth is there is no room for compromise. The questions of application that we might ask ourselves today is this, “Have I fully committed to following Jesus? Is there something or someone holding me back from a full commitment? In order to not only hear the call of repentance, but to actually repent, what actions or steps do I need to take?”

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Search our hearts and see if there is any thing in us that does not please or honor you. Give us grace to let go of anything in our hearts that would compete with you. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.