Imprisonment and Death of John
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face and dignified mien, while he concealed an anxious heart, ever
oppressed with the fear that a curse was upon him.
Herod had been deeply impressed by the words of John, that noth-
ing can be hidden from God. He was convinced that God was present
in every place, that He had witnessed the revelry of the banqueting
room, that He had heard the command to behead John, and had seen
the exultation of Herodias, and the insult she offered to the severed
head of her reprover. And many things that Herod had heard from the
lips of the prophet now spoke to his conscience more distinctly than
had the preaching in the wilderness.
When Herod heard of the works of Christ, he was exceedingly
troubled. He thought that God had raised John from the dead, and sent
him forth with still greater power to condemn sin. He was in constant
fear that John would avenge his death by passing condemnation upon
him and his house. Herod was reaping that which God had declared
to be the result of a course of sin,—“a trembling heart, and failing of
eyes, and sorrow of mind: and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee;
and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy
life: in the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at
even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine
heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which
thou shalt see.”
Deuteronomy 28:65-67
. The sinner’s own thoughts
are his accusers; and there can be no torture keener than the stings of a
guilty conscience, which give him no rest day nor night.
To many minds a deep mystery surrounds the fate of John the
Baptist. They question why he should have been left to languish and
die in prison. The mystery of this dark providence our human vision
cannot penetrate; but it can never shake our confidence in God when
we remember that John was but a sharer in the sufferings of Christ. All
who follow Christ will wear the crown of sacrifice. They will surely
be misunderstood by selfish men, and will be made a mark for the
fierce assaults of Satan. It is this principle of self-sacrifice that his
kingdom is established to destroy, and he will war against it wherever
manifested.
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The childhood, youth, and manhood of John had been character-
ized by firmness and moral power. When his voice was heard in the
wilderness saying, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths
straight” (
Matthew 3:3
), Satan feared for the safety of his kingdom.