Herod was interested in Jesus. He had heard lots about him, quite possibly through his steward’s wife, Joanna (Luke 8:3). But even if Joanna stayed quiet, word would probably have made its way to his court. After all, Galilee was filled with rumors of storms miraculously calmed, the sick healed, demons expelled, and the dead raised!
With all of this data, Herod clearly decided who Jesus wasn’t. He wasn’t John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded, or Elijah, or another of the ancient prophets back from the dead. But Herod was having trouble deciding who Jesus was. He “kept trying to see him,” hoping that more and more exposure would help him solve the puzzle of this popular preacher from Galilee (Luke 9:9). In effect, Herod was saying, “Prove yourself to me,” even though he wasn’t willing to admit the truth that all the rumors about Jesus should have led him to.
So who is Jesus? Every time we recite the Creed, we profess to believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son and our Lord. Are you ready to take a stand based on that profession? Every day we face situations in which we must decide not to gossip; to avoid TV shows, movies, or Internet sites that incite greed, envy, laziness, or lust; to eat and drink in moderation; to give employers an honest day’s work; to keep anger in check, even when our teenager goes to school with our car keys in his pocket!
We don’t want to be people who merely know about Jesus. We want to be those who have eliminated doubt, who are willing to take a stand for godly things. Rather than continually asking God to prove himself and convince us, let us be those who hold fast to godly truths in our hearts and minds. And, on those days when our lives go against our profession of faith, we can declare, “Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross and rising from the dead for my forgiveness.”
So what will your decision be?
“Jesus, I don’t need any more convincing. I believe you are the Son of God, and I want my words and actions to declare that. Help me today to live my faith in you.”
Haggai 1:1-8; Psalm 149:1-6,9