Matthew 14:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Within us, there exists a voice that we must identify as not originating from us. Whose is it? It belongs to God. Since our very essence comes from Him, so too does this voice. If it is indeed God's, we must heed it, for the created cannot contradict the Creator. This voice proclaims the existence of God and our complete reliance on Him, thus instilling in us a profound reverence that compels us to fulfill His will as our conscience guides us. This forms the divine word encoded in our nature, accessible to us to read and understand, and we observe that people throughout history and across cultures engage with this truth. Universally, they acknowledge God and listen to their conscience while anticipating life after death. It is only in recent times that denying these foundational truths has become trendy. This is the stance taken by naturalists, and they advocate a doctrine that is in essence, unnatural.

Luke does not indicate that Herod reached any definitive conclusion about Jesus; instead, he describes Herod as bewildered, intrigued by the various opinions circulating in the populace and pondering the identity of the one about whom he had heard such things. Driven by a desire to understand better, Herod sought to see Jesus. Luke, who mentions this desire and its outcome, conveys it through a point of view relevant to his audience. In contrast, Matthew does not recount the public opinions regarding Jesus but focuses solely on Herod's belief that Jesus might be the resurrected John the Baptist. Mark, however, includes both perspectives. It appears that among the multitude of views regarding Jesus, Herod leaned more towards the notion that Jesus was indeed the risen John, though this remained merely an assumption prompted by his troubled conscience, compelling him to seek an audience with Jesus.

Having heard the news about Jesus, while residing in Tiberias—a location within the area where Christ performed numerous miracles and where His renown had already spread—Herod had not previously learned about this remarkable teacher and miracle worker. This lack of awareness appears unusual, and some speculate he may have been journeying to Rome or engaged in military actions against the Arab king Arete during that time, yet no historical records substantiate these claims. A more plausible explanation comes from Chrysostom, who indicates that the Evangelist's mention of time is intentional, illustrating the vanity and negligence of the ruler, who only comes to know of Christ’s deeds considerably later. For those in positions of power often regard such matters with little concern and thus find out about them only after a significant delay (cf. Theophilus).

Like the ancient prophet Elijah, who rebuked the transgressions of Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 21:21, 23), John confronted Herod, declaring: “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife” (Mark 6:18). Herod’s brother, Herod Philip, who lived in Rome as a private citizen, was legally wed to Herodias, but she abandoned him out of ambition and, in defiance of the law forbidding a brother from marrying his sibling’s wife while he was still living (Deuteronomy 25:5-10), became the wife of Herod Antipas. This immoral woman sought to have John executed swiftly for denouncing her illicit union, but she only succeeded in persuading Herod Antipas to imprison him. Herod hesitated to execute the bloody command of Herodias out of fear of the populace (Matthew 14:5), being aware that John was a righteous and holy man (Mark 6:20), whose death might invite divine retribution on the perpetrators. Because of this terror, Herod valued his captive, treated him with care, and derived pleasure from listening to him (v. 20). Such regard for the prisoner explains why John was afforded a degree of freedom even in confinement: he maintained unhindered contact with his disciples, receiving updates about Christ's works and sending messages to Him (Matthew 11:2).

As the proclamation of the Gospel expanded, John the Forerunner and Baptist of Christ, confined in prison, met a martyr’s end. Herodias, incited by John's denunciation of her illicit marriage, nurtured a deep-seated resentment towards the prophet. She realized that if Herod heeded John's admonitions and divorced her, she would lose her status and influence, prompting her desire to eliminate this witness of truth. Unable to enact her vengeance alone, she schemed insidiously, manipulating her weak, volatile, and capricious husband. Herod, initially respectful of John as a holy man and receptive to his counsel, ultimately succumbed to the pressure to sacrifice him. However, fearing the backlash of the people who regarded John as a prophet, Herod postponed the grim execution; Herodias, meanwhile, awaited the chance to exact her revenge.

Antipas had long been aware of Christ’s name and actions due to the widespread rumors circulating about Him (Matthew 14:1; Mark 6:14; Luke 9:7). Confused, he questioned, “Who is this about whom I hear such things?” (Luke 9:9) and speculated that this miracle worker might be the risen John the Baptist whom he had beheaded (Matthew 14:2; Mark 6:14, 16). In his quest for certainty, he sought an opportunity to encounter Jesus (Luke 9:9).